Festival of Lights 2020 – A Better Tomorrow was held in Singapore from 18 Dec 2020 to 3 Jan 2021, in support of President’s Challenge 2020 and its 72 benefitting charitable organisations. It was also held to foster better community bonds and stronger social cohesion among Singaporeans by acknowledging the unity, determination, and resilience of citizens in the ongoing battle against COVID-19, and to inspire hope for the future. The chairman of the organising committee of the Festival was LKYSPP alumnus Lim Huan Chiang ('19).

President Halimah Yacob (Law '78) lit up the lantern display at the opening ceremony on 18 December 2020. The Schools’ alumni from LKYSPP Alumni Singapore Chapter (Mandarin Sub-Group), together with some of the MPAM (Master in Public Administration and Management) and MPA (Master in Public Administration) students, volunteered at the Festival from 31 December 2020 to 3 January 2021 by conducting fundraising activities and ensuring social distancing among the visitors. Their volunteerism efforts were also part of the NUS Day of Service 2020.

Submitted by Ms Sun Peiyi.

28 January 1922 - 18 December 2020

Royal Professor Ungku Aziz bin Ungku Abdul Hamid was an eminent academic who dedicated his life of research for the betterment of society. Graduating from NUS’ predecessor institution – Raffles College in 1947 and University of Malaya in 1952 – Ungku Aziz worked tirelessly to uplift rural poverty in Malaysia, advocated the importance of education and backed the national cooperatives movement.

As a lecturer in Economics, his illustrious career in academia first took root in the University of Malaya before he moved on to greater heights as the Dean of Faculty of the Arts and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration. He was then appointed Vice Chancellor of the University, received Royal Professorship in 1978 and retired as an Emeritus Professor in 1988. A strong proponent of student welfare, he is remembered as a personable professor who always availed himself to students.