Welcome to Season 4 of Political Prude: The Podcast! We begin our season with a sit-down conversation with Professor Tommy Koh, exploring Singapore’s political landscape through one of the most unique vantage points possible. As a diplomat, lawyer and public servant who worked closely with Singapore’s First-Generation leaders, Professor Koh offers reflections that help us understand our nation’s political development in a far more textured and human way.
In this conversation, we unpack the principles that shaped his approach to public service, what he learnt from leaders such as Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and S. Rajaratnam, and why relationship-building, or what he calls “makan diplomacy”, remains essential in politics today. Drawing from stories in his new memoir, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, we also hear about the defining moments he witnessed and the values he hopes younger Singaporeans will carry forward.
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Chapters:
00:00 Start of Episode
02:54 Why Call Prof. Tommy Calls Himself an "Ordinary Man"
05:12 Memories of Pre-War Singapore
09:00 Predicting Singapore's Survival as an Independent Nation
11:02 Challenging Lee Kuan Yew
13:03 Navigating Difficult Situations
13:55 Being Genuine and Speaking Up
15:22 Influence of Parents & Love for the Arts
17:29 Working with Singapore’s Founding Fathers
19:02 The Private Side of Lee Kuan Yew
20:30 Singapore’s Culture of Excellence
21:07 Dr. Goh Keng Swee Singapore’s Most Valuable Player
25:19 Lessons from S. Rajaratnam
28:05 Key Lessons from Working in Early Singapore
28:22 Pioneering Singapore’s Foreign Service at the UN
31:03 How to Navigate Delicate Situations & Professionalism
35:56 Makan Diplomacy
39:01 Three Critical Lessons and Reflections
41:02 Not Taking Singapore’s Independence for Granted
42:12 Not Taking Racial Harmony For Granted
43:10 Importance of Social Equity
44:02 Tommy Koh on Sustaining Optimism
45:18 Closing Remarks
46:49 End of Episode
