A Tribute to Patrick Ang

A Tribute to Patrick Ang

Mr Patrick Ang, one of Singapore’s foremost lawyers, passed away on 14 June. Steven Chong, JA, a close friend, shares an excerpt from the eulogy he delivered at Patrick’s funeral — a heartfelt tribute to a man whose humility, grace and quiet strength left a deep and lasting impact on all who knew him, both within and beyond the legal profession.

Below is an excerpt of the eulogy by Steven Chong JA for Patrick Ang.

All of us share one common denominator – each of us has been blessed with Patrick’s special brand of friendship or to borrow a word that Pat would use selectively – a “unique” brand of friendship. Each of us has our own precious memories of or stories about Pat in our various interactions with him over the years. Remember the time when he lent you a helping hand, the time when he was there for you when you needed advice or just a shoulder to lean on, the time when he made you laugh or smile. Cherish those memories.

Over the last three days, I talked to many of his friends and colleagues. The common consensus was that Pat was someone you could always count on no matter what – responsible, honourable, sensible and dependable. I didn’t get the impression that they were saying it out of courtesy. My distinct impression is that each of them sincerely held that view of Pat. Many said that he was a genuine warm-hearted person and even tempered – qualities one may not necessarily associate with a successful lawyer that he was. Isn’t that such a lovely way to be remembered?

Pat had a unique blend of calmness and decency in the way he conducted himself. I cannot recall a single occasion when he had expressed anger or even irritation. That is quite extraordinary. I am positive that each of you here would share the same experience in your dealings with Pat. He taught us and certainly me not to sweat the small stuff in life. He always had a ready smile for everyone.

Pat was an exceptional Managing Partner of the firm. I can say that there are many leaders who are revered, respected and even feared but very few are loved by colleagues and staff of the organisation. All of us who have had the good fortune of working with Pat would agree that he fell under the latter category. The fact that so many lawyers and staff of the firm including former lawyers and staff as well as lawyers from all the regional offices have attended his wake bear testimony to the love and respect, they have for him. As Minister Edwin Tong observed, even his opponents “found it impossible not to respect him” because he would approach “even the most difficult negotiations with integrity and grace”. What do all these tributes tell us about Pat? I believe this was perhaps most fittingly stated in an exchange of WhatsApp messages with VK Rajah following Pat’s passing. VK said this which I totally agree with– “in several ways, he was the best amongst us. He has lifted so many lives and now we are all the poorer without him”.

Despite all his achievements, Pat always remained humble and understated. There is one aspect of his character that many of you may not know which I would like to share with you. Notwithstanding his heavy commitments, he found time to serve with distinction on the Advisory Board of not one but two schools – Nanyang Primary School and his alma mater, Princess Elizabeth Primary School. As the Chairman of the Advisory Board of Princess Elizabeth Primary School, Pat attended a briefing by students following their school trip to Jakarta. The students briefed the Board about their experience and that the highlight of their trip was a visit to a rural school in Bandung. What was amazing was that although the Bandung students did not speak any English, somehow, they were able to connect with each other because of the warmth extended by the students and the entire village. The students told the Board that the Bandung students had extremely limited resources. They did not even have basic stationery such as pencil sharpener and had to resort to penknives to sharpen their pencils.

This experience left a deep impression on the Princess Elizabeth students who decided to raise funds by baking cookies etc to help their new friends in Bandung. Pat was clearly moved by the efforts of the students, and he asked them to state their wish list. One of them said he wished that they would be able to visit Singapore but added that this was probably not possible, just a dream. In response, Pat said encouragingly that “dreams can come true”. After the meeting, he went about to raise the financing to realise this dream not only for the students from Princess Elizabeth but also their newfound Bandung friends. When Pat learned that the Bandung students would each be provided with pocket money of $10 for their visit, he felt that this was definitely inadequate and decided to increase it to $25. The visit came to pass just a few weeks ago.

Pat and Marina were invited to attend an event to meet the Bandung students on 30 May. When Pat related the visit to me, I could tell that he felt a tremendous sense of fulfilment and that it was particularly meaningful to uplift the spirits and morale of not only the Bandung students but the students from Princess Elizabeth as well. This was the measure of Pat’s legacy as a role model. He never forgot where he came from. This was Pat’s way to pay forward and to make a difference in every possible way. To me, it was particularly profound that this event was Pat’s last official function. It epitomised his values in life.

Pat will always live in our hearts and memories. Thank you for sharing your remarkable life with each of us so selflessly. Through your friendship, you have made each of us a better person. You were truly a unique person in so many ways. You left us far too soon. But life is not about how long you lived but how you lived your life. You exemplified that. I didn’t get to give him my last gift which I bought during my recent trip to Japan. It is a Snoopy t-shirt with the words – “Life is a Journey”. Pat, yours was an incredible, fulfilling and most impactful journey. May you rest in peace.