Yusof Ishak
Printed on:
• Portrait series all denominations
• All commemorative notes, except 1996 MAS25 $50 note
Yusof Ishak was our first President from 1965 to 1970. He led during a time when Singapore had just become independent and needed a steady hand. He stood for what we were trying to build—an honest, united, and fair society. In acknowledgement of his contributions, his portrait appears on many of our banknotes. In the Portrait series, he was featured as the theme design throughout all denominations, unlike previous series where a different orchid, bird, or ship appeared on different notes. His face is also shown on all our commemorative notes, except the 1996 MAS25 note, possibly because that was a rare milestone in our history that did not have his footprints on it.
In the Portrait series, the image of Yusof Ishak was painted by local artist Chua Mia Tee. On the back of the notes are themes that reflect values important to Singapore, each linked to the late President’s life. The $2 note carries the education theme, featuring Victoria School and Raffles Institution—schools where he studied and first met students of other races. The $5 note reflects the garden city theme, an idea he supported as a keen gardener and orchid enthusiast. The $10 note highlights sports, showing his active school life, where he represented Raffles Institution in hockey, cricket, swimming, weightlifting, water polo, and boxing, and won national titles in boxing and weightlifting.
The $50 note presents the arts theme: he was an avid photographer who believed art could help people of different races understand one another better. The $100 note focuses on youth—he was a student leader, a prefect at Raffles Institution, and the first Singaporean student to be appointed Second Lieutenant in the National Cadet Corps. The $1000 note represents governance, reflecting his role as Singapore’s first President. Finally, the $10000 note reflects the economics theme—in 1939, he started the Utusan Melayu newspaper by raising funds directly from ordinary Malays in town and in the kampongs, making him one of Singapore’s earliest entrepreneurs. The newspaper went on to become a great success.