REDUIT (Mauritius): Grab every opportunity to learn, act in good
faith and be prepared to stand on your own two feet.
Distilling from his life experiences and Singapore's history as
a nation, President S R Nathan, 86, imparted these lessons to an
audience of about 300 University of Mauritius leaders, academics
and students here yesterday.
His bottom line: Your future is 'mostly up to you'.
He was speaking after being conferred an honorary doctor of
civil law degree for his contributions in the fields of education
and culture.
With Mauritian President Anerood Jugnauth and Prime Minister
Navinchandra Ramgoolam looking on, he outlined how he learnt from
his experiences - whether working as a translator for the Japanese
during World War II, or with Singapore's leaders during the
uncertain days of the country's early years of independence.
Mr Nathan, who dropped out of school but picked up his studies
again and went on to become President 59 years on, said: 'Whatever
the circumstances, however dark the situation may seem, within
ourselves, we can find unexpected resources, hidden abilities,
which provide hope for the future.'
-- ST
