# Darjah Utama Temasek

The Darjah Utama Temasek (English: Order of Temasek) is Singapore's second most prestigious national honour and was instituted in 1962. It is an Order conferred by the President of Singapore only to citizens of Singapore. It may be awarded to non-citizens only under special circumstances.
As of 29 July 2019, the Order has three different grades:
* the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction),
* the Order of Temasek (With Distinction), and
* the Order of Temasek.
The rules of award state that no more than 12 people (other than people admitted in an honorary capacity) may be admitted to the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction - previously known as First Class) at any one time. As of October 2023, there are currently 9 people in the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction). There is no limit to the number of people admitted to the other two grades.

## History

The Order was first instituted in 1962. It was then the most important national honour. The Order would have only twelve members, with Yang di-Pertuan Negara conferring the membership on advice from the Prime Minister. A chancellor would be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara from among the members of the order, who would hold the seal of the order. Any warrants issued by order would be countersigned by both Chancellor and the Yang di-Pertuan Negara.
The Order became the second most important national honour in 1970, when the Bintang Temasek (the Star of Temasek) was created and ranked over all other orders and medals.
The rules governing the order was since revised several times. Gazette notices establishing the Rules that instituted the Order were published in 1975, 1996 and 2019. The 1996 Rules would revoke the 1975 Rules. With the 1996 Rules, there would be three grades of the Order, First Class, Second Class and Third Class. Only Singapore citizens could be admitted to the Order, with non-Singapore citizens being admitted in an honorary capacity. The First Class grade would have a limited capacity of twelve members, whilst the other grades have no such restriction. The Seal of the Order would bear the design of the Badge.
Members would be distinguished by the positions of the Badge and Star of the Order on their attire. Members of First Class grade would have their Badge worn the right hip from a sash passing over the left shoulder and under the right arm, and their Star worn on the left side of their outer garment. Members of Second Class grade would have their Badge worn suspended round the neck from a ribbon, and their Star is to be worn on the left side of their outer garment. Members of Third Class grade would only have the Badge of the Order, and it is to be worn suspended round the neck from a ribbon.
Ordinarily, only Singapore citizens could be admitted to the Order, but in special circumstances non-Singapore citizens may also be admitted in an honorary capacity.
In 2019, the 1996 Rules was amended to update the nomenclature of the grades of the Order. The grades would be known as:
* the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction),
* the Order of Temasek (With Distinction), and
* the Order of Temasek.
The updated nomenclature would also be retrospectively applied on members conferred under the previous nomenclature.

## Recipients

| Year | Grade (if any) | Recipient | Citation/Notes |
| 1962 | | Lim Kim San | Former Cabinet of Singapore minister; Former Chairman, Housing and Development Board |
| 1963 | | Ahmed Ben Bella | Prime Minister of Algeria |
| 1967 | | Eisaku Satō | Prime Minister of Japan |
| 1972 | First Class (Honorary) | Elizabeth II | Queen of the United Kingdom |
| 1972 | First Class (Honorary) | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | Consort of the British monarch |
| 1974 | First Class (Honorary) | Ferdinand Marcos | President of the Philippines |
| 1974 | First Class (Honorary) | Soeharto | President of Indonesia |
| 1985 | First Class | Goh Keng Swee | Former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore |
| 1990 | First Class | S. Rajaratnam | Former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore |
| 1990 | First Class (Honorary) | Hassanal Bolkiah | Sultan of Brunei |
| 1993 | First Class | Wee Kim Wee | Former President of Singapore |
| 1999 | First Class | Yong Pung How | Former Chief Justice of Singapore |
| 2005 | (Honorary) | Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin | Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia |
| 2007 | Second Class | S. Dhanabalan | Former Chairman, Temasek Holdings |
| 2008 | Second Class | Chan Sek Keong | Former Chief Justice of Singapore |
| 2009 | First Class (Honorary) | Qaboos bin Said Al Said | Sultan of Oman |
| 2013 | First Class | S. R. Nathan | Former President of Singapore |
| 2014 | First Class (Honorary) | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono | President of Indonesia |
| 2015 | First Class | S. Dhanabalan | Former Chairman, Temasek Holdings; Member, Council of Presidential Advisers |
| 2018 | First Class | Tony Tan | Former President of Singapore |
| 2019 | With Distinction | J. Y. Pillay | Former Chairman, Council of Presidential Advisers |
| 2020 | With High Distinction | S. Jayakumar | Senior Legal Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| 2023 | With High Distinction | Halimah Yacob | Former President of Singapore |