The story of how Puan Noor Aishah and Yusof Ishak got together
Puan Noor Aishah, the wife of Singapore’s first president Yusof Ishak, passed away on the morning of 22 Apr. She was 91 years old.
The first-ever First Lady of Singapore is survived by her three children, after remaining unmarried all the years following her beloved’s death in 1970.
Source: ST Books
Puan Noor Aishah and Yusof Ishak had married soon after the latter became smitten with a picture of her.
When then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew called upon Yusof Ishak to take up the presidential post, the couple moved their whole family to Singapore.
They left behind the quaint life they had built in Malaysia for a new one in the public eye.
Yusof Ishak met Puan Noor Aishah in Penang
Before meeting his future wife, Encik Yusof was working tirelessly as the Managing Director of the Malay language paper Utusan Melayu.
It was not until he was nearly 40 when a fresh-faced beauty, Puan Noor Aishah, pried Encik Yusof away from his work.
All it took was for a family friend, HM Shah, to show him a photograph of her, and promptly after, a meeting was arranged.
At the time, 39-year-old Encik Yusof was based in Singapore while Puan Noor Aishah, then 16, was living in Penang.
Source: The Straits Times on Facebook
Regardless, the former dropped his work and made the trip to his bride-to-be’s hometown, just to see her in the flesh at a public park.
Though they did not speak, nor did they exchange glances, Encik Yusof confirmed his feelings.
Source: World Scientific Singapore on Facebook
The two wedded on 20 Nov 1949 and eventually had three children.
When Encik Yusof resigned from the Utusan, the family moved to Gombak, Malaysia, where they lived a quiet life as a family of five.
There, the former careerman then turned to growing orchids for a living.
Married couple moved to Singapore in 1959
The first of 10 years of relative privacy in their family life came to an end in December 1959.
That year, Encik Yusof pledged himself as Singapore’s Yang di-Pertuan Negara or Head of State.
He then became the first president of Singapore when the nation gained independence on 9 Aug 1965.
Source: Connected to India
Yusof Ishak’s family accompanied him to Singapore, uprooting their quiet life in Malaysia and moving into Sri Melati — a cottage on the Istana grounds.
At 26 years old, Puan Noor Aishah became Singapore’s first lady.
She spoke no English, as her formal studies were interrupted by the Japanese occupation between 1941 and 1942, but would soon take on language lessons to improve her skills.
Puan Noor Aishah took charge of household matters in the Istana, asking the chefs to cook Asian dishes in place of the English menu. As such, they served rendang and epok-epok.
Described as a domestic goddess, she was reportedly the standard when it came to matters in the kitchen.
Remained unmarried since Yusof Ishak’s death in 1970
Where her husband went, Puan Noor Aishah followed. They were always together at official events until the former’s health started to fail.
In 1968, Encik Yusof suffered a heart attack, rendering him less capable of carrying out his mountain of responsibilities.
His devoted wife then stepped up to take up some of these tasks — such as presenting the National Day Awards.
When Yusof Ishak passed away in 1970, Parliament honoured Puan Noor Aishah’s contributions by voting to pay her a pension for life.
She never remarried.
Singapore’s first First Lady to be buried next to Yusof Ishak
“Puan Noor Aishah made a lasting contribution as the spouse of our head of state during our formative years,” said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a statement following her passing.
Source: Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
Despite having been the first lady at only 26 years old, she handled the position with grace and poise.
In light of her passing, the Singapore government has offered to assist Puan Noor Aishah’s family with funeral arrangements.
Her body will be borne on the Ceremonial Gun Carriage for her “final journey” from Masjid Ba’alwie.
Puan Noor Aishah will be laid to rest at Kranji State Cemetery alongside Yusof Ishak.
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Featured image adapted from World Scientific Singapore on Facebook.
