EDITOR’S NOTE: READ THIS LETTER AND MORE IN LETTERS OF THE LAW: AN ANTHOLOGY, COMING TO YOU IN AUGUST 2020!

Patrick completed his Bachelor and Master of Laws from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Advanced Management Programme from Harvard Business School.

He is currently Assistant Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), an Elected Member of Parliament and Elected Member of NTUC’s Central Committee. He is heading up both the Legal and Strategy Departments in NTUC and holds various appointments across many trade unions.

Interestingly, before his career in NTUC, he was the Commanding Officer, Special Tactics and Rescue Unit of the Singapore Police Force.

This letter addressed to himself in April 1995, on the final day in NUS.

Dear Patrick,

Congratulations on your completion of Law School and hope you are all set and ready for the world. I can tell you are excited to enter the ‘working world’ and, armed with your legal education, a mind and heart to make a difference to those around you.

Unlike many of your peers who begin their legal career and start their postgraduate law course, your career kicks off with a 9-month Senior Officer Basic Course in the Police Academy with the Singapore Police Force (SPF). Am glad you decided to embark on this less trodden path to serve the people and public through combating and preventing crime in Singapore. The six years with the SPF will definitely be an enriching one but also one fraught with its own set of risks and challenges. Knowing that the pursuit of justice and fairness has always been in your DNA, it comes as no surprise you will stay resolute and excel in your undertakings. More importantly, stay true to your personal credo of impacting lives of those around you. Continue to push boundaries and take bold steps to venture into the various roles and departments within the SPF.

Having served six years with the SPF and completing your bond with the Public Service Commission, it came as no surprise you deliberated on a move out of your comfort zone and into the private sector. This will be one of the several no-regret moves of your working life. Although joining a law firm was the natural choice, you would take up the challenge to join the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) having been involved with volunteer community work and with your legal knowledge. This new endeavour will see you growing to love the work of the Labour Movement for the next two decades.

Joining the labour movement in 2002 and starting with the Skills Development Department, you start your work in NTUC driving skills upgrading and lifelong learning of fellow workers. You will also have an opportunity to work with unions and union leaders in this undertaking. In that process, you will build an incredible network of friends, acquaintances and also cement lifelong friendships within the trade union and labour movement fraternity.

The years in NTUC will see you take on different responsibilities and appointments in advancing the interests and welfare of workers in Singapore. As you fight for the rights of workers and seek better protection for them, you will see yourself play a pivotal role in developing, negotiating and being directly involved in passing new laws, regulations, policies and programmes in the area of labour/employment and industrial relations laws of Singapore. You will witness the advent of new technology and artificial intelligence and the speed of change and disruption will be at breakneck speeds. As such, you will have to learn, un-learn, and re-learn in the pursuit of knowledge and continuous education. You will also need to stay ready, relevant and resilient, ready with new skills, relevant to new jobs, and resilient to new changes.

I hope as you read this letter, you will not be overwhelmed with fear, uncertainty and doubt but stay mentally prepared for the journey ahead of you. It will be one filled with exhilarating excitement, chagrin changes, destabilizing disruptions, fulfilling fervour, overwhelming opportunities and lifelong learning. Always stay true to your credo of impacting the lives of the people around you and embrace a spirit of humility and excellence. Carpe Diem!

Regards,

Patrick Tay 

29 February 2020