A major milestone: Dr Ling with his mother during his graduation as a medical doctor in University of Singapore in Singapore early 1967.
The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik as told to journalist Foong Pek Yee shortly after his retirement from active politics in 2003.
Dr Ling was the fourth generation of the Ling family, with a history dated back to Sitiawan , Perak in then Malaya in 1903.
A medical doctor by training, he went on to become the longest serving Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president and the longest serving Transport Minister (1986- 2003) in Malaysian history.
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
Sept 18, 2026
It was mother’s wish for me to become a medical doctor.
But I was interested in forestry.
As a very outdoor person, I certainly love nature and this could be the reason for wanting to do forestry.
Infact the Royal Military College (RMC) had offered me a scholarship to do a course in naval and aircraft.
While I had a good time at RMC, I decided that three years of military experience was enough.
I decided to follow mother’s wish.
After all it was also a good thing as I would be doing a service in every sense.
That was in 1961 when I packed my bags and off to Singapore to do medicine in then University of Malaya in Singapore. (The university changed its name to University of Singapore in Singapore in January 1962).
I entered straight into second year medicine.
Looking back, I am glad that mother had guided me at this crucial point in life – choosing my career.
Having to mix with a big bunch of first and second year students who were mostly bright students from Malaysia and Singapore’s Raffles College did cause me a little anxiety at the beginning.
I was the second youngest among the 120 students in the class – a good mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian.
I was born on Sept 18, 1943 while the youngest student was born in January 1944,
The first term saw me studying very hard.
I stayed in Dunearn Road Hostel in Bukit Timah while the General Hospital was in Tiong Baru.
A few of us got together to hire a car to ferry us to and fro.
It was a Morris Minor used as a private taxi for medical students.
My first term results were quite good, and this had given me the confidence to continue working hard.
But it was certainly not all work and no play for me.
I was back to my active lifestyle, playing rugby, football and tennis.
When I returned for my second term by train, I took my Vespa scooter along.
I bought it for $900 using the salary from my part – time teaching at Clifford Secondary School in Taiping.
I taught for three months while waiting for my Higher School Certificate (HSC) results.
I taught Mathematics and got paid $370 a month.
Everything went on fine until my third term when I was injured and hospitalized for 21 days.
I was badly injured while playing rugby in an inter hostel match.
A player, A. Sundaraj, lifted his knee against my neck, resulting in cerebral concussion.
I was rushed to the Singapore General Hospital in an ambulance.
I remember getting a lot of visitors.
I told them not to inform my mother.
But she somehow found out and came to see me in Singapore.
Guess when you are young, you do not fear much.
The pressure on my brain took time to recede after I recovered from the concussion.
My memory was also affected temporary, recalling formulas was slow.
I went to see the Medical Faculty Dean, Dr Thambi Pillay, and told him that I don’t think I can sit for the exam.
He said : “Don’t worry, just go and sit for the exam.”
I passed the exam.
And I was back to rugby not long after.
I passed my third year, a crucial year for medical students.
It was our “first graduation” and they will not kick you out from university after you passed your third year.
After my third year, mother bought me a car, a Morris Minor, for $2,400.
With $200 monthly pocket money, I could go for supper, drinking, dating and pump petrol.
I also bought a fridge to put my beer.
As University of Singapore Students Union (USSU) with then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
It was in 1964 when I got elected as USSU president.
Described as Singapore’s crucial years then, the Singapore government under Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew then was going all out to impose restrictions on student activities.
We saw this as infringement on academic freedom despite the government describing it as a form of “consultation”.
To us, the university is a pillar of idealism and our autonomy must be safeguarded.
The crisis had resulted in the vice chancellor having to leave after he stood firm that the state should not interfere.
The student union went to demonstrate outside Lee Kuan Yew’s office in City Hall.
About 10 of us were invited into Lee Kuan Yew’s office.
Lee Kuan Yew asked me : ” Ling Liong Sik, why are you creating so many problems in Singapore?”
I must admit that we as students were no match to this very shrewd politician.
Together with Lee Kuan Yew, we issued a joint statement during the meeting, only to find out later that the statement was tantamount to going against our union’s mission.
We took responsibility for that – all resigned to pave the way for fresh elections.
They somehow voted me back to helm the union.
Different ideology was a divide between students.
There were more leftists or barisan socialists than democratic socialists who leaned towards the right wing.
“Many leftists went to jail in the run up to Singapore’s independence in August 1965,
” I was attending an international student conference in Christchurch, New Zealand when I received a telex on operations to arrest students in Nanyang University.
“I cut short my trip and returned to Singapore to handle the situation.”
In the morning of Aug 9, 1965, Lee Kuan Yew went on air to announce the official separation of Singapore from Malaysia, and he was in tears.
We watched the historical event in campus.
It was a night to remember after taking part in a play titled “The moon is less bright”.
Acting together with Dr Goh Poh Seng, a medical practitioner in Singapore who was famous in performing arts was indeed a privilege.
That was in 1965.
But I lost my judgement as I was driving back to my hostel and crashed my car on to a lamp post.
Shaken by the impact and with a cut on my head, I somehow managed to crawl out of the car.
The Maxwell Police Station was just across the road!
After the accident, I bought a Volvo 121 for $4,200 with the money I earned from part time teaching during my term breaks in Taiping.
The car registration number was SP1324.
I took it back to Malaysia upon my graduation and changed the registration to PF 6017.
I graduated early 1967.
I was held back for six months because I failed O&G (obstetrics and gynaecology) .
I must admit that my attendance for lectures was quite haphazard at times.
Later I found out that the professor in charge found out that I was absent most of the time.
“Overseas again Sonny Ling? How did you find O&G in New Zealand?” he asked as I confidently walked into the exam hall.
I was a very active person and always keen to learn and experience new things and make friends with people.
I met Mr Lim, a Hainanese who worked in a hotel before he became the hostel warden.
He introduced me to horse racing and taught me how to make a cocktail in a bar.
As a small town boy, I had never seen horse racing before.
I lost $50 in the horse racing.
“It was very painful and that was my first and last gamble.”
Photo: Credit to a publication titled A Tribute to…Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik from his colleagues and friends in the Alumni Association of the King Edward VII College of Medicine and the Faculties of Medicine of the University of Malaya and the University of Singapore.
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