Goh Keng Swee: Background

Goh Keng Swee was born in Malacca in the straits settlements into a Peranakan family. His father managed a rubber plantation, while his mother had relatives who were Malaysian politicians. When he was 2, the family moved to Singapore. He studied in prestigious schools such as ACS and Raffles College. He graduated there and had attained a diploma in Arts and a Distinction in economics. His first job was a Tax collector but surprisingly, according to his superiors, he was almost fired as he wasnt very good at it. At the start of World War 2, he joined the volunteer corps. When Singapore fell to the Japanese, he went back to his normal job. He married a colleague of his and had 1 son.

After the war, he had gotten a scholarship and went to study Economics in London. There he met future politicians wanting independence from the British such as Lee Kwan Yew. He graduated in 1951 and returned to Singapore. He worked in the department of social welfare. A few years later, he attained a P.h.d in Economics and worked for PAP full time.