George Yeo on the redwood, the giant bush and the banyan tree

Former politician George Yeo talks to Opinion Editor Grace Ho about US-China, India, the Singaporean identity and Chinese schools.

SPH Brightcove Video
Former politician George Yeo shares about his new book, his thoughts on the Singapore identity, the state of US-China relations and confirms he is not running for president in 2023.
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

George Yeo is fond of tree analogies.

In a 1991 speech on Singapore, he likened the state to a banyan tree - a large evergreen tree native to Asia - and spoke of the need to prune it so that civic participation could grow under its canopy.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.