New memoirs by three veteran public servants offer lessons, reveal lesser-known facts
Several veteran public servants recently published memoirs. Professor Tommy Koh and Lim Siong Guan reflect on lessons learned while Tan Ching Tiong offers insights into the army.
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Tommy Koh’s new book reveals he was asked to run for UN secretary-general and for president
It is one of the more stirring clips: First Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew addressing a joint session of the US Congress in 1985, his final words bringing his audience to their feet.
But such a moment of international recognition would not even have been fathomed had it not been for the “craziness” of then-ambassador to the US Tommy Koh.
His wild idea to secure an invitation for PM Lee was stonewalled by the US State Department and was seen as a pipe dream by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs back home.
‘Who can we copy now?’: Seasoned civil servant Lim Siong Guan’s new book offers lessons for future
Mr Lim Siong Guan may not be a familiar name for many Singaporeans today, but the seasoned civil servant and permanent secretary of multiple ministries has helped lay the foundations of the Republic.
Literally, for post-university in 1969, he started in the sewerage department. An offer to pursue a doctorate at the University of Cambridge was turned down by the Public Service Commission because “we kind of desperately need you back in Singapore”.
“There was no sense of angst,” the civil servant of nearly 40 years and former mechanical engineer remembers of this far from glamorous posting. “I had a bond, and it was an issue of honour. You’ve taken something, so you don’t think of anything else. You do your best in each situation.”
Tan Chin Tiong offers revelations about the early years of the Singapore Armed Forces in memoir
National service, a rite of passage for all male Singaporeans, was formalised in March 1967 through the National Service (Amendment) Act.
What has been largely forgotten is that new entrants to the public service began to be called up for military training even before this. Among them was Tan Chin Tiong, a recent history graduate from the then University of Singapore. Armed with a first class degree (something Tan does not mention in his fascinating memoir published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute), he was set on a career in the elite administrative service.
But military service led to a series of unexpected career turns, with all the byways being in public service where he served with distinction.
