Former foreign minister George Yeo is "not only a scholar, soldier, philosopher, negotiator, trailblazer", but a "bridge-builder", Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Aug. 31 2023 at the Victoria Concert Hall, at the launch of Series Three of George Yeo: Musings — the final of three books.

Heng highlighted Yeo's achievements and contributions as minister in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and shared what Yeo has achieved in the area of Singapore's Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with other countries.

Heng recalled how Yeo initiated Singapore's first FTA with New Zealand, and kickstarted the development of Singapore's network of 27 FTAs today.

He paid tribute to Yeo, noting that what Yeo did "shows how a minister with a lively and creative mind can keep Singapore relevant and useful to the world".

Yeo's reflections on Lee Kuan Yew

Heng said that Yeo's achievements in FTAs is closely related to a core question that was always on the mind of Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew:

"Mr Lee’s core question was – how does a tiny state, with no resources of any kind, survive and prosper? Mr Lee’s answer – strive to make Singapore useful and relevant to the world, notwithstanding our size."

Heng said that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the late Lee’s birth.

He said that Yeo's latest book recounts his experience working with Lee Kuan Yew over two chapters, and reflected on Lee’s contributions to Singapore.

Heng said that he saw how Yeo's "deep knowledge of the history, politics and culture of each place he visited enabled him to engage and connect with his hosts in a deep and meaningful way".

This enabled Yeo to forge agreement among many competing and divergent interests as Singapore embarked on persuading countries to have FTAs.

Building bridges

Heng said that Yeo "holds a genuine respect and deep appreciation" for every culture and tribe, as shown in the whole collection of Musings.

Heng added that one of the ways to build bridges is through sharing one's thoughts and experiences with others, as Yeo is doing through these books.

He said that the three volumes of Musings, totaling more than 350,000 words, is a generous sharing.

"They invite us to reflect on our life, our relationship to others, on the wonders and diversity around us, and on Singapore’s past, present and future. It is a generous and valuable contribution which I am sure will be of immense value to all readers – Singaporeans and those overseas".

Yeo’s new book, the third volume in his series titled George Yeo: Musings, is edited and compiled by media editor and author Woon Tai Ho and research assistant Keith Yap. It is published by World Scientific.

Top image by Daras Singh