Block 259 marks the start of Ang Mo Kio new town.

Just why the Housing Board chose to build a round block, and why there is only one such block, has long been a source of mystery.

Mr S. Dhanabalan knows the story.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, the HDB was engaged in a race to build public housing for Singaporeans.

When enough homes had been built by the 1980s, the emphasis shifted from quantity to quality.

Design came to the forefront.

At one Cabinet meeting, recalls Mr Dhanabalan, someone raised the question: 'Every town looks the same. You do not know whether you?re in Ang Mo Kio or Toa Payoh.'

So the minister at that time said: 'Okay, we'll have one signature building at the entrance to every town, which will then give you an idea of which town you're going to.'

This resulted in the Ang Mo Kio circular block, or 'sig build' as it was called.

But since there were many entrances to each HDB town, the proposal was not quite adequate.

Over time, the idea of one 'sig build' evolved to having distinctive designs for each HDB cluster, each with its own character.

Mr Dhanabalan, who was National Development Minister from 1987 to 1992, cites this to show that public servants are constantly examining and improving on policies.

The former Cabinet minister joined the civil service in 1960 and entered politics in 1976. He left the Cabinet in 1994.

Having seen the civil service evolve from the pioneering days in the early 1960s, through to the late 1990s, Mr Dhanabalan is in a unique position to tackle an oft-asked question: Are pioneering civil servants of the past a braver, better breed than those of today?

He concedes that two things are different.

First, young officers then were given big responsibilities early on.

Second, lack of information meant officers in the past had to make big decisions based on gut feel and instinct, not studied research.

Today, better information allows officers to make more considered decisions.

Recalling EDB days in the 1960s, Mr Dhanabalan said experienced foreigners acted as advisers and consultants, but left actual policy decisions in the hands of young officers like Mr Dhanabalan and his colleagues Mr Ngiam Tong Dow and Mr J.Y. Pillay.

'We had to make decisions on the basis of what was available. We could not delay decisions by asking for one study after another study, or for more data.

'We were not always right but I would say we were right a lot of the time. And we managed to get the flow of investments going.'

Young officers dared make decisions because they knew their bosses were behind them.

Mr Dhanabalan recalled a 'high-powered meeting' to discuss toilet bowls.

Attending were Mr Hon Sui Sen, EDB chairman, Mr Lim Kim San, HDB chairman, and Mr Howe Yoon Chong, HDB CEO, and young officers as well as the said toilet bowl maker.

'There was a local producer of toilet bowls who wanted the HDB to specify to contractors that they must use his toilet bowl, which in those days was basically squatting bowls. And the HDB did not find the toilet bowl to be up to the standard they wanted.

'So the three of them, together with our officers who were trying to promote this industry, had to meet to try and persuade the HDB to accept these toilet bowls.'

They lost the argument with the HDB.

But Mr Dhanabalan remembers the meeting because the bosses could have left it to the young officers to settle the issue, but took a personal interest.

These days, he said, the civil service faces the challenge of reviewing policies constantly.

'In the past, we had to make decisions on the basis of crude estimates. Now, of course, we have more and more data and we are able to do much better.'

So there's no need now for people to just be heroic and jump and see where do I land.

'You don't have to do that. But there is a need to constantly examine existing policy.'