The title of Honorary Citizen is a national award conferred by the Singapore government starting from 2003 to recognize and acknowledge the contributions of foreigners who have rendered extensive and valuable services to Singapore and its people, or who have made a significant impact in the areas of business, science and technology, information communications, education, health, arts and culture, sports, tourism, community services or security.
Award nominees are provided by people from various ministries and government agencies, and selected by a committee panel made up of high-level government officials. The final selections are then endorsed by Cabinet of Singapore. Recipients are conferred the Award in the following year of their nomination/selection. The Awards are presented at a formal ceremony by the President of Singapore at the Istana.
Honorary Citizen is the highest form of national recognition for a non-Singaporean. It is conferred for life, including the right to live and work in Singapore for themselves as well as their immediate dependent family members, but unlike Singapore citizenship, they have no voting rights or obligations to fulfill National Service.
Honorary Citizens Awards 2003
- Dr Sydney Brenner
- Distinguished Research Professor of the Salk Institute
- Mr Pasquale Pistorio
- Former President and CEO of STMicroelectronics
Honorary Citizens Awards 2004
- Sir Richard B Sykes
- Rector of Imperial College London
- Lodewijk Christiaan van Wachem
- Chairman of the Supervisory board of Royal Philips Electronic N.V.
- Chairman of the Board of Zurich Financial Services and Global Crossing.
Honorary Citizens Awards 2005
- Dr Tsutomu Kanai
- Chairman Emeritus of Hitachi, Ltd.
- Dr Robert A. Brown
- President of Boston University
Honorary Citizens Awards 2006
- Mr Lee Raymond
- Former Chairman and CEO, ExxonMobil Corporation
- Dr Heinrich von Pierer
- Former Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Siemens AG
Honorary Citizens Awards 2007
- Sir Ratan Tata
- Chairman of Tata Sons
- Tan Sri Frank Tsao Wen-King
- Senior Chairman of IMC Group
Honorary Citizens Awards 2010
- Mr Jeroen van der Veer
- Former CEO of Royal Dutch Shell
Famous quotes containing the word citizen:
“Wherever the citizen becomes indifferent to his fellows, so will the husband be to his wife, and the father of a family toward the members of his household.”
—Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt (1767–1835)