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Roderick Yong

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Dato Paduka
Roderick Yong
DPMB PKL
杨仁发
7th Secretary-General of ASEAN
In office
16 July 1986 – 16 July 1989
Preceded byPhan Wannamethee
Succeeded byRusli Noor
Personal details
Born
Yong Yin Fatt

(1932-11-06) 6 November 1932 (age 92)
Brunei
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
OccupationDiplomat and teacher
Signature
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese杨仁发
Traditional Chinese楊仁發
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYáng Rénfā

Roderick Yong Yin Fatt[1] (Chinese: 杨仁发; pinyin: Yáng Rénfā; born 6 November 1932)[2] is a retired Bruneian educator and diplomat who became the first Bruneian to serve and seventh secretary-general of ASEAN between 1986 and 1989.[3]

Early life and education

Yong's ancestors came from Ruijin in Jiangxi province, which is in the Yangtze valley in Eastern China, as opposed to the majority of Chinese Bruneians, who came from the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian in Southern China. Most famously, Ruijin is the "Red Capital," the hallowed site of the Chinese Communist Revolution, which was pivotal to the course of contemporary Chinese history. A relative who had made a fortune in Brunei took Yong's father, the youngest of four boys, there in 1927 to operate his rubber plantations. He began his own company as a rubber and vegetable farmer at Kampong Subok, which is around 3 miles (4.8 km) from Brunei Town, after working hard for a number of years and acquiring a rubber holding and some land. Later on, he wed a Labuan-born Hakka woman, and the two of them produced 10 children: six girls and four boys.[2]

Yong Yin Fatt is the oldest of ten children, having been born on 6 November 1932. Prior to attending Chi Wen Chinese Primary School in Labuan, he attended Chung Hwa Primary School in Brunei. He returned to Brunei after the Japanese occupation in 1941, but he was unable to continue his education during the Japanese rule. Before completing his secondary schooling at Jesselton, where he obtained his Cambridge Senior School Certificate, he returned to school in 1947 at St. George's School in Brunei Town. Through Brunei's in-service training program, he eventually completed his college and university studies. Yong benefited from Brunei's political changes, especially those led by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, and saw the nation transition to internal self-government in 1959 and then independence in 1984. Yong's possibilities were greatly influenced by the Sultan's emphasis on educating Bruneians so they could govern the nation.[2]

Teaching career

Yong entered the government service after finishing his secondary school, first serving for six months as a clerk and then as a trainee teacher. He was the first and only secondary-educated English-medium teacher in the area when he started teaching at Brunei Town's Government English School, which was the sole English-medium government school at the time. After a year as a trainee, the Bruneian government sent Yong to the Singapore's Teachers' Training College for a two-year program, where he obtained the Certificate in Education, Singapore's highest non-graduate teaching credential. He went back to teaching at his former school in Brunei, which had been renamed Sultan Omar Ali Saiffuddin College and moved to a new site with more space.[2]

In order to prepare for taking over the position when the main Chinese schools supervisor retired, Yong was moved to Anthony Abell College in Seria in 1958 to teach English preparatory classes and serve as an understudy. Under the Colombo Plan, Yong was awarded a scholarship by the Australian Government in 1960 to study teaching english as a foreign language at the University of Sydney. He finished the program in 1961. After returning, Yong was placed in the Education Department's Chinese Schools division, where he helped the top supervisor until departing for Canada to obtain a degree in East Asian studies with a concentration in Chinese History and Civilization.[2]

Career

Yong began his career in Brunei's civil service in 1953, working at the Ministry of Education,[4] where he held roles such as Special Superintendent of Literature,[5] Senior Specialist Inspector in the School Inspectorate Department,[6] and Director of the School Inspectorate.[7] In August 1984, he transitioned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to manage ASEAN affairs.[4]

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers chose him as the successor to Phan Wannamethee,[8] secretary-general for three years, beginning on 16 July 1986, at the ensuing 19th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila in June 1986.[9][10] He was formerly a top official in Brunei's Ministry of Education,[11][12] and a Special Duties Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time of his appointment.[13]

The Sultanate, whose secrets had few practical repercussions, was able to play at pleasing its Southeast Asian neighbors without losing face thanks to the nomination of Roderick Yong in 1986.[14] The seventh ASEAN Economic Ministers' meeting on energy cooperation took place there on 7 to 8 April 1988. In Roderick Yong's presence, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah declared the meeting to be open.[15] On 16 July 1989, Rusli Noor of Indonesia succeeded Yong.[16]

Awards and honours

Awards

Roderick Yong earned the 2008 Teacher Day's Retired Teacher Award,[17] which came with a gold medal, a certificate of honor, cash in the amount of $4,000, access to a first-class ward at the government hospital, and free medical care at home from a government nurse.[18]

Honours

Main article: Orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei

Throughout his career, he has achieved the following honours:

References

  1. ^ Ng, C. Y.; Hirono, Ryōkichi (1987). Industrial Restructuring and Adjustment for ASEAN-Japan Investment and Trade Expansion: An Overview. Institute of Southeast Asian. pp. xii. ISBN 978-9971-988-57-9.
  2. ^ a b c d e Suryadinata, Leo (2012). Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume I & II. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 1367–1370. ISBN 978-981-4345-21-7.
  3. ^ "The ASEAN Secretariat". asean.org. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b Brunei Darussalam Newsletter. Bandar Seri Begawan: Department of Information, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. October 1985. p. 4.
  5. ^ "Badan Kenadziran Bebas mula lawatan pemereksaan" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 13 February 1974. p. 8. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  6. ^ A Year Book of the Commonwealth. H.M. Stationery Office. 1984. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-11-580233-1.
  7. ^ "Awang Roderick Yong" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 17 October 1979. p. 13. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  8. ^ Keesing's Record of World Events. Longman. 1987. p. 35074.
  9. ^ Woon, Walter (22 September 2015). The ASEAN Charter: A Commentary. NUS Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-9971-69-867-6.
  10. ^ "1986 JOINT COMMUNIQUE OF THE 19TH ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING" (PDF). www.cil.nus.edu.sg. 28 June 1986. p. 14. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  11. ^ Satjipanon, Chaiyong (1988). Economic and Political Co-operation of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): The Path Toward Regional Co-operation in Southeast Asia. Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. p. 51.
  12. ^ Asiaweek. Asiaweek Limited. 1986. p. 24.
  13. ^ Brunei (1985). Brunei Darussalam. Broadcasting and Information Department, Prime Minister's Office. p. 29.
  14. ^ Vienne, Marie-Sybille de (9 March 2015). Brunei: From the Age of Commerce to the 21st Century. NUS Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-9971-69-818-8.
  15. ^ "Joint Press Release of the Seventh ASEAN Economic Ministers on Energy Cooperation Meeting, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, 7-8 April 1988". asean.org. 8 April 1988. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  16. ^ ASEAN Newsletter. ASEAN Secretariat. July 1989. p. 2.
  17. ^ "Jubli Perak 1986-2011". issuu.com. 19 January 2011. p. 6. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Sultanate - News | Negara Brunei Darussalam | Awards of appreciation on Teachers' Day". www.sultanate.com. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Senarai pengorniaan Bintang2 dan Pingat2" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 18 July 1979. p. 17. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
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