S Uthuman Ghani

Ghani, who passed away on 2 January 2005, was just 47 years and 5 days old when he left us. He leaves behind his wife, Sunu, daughter Anisha, 16, and son, Bhareth, 12. He also has his mother and a younger brother.

Ghani was a self-made man. He was born in India but came to Singapore at the tender age of four. He lost his father at the age of 10 and had to fend for himself from then on. He managed to finish his secondary education and joined the Police Force as a probationary inspector. He did his London LLB, completed the English Bar exams and was admitted to the Singapore Bar on 9 November 1994.

As a police inspector, Ghani was posted for a while to the Subordinate Courts as a prosecuting officer. He was also a lecturer of law at the Police Academy. The notes he prepared are still 
used by other lecturers.

Ghani was diligent in his work and was always fair and respectful to everyone. I got to know him when I had to defend a client on a traffic offence. He upheld the age-old tradition of good prosecutors who present their case objectively and when cross-examining, show courtesy to witnesses. There was no blustering or brow-beating. He exemplified the true creed of good counsel — be detached and leave the verdict to the Judge.

After graduating from the Inns Ghani returned to the Police Force. He was promoted to ASP. He had offers from several large firms to join them but he declined these offers. He could have carried on with the Police Force or gone into the legal service. But he chose to be independent and joined my firm as a legal assistant and worked with me for five years, the last two as a partner.

Ghani had a great passion for the arts, especially Tamil literature. He was a voracious reader and has authored short stories, articles and poems. These were published in magazines and newspapers, both in Singapore and in India. He has also written a novel.

Tamil television audiences in Singapore know him to be a great presenter of talk-shows, talentime contests and as a judge at forums. He had an excellent command of spoken and written Tamil and was a popular compere at major functions of the Indian community.

Most of Ghani’s literary pieces carry a social message. He chose the print medium to project his thoughts on the problems and conflicts that we face in life. He was an outsider as seen in his short story, ‘Dawn-less Polar Darkness’. The story deals with two lovers who come from different religious backgrounds and are torn between conforming to social values of their communities and breaking the bonds that such values impose. The story has an autobiographical note as he himself had to overcome religious and cultural constraints to marry his wife. To quote:

One’s quality of life is measured against the background of the society in which he lives. He has to move within the laws and parameters that that society has drawn. Anyone who transgresses these is branded as a social enemy. Whether what he does is right or wrong it is the norm of this society to accept what the majority believe in as being right. But I know of the history of people who have gone against these deep-rooted social norms.

That demonstrates the quintessential Ghani. He himself went against these very norms. He did this in his quiet, unobtrusive way. The radical thoughts in him were expressed in subdued form. He helped in charitable organisations, did pro bono work and imparted positive values to his friends and audiences 
at large.

His death is remarkable in one particular respect. It was at the radio and television studios of Caldecott Hill that he achieved his fame and became a celebrity. It was in the same studios where he was chief judge at a show that he suffered an anginal attack, and despite his pain, soldiered on to complete his job. He slumped in his seat after receiving a memento from the guest-of-honour.

It is tragic that fate should snatch Ghani away from us at such a tender age. He had so much to offer society. The Bar has indeed lost someone whose passion for the arts is matched by his love for the law. We can only cherish his memory now and share the grief of his wife and children.

G Raman

G Raman & Partners