S'pore's first-generation diplomat Maurice Baker has died at 97

He was a really close friend of the second prime minister of Malaysia.

Henedick Chng | July 11, 2017, 10:41 PM

Maurice Baker, one of independent Singapore's pioneer diplomats, has passed away at the age of 97.

Baker held several key diplomatic appointments in his career, including being Singapore's first High Commissioner to India from 1967 to 1969. Other diplomatic appointments he held included Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia (1969-1971 & 1980-1988), and the Philippines (1977-1980), as well as Ambassador to Nepal (1969-1970).

In his role as Singapore's top diplomat to Malaysia, he helped to strengthen ties between both countries in Singapore's early post-independence years thanks to his close friendship with Tun Razak, who was Malaysia's second prime minister from 1970 to 1976.

The friendship between both men was forged during their days as students in Raffles College in Singapore, and grew further during their time as students in London, where they became activists advocating independence for Malaya and Singapore.

In 1970, when Tun Razak had become the prime minister of Malaysia, he identified Baker as one of his three best friends during his birthday broadcast.

Baker was also good friend of the late Lee Kuan Yew, and both hung out when they were younger.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="592"] From left: Maurice Baker, Joan Hon, Hon Sui Sen, and Lee Kuan Yew at 38 Oxley Road’s porch in 1948. Source: NUS[/caption]

An academic by profession, Baker lectured at the forerunner of the National University of Singapore (NUS) in the early days of his career in the 1950s. In 1971, he was made an associate professor and headed the university's Department of English Language and Literature till 1977.

After serving out his diplomatic appointments in the Philippines and Malaysia (1980-1988), he was appointed as pro-chancellor of NUS in 1989.

Born in 1920 in Alor Star, to an English father and Tamil mother, Baker lived in different parts of Malaya till 1938, when he was admitted to Raffles College in Singapore. He won the Queen's Scholarship in 1941, but had to put off his studies due to the Second World War and Japanese Occupation.

Nonetheless, he continued his studies in 1948 and graduated from King's College, London in 1951.

Baker has two sons, Bernard and Edmund. The younger of his sons, Bernard is currently Singapore's High Commissioner to New Zealand.

Top image from NAS. 

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