The Darjah Utama Temasek () is Singapore's highest civilian honour and the second most prestigious national honour overall. It was established in 1962 and is an Order conferred by the President of Singapore exclusively to Singaporeans, although it may exceptionally be awarded to foreigners in an honorary capacity. As of October 2023, nine individuals hold the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction), while there is no cap on the number of recipients in 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.