IX. ISTANA NEGARA DOMAIN 
12. Changes in administration occurred during the year. From 1st 
January all staff employed in the Domain became personal servants of the 
Head of State, and all expenditure on personal emoluments, annually recurrent 
and special were consolidated under one head. This resulted in the removal 
of votes for the horticultural upkeep of the Domain from the Botanic Gardens 
control to that of the Istana Negara Office, though in fact the Director of 
Botanic Gardens was nominated Approving Officer. This process was carried 
further to its logical conclusion when, at the end of the year, the Director of 
Botanic Gardens ceased to have any further administrative or executive 
responsibility within the Domain. A Superintendent, Mr. Lim Yong Peng, 
was appointed towards the end of the year who took over the running of the 
horticultural work with effect from 1st January, 1966. 
13. Supervision of the Domain during the history of its existence has 
been in and out of the hands of the Director of Gardens, and it is topical 
at this juncture to record the past responsibilities. The Grounds were created 
some time in the 1850’s or earlier. The oldest of the houses in the Domain is 
that now called Sri Temasek, built originally for the Colonial Secretary. 
Government House, now the Istana, was built about 1868, and became the 
official residence of the Governor. The upkeep of the Grounds was supervised 
first, presumably (there is no record in the Botanic Gardens archives), by the 
Colonial Engineer, and then, when Government House came into use, by the 
Aide-de-Camp to the Governor, with the following changes: 
up to 1881 under the Aide-de-Camp. 
1882-1886 under the Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens. 
1887-1894 under the Aide-de-Camp. 
1895-1903 under the Director of Botanic Gardens. 
1904-October 1911 under the Aide-de-Camp. 
November 1911-December 1965 under the Director of Botanic 
Gardens, but on 1st January 1914 a Committee of Management 
was formed composed of the A.D.C. to the Governor and the 
Director of Botanic Gardens. There is no record of how long-lived 
was the formal life of this Committee, but in fact the Director 
maintained administrative and executive control throughout till 
December 1965, acting latterly in consultation with, and receiving 
instructions from the Governor and later the Head of State, 
through the A.D.C. 
January 1966 — under the Personal Secretary to the President. 
4 
