pVeteran diplomats Tommy Koh and Chan Heng Chee joined Mr Kishore Mahbubani at the launch of his book./p
Mr Kishore Mahbubani, Professor Chan Heng Chee, Professor Wang Gungwu and Professor Tommy Koh at a discussion during the launch of Mr Mahbubani’s autobiography.
“It was a new time and he wanted to test out his ideas. He didn’t want people just to agree with him,” said Prof Chan of the lunches with Mr Lee, adding that they didn’t go for the food, which was “very spartan”. The three former diplomats, together with eminent historian of the Chinese diaspora Wang Gungwu, were reminiscing about their interactions with Singapore’s founding leaders, who had a propensity for soliciting the views of intellectuals.
Prof Koh remembered Dr Goh – who wore many hats, including that of deputy prime minister, finance minister, defence minister and chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore – for the many institutions he started, from the Singapore Symphony Orchestra to the Institute of South-east Asian Studies to the bird park.After he graduated from university in 1971, he was invited to the office of Dr Goh, who offered him a job.
Prof Chan, for instance, had criticised Singapore’s political system in her writings but was still invited to join the foreign service. She went on to become Singapore’s longest-serving ambassador to the US.
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