Shunmugam JayakumarBBMDUT (Tamil: சண்முகம் செயக்குமார், romanized: Caṇmukam Ceyakkumār; born 12 August 1939),[1] often known as S. Jayakumar, is a Singaporean former politician, diplomat, jurist and author who served as 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 2004 and 2009. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedok SMC between 1980 and 1988, the Bedok division of Bedok GRC between 1988 and 1997, and later East Coast GRC between 1997 and 2011.
Jayakumar also authored three books and 32 articles on the topics of constitutional law, international law and legal education.
Political career
In 1980, Jayakumar was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Bedok constituency. He remained as the MP for the Bedok constituency after the 1988 general election but this time under the newly created Bedok GRC.
Jayakumar stepped down as Minister for Law on 30 April 2008,[5][6] and as Deputy Prime Minister on 1 April 2009.
Jayakumar was appointed a Senior Minister on 1 April 2009 before retiring from politics on 21 May 2011.[7]
He decided not to contest in the 2011 general election citing health reasons. He also resigned as a permanent member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights which he was appointed to the position on 1 July 1998.[8]
Career after politics
After his retirement from politics, Jayakumar served as Chair of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law's Advisory Council[9] and Patron of the NUS Centre for International Law.[10] He became an emeritus professor at the NUS Faculty of Law,[11] and a consultant at Drew & Napier, one of the Big Four law firms in Singapore.[12] On 1 July 2020, he was appointed pro-chancellor of the National University of Singapore, where he served until 2023.[13]
On 4 April 2021, during the National Day Awards, Jayakumar was conferred the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction), the nation's highest civilian honour, by President Halimah Yacob for his "wide-ranging, invaluable and unique contributions to the well-being and security of Singapore".[14] In the investiture ceremony, he was praised for having "given his entire life to the service of Singapore" and the citation of his award said: "Uniquely among public servants, Prof Jayakumar brought an exceptionally keen legal mind to bear on a considerable range of issues, from national security and foreign policy to political and constitutional developments."[14]
Publications
Jayakumar has written and published several books related to his life and experiences in foreign affairs and diplomacy. In 2009, Jayakumar and Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh published the book titled Pedra Branca: The Road to the World Court, which covers the territorial dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over Pedra Branca, a small island of strategic value located near the entry point to the Straits of Malacca.[15]
In 2011, Jayakumar published a book titled Diplomacy: A Singapore Experience.[16] The book covers his reflections on many events and episodes during his many years in public service.[16] It also shared behind-the-scenes political decision making that governed Singapore's responses during important post-independence events that formed the basis of Singapore's foreign policy principles.[16]
In 2015, he published a memoir titled Be at the Table or Be on the Menu: A Singapore Memoir, which covers his early life and his career as a law academic and dean before he entered politics.[17][18]
In 2019, Jayakumar, Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh and Deputy Attorney-General Lionel Lee launched the book titled "Pedra Branca: Story Of The Unheard Cases", which recounts how Singapore's team prepared in the dispute with Malaysia over the sovereignty of Pedra Branca and also serves as a continuation to Pedra Branca: The Road to the World Court.[19]
In November 2020, Jayakumar introduced his book titled Governing: A Singapore Perspective, which covers his views and experiences of Singapore's governance, such as how he viewed the Lee family dispute over their 38 Oxley Road home, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's retirement plan if the COVID-19 crisis has not improved.[20]
Jayakumar, S. (2003), The water issue: statement by Singapore Foreign Minister Prof S Jayakumar in Parliament, 25 Jan 2003, Singapore: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Contains official documents, press statements and speeches, correspondence between ministers of Singapore and Malaysia and text of the water agreements)
Jayakumar, S. (c. 1996), The Southeast Asian drama: evolution and future challenges : Georgetown University inaugural distinguished lecture on Southeast Asia, Washington DC, 22 April 1996, Singapore(?): Ministry of Foreign Affairs(?)
Jayakumar, S., ed. (1982), Our heritage and beyond : a collection of essays on Singapore, its past, present and future, Singapore: Singapore National Trades Union Congress
Jayakumar, S.; Chin, Tet Yung (1981), Report on the development of the Faculty of Law, Singapore: National University of Singapore
Jayakumar, S. (1976). Constitutional law cases from Malaysia and Singapore. Singapore: Malayan Law Journal.
Jayakumar, S. (1976). Constitutional law, with documentary materials. Singapore: Malaya Law Review, Faculty of Law, University of Singapore.
Jayakumar, S. (1974). Public international law cases from Malaysia and Singapore. Singapore: Singapore University Press.
The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the constituency he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; SDA: Singapore Democratic Alliance; WP: The Workers' Party NMPs do not belong to any party. There were two terms of NMPs in this parliament, with nine NMPs in each term.
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