Othman Wok
| Tuan Haji Othman bin Wok | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Social Affairs | |
|
In office October 1963 – June 1977 |
|
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Member of Parliament for Pasir Panjang SMC |
|
|
In office October 1963 – June 1977 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 October 1924 Singapore |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Political party |
 People's Action Party(1963-1977) |
| Alma mater | Raffles Institution |
| Occupation | Politician Journalist |
| Religion | Islam |
Tuan Haji Othman Bin Wok (born 8 October 1924), often known as Othman Wok, is a former Singaporean politician. He was a minister in the Cabinet for 14 years. He was the Minister of Social Affairs from October 1963 to June 1977. After retiring from active politics, he was Singapore's ambassador to Indonesia and served on the boards of the Singapore Tourism Board and Sentosa Development Corporation. For his political, economic and social contributions to the nation building of Singapore, he was awarded the Order of Nila Utama (2nd Class) in 1983 by President Devan Nair.
Othman Wok was born on 8 October 1924 in the then British colony of Singapore. His father, Wok Ahmad, had been a school teacher and principal. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in the Second World War from 1942-1945, Wok Ahmad enrolled Othman in a Japanese school in the belief that doing so would prevent Othman from being conscripted into the Japanese Imperial Army. As a result, Othman would come to learn the Japanese Language. Following the end of the Japanese Occupation, Othman would go on to continue his education in Sekolah Melayu Telok Saga before proceeding to Raffles Institution for his secondary education.
Othman’s grandfather, a religious teacher, objected to Wok Ahmad’s decision to send Othman to Radin Mas and later Raffles Institution, both of which are English schools. He was afraid that Othman would waver in his religious beliefs in the course of his English-language education, converting him to Christianity. However, not only did Othman stay faithful to his religion, he became an important bridge between the Malay/Muslim community and the new People's Action Party Government from the 1950s. This affirmed Wok Ahmad’s beliefs that an English-language and mainstream education is essential for a brighter future ahead.
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