Mr Goh was appointed vice chairman of the PAP Central committee. He joined Lee Kwan Yew's first government as minister of Finance. That year, the budget forecast was really low. He introduced cutting civil servants salaries and other harsh measures. Foreign Companies and firms invested in Singapore. He also developed Jurong estate which was then just a swamp by giving incentives to those who located to there. He was very determined. The risk he took was a good step and today, Jurong is populated with many estates and industrial plants.He believed that people shouldn't avoid mistakes by doing nothing.
Mr Goh supported Lee Kwan Yew in merging with Malaya as he felt it would benefit Singapore's economy. In the 1965 though, Singapore split from Malaysia and gained independence. When they did, Mr Goh was appointed as the first defense minister. He was a responsible person and wanted Singapore to be a safer place. Thus he strengthened defense and security by introducing National Service to Singapore. Ever since, Able bodied young adults will have to go through training for 1 and a half years to prepare them for defending Singapore. He also worked on a project to improve Singapore's defense technology.
He also played a key role in improving Singaporean's cultural and recreational lives. He worked on the establishment of wildlife parks like the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park and Underwater world. All of these boosted the tourism industry. He also established the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the first of its kind here. Besides that, he also supported the construction of performance venues like theaters for Chinese Orchestras. He even introduced the sport- rugby to schools.
After being the Deputy Prime Minister for a few years, he moved in to the education Sector as the Minister for education. He greatly influenced the education here. He wanted to educate people from different races to learn about different religions. He introduced 'streaming' to split the students according to their learning pace and abilities.
Dr Goh recently has passed away. People from all over the island attended his wake to pay their final respects. to him. Schools have conducted lessons on his contributions to Singapore. Newspapers have been also publishing special editions on his legacy.
I believe Doctor Goh played a key role in making Singapore a 1st world country from a 3rd. Without him, Singapore's Economy may not be so stable. Places like Jurong may not be as urbanized and industrialized as it is today. We may also not have such great places for leisure like the zoo or bird park. We wouldn't be able to appreciate the arts too. Singapore may not be such a secure place if not for him as he was the one who introduced National Service. The education system here is seen as one of the best in the world thanks to him. He really was a determined visionary who contributed a lot to Singapore.
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