Temasek Holdings is already among the most high-profile investors in Asia, so changes to its charter are bound to attract attention. The most recent changes reveal that the investment arm of the Singapore government is moving to become a more active investor in its portfolio companies, at a time when it is raising overseas allocations and is under pressure to recover from a $40 billion loss.
Originally published in 2002, the charter is just a one-page document. But the addition of the words active value-oriented investor and active shareholder makes a big difference. The changes are meant to reaffirm the role of Temasek as a more hands-on investor for the purpose of...