In Memoriam - Prof Lim Chong Yah

With profound sadness, we share the news of the passing of Emeritus Professor Lim Chong Yah of the School of Social Sciences.

Professor Lim’s contributions to Singapore during our country’s pioneering days are well known to those familiar with the turbulent years of our nation’s founding. Professor Lim Chong Yah was founding Chairman of the National Wages Council (NWC) for 29 years (1972-2001) and founding Chairman of the Skills Development Fund Advisory Council (1979-1982). Under his chairmanship, the NWC helped the country weather the oil crisis of 1973 to 1974 and economic recessions in the 1980s.

Professor Lim was recognized with the Public Service Star (Bintang Bakti Masyarakat) in 1976, the Meritorious Service Medal (Pingat Jasa Gemilan) in 1983, and the Distinguished Service Order (Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang) in 2000. Few professors have been conferred by Singapore’s NTUC for the highest-level awards for their services to Singapore workers and the trade union movement. Professor Lim was conferred not just one such honour but three; the first in 1985, the second in 1999, and the third in 2011.

Yet, at the same time, Professor Lim was also an eminent academic. His name is known to most of our economists, for amongst the many books he authored are the textbooks used in schools in both Singapore and Malaysia, especially Elements of Economic Theory.

 Prior to joining NTU in 1992, Professor Lim held positions as Senior Professor, Head of Department of Economics and Statistics and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at NUS. He was named Emeritus Professor in 1992. In 2001, NUS established the Lim Chong Yah Professorship in Arts and Social Sciences in his honour.

At NTU, Professor Lim was appointed the Albert Winsemius Chair Professor of Economics in 2005 and named Emeritus Professor in 2012; Professor Lim is the only academic to hold ‘Emeritus Professor’ titles at both NUS and NTU.

 Over the years, NTU established the following initiatives in honour of Professor Lim:

• Professor Lim Chong Yah Gold Medal was established in 2000 and awarded to the best graduating student for the degree of Master of Business Administration (Nanyang Fellows);
  
  
• Professor Lim Chong Yah Bursary Fund was established in 2007 in honour of Professor Lim’s immeasurable pro-bono public service contributions. This bursary, open to all NTU students, has had over 200 recipients since 2010.

Professor Lim was instrumental in setting up the Students’ Emergency Fund in 1995 for NTU to assist students in need using funds from his speaking engagements and royalties from his books. In 2010, he also personally established the Professor Sir John Hicks and Lady Ursula Hicks Gold Medal at NTU.

Less than two months ago, on May 16, 2023, the School of Social Sciences and NTU Library celebrated the opening of the Professor Lim Chong Yah Reading Room and Exhibition. Housed in NTU’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library, the Reading Room is dedicated to Professor Lim’s legacy as an academic and showcases his life’s work and book collection.

Emeritus Professor Lim Chong Yah’s creativity, resilience, and strong engagement and connection with a wide spectrum of academics, policymakers and industry players worldwide inspire us all.

His passing acutely saddens the SSS community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones during this difficult time. 

The School of Social Sciences, NTU

 

(A reference to the Straits Times article can be found here)