Tommy Koh's Political Lessons: Principles, "Makan Diplomacy", and Singapore's First-Gen Leaders

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. Hit the 👍 button and make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more episodes! This podcast is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! If you're interested in partnerships, have general enquiries, or want to launch a podcast, reach out to us at ⁠[email protected]⁠! Follow on Instagram: Joel Lim – ⁠@limxjoel⁠ ZYRUP Media – ⁠@zyrupmedia⁠ Zodapop by ZYRUP Media – ⁠@zodapopsg⁠ 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