Reading Ngiam Tong Dow: A Mandarin and the Making of Public Policy

Recently I chanced upon the name Ngiam Tong Dow through a businesss owner whom I was chatting with, and somehow repeated saw this name overs newpapers. I was never interested in public policies or politics and such, yet I made the unusual move to google this name and read a profile of this great man.



I set out this year to read a certain number of books, with a specify number for each genre, so that I can enrich my knowledge and deepen my insight. One of these genres is to read memoirs of leaders. I took the deliberate act to visit Popular to get this book by Ngiam Tong Dow, yet it was out of stock. I was determined to get it somehow - went down to Borders and took me a while before I got the book - cost me $38 (one of the more expensive ones I possess), yet it is all worth it!



When you read the life journey of great men and women, you start to realise that they are just as ordinary as us. Many of them rose to the occasion out of the pressing need leadership in their situation.


On being a Christian
"I must tell you that wherever I am posted in my service career, I have always regarded each posting as God's will for me. I will do my best in each job and through my work shine for Him.
I must confess that I had hoped to be given certain appointments, doing my will. And each time I set my heart on something, my will, I have been disappointed. At every fork on the road the Lord, on looking backm has always provided a better alternative for me, doing His will, not mine...We should be as gently as a dove, but be as wise as a serpent."

On Singapore being a gem after a blessing-in-disguise separation from Malaya
"Singapore, like other developing countries, adopted a policy of import substitution. Politically, Singapore merged with Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak to form the Federation of Malaysia. We had hoped that a Malaysian common market would be formed to provide the economies of scale for out manufacturing industries. A common market never came about...The Tengku was alarmed that the PAP's campaign for a 'Malaysian Malaysia' was the wedge that would threaten Malay supremacy. No Malay leader can forsake Malay supremacy.

In political history, Singapore must be the only country in the world that sought survival by merger with a bigger neigbour, only to be expelled to become an independent nation. It could almost be said that Singapore gained independence not by choice, but by chance.

In industrial policy, we made a virtue out of necessity by switching from an inward-looking import substitution strategy to an international export-oriented policy. All at once we had to learn how to swim in the deep oceans of global competition"

Guess where our CPF system originated from?
"(During the colonial times)..the Singapore civil servants, we all were entitled to pensions, So when we retired, we would all exoect a pension from the British Government, I can imagine somebody in the British Treasury thinking, ' Why should Britian keep a pension fund for all these chaps (colony citizens)? Why should we fund them? We better make them pay for themselves.'

So they started a Singapore Central Provident Fund. So all us civil servants had to save our own money for our pensions. So the British started this CPF because they didn't want to have the burden of caring for our old age..The British imposed CPF system on the colonies.

By the way, they never imposed these measures on themselves. They imposed a Currency Board for the colonies, but they never imposed it on themselves. So theit own sterling pounds went haywire, and they could never get it under control..But for these two measures, we have to credit the British. They really instilled strict discipline on the colonies. This was to our overall benefit; our great benefit."



One book leads to another - I'm now con-currently reading Dr Goh Keng Swee: A Portrait.
A quote from him during his younger days as a student...

"Anybody who want to prosper in this world must have ambition, ambition comes from a thought and the enthusiasm and determination to carry out that thought."



Start reading.

Your life is shaped by the words you speak,
the books you read,
and the people you associated with.

Without Shame

It's a NEW YEAR, and yes, I sat down to make plans and goals - both the major and the minor ones, the certain and the uncertain ones.

I decided to have a fresh start by re-reading the bible from Genesis. Took a little time to check out simple words that I didn't pay attention to in the past.

"The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it...Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.'...Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man...Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame."

I checked out on the word 'shame'. It means, "disgrace, which gives the definition as loss of respect, honor, or esteem"

Understand and remember this: That nothing, absolutely nothing, can crush our value or self-esteem; not pressure of work, not criticism from people, and not ourselves definitely!...because God did not make us to be with shame (loss of esteem and respect).

We are nothing if we look at our own strength, but we will realise that we have everything if we see ourselves in Christ.

By the way, I tried to make a subtle positive difference in my office with this message board...

It reads:

“…speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind.”
~ Anonymous author.


It's a NEW year!...Amidst our busy schedules,
lets determine in our hearts this year to make a positive difference to someone’s day.


Can ONE man make a difference?
YES you can!!!
By starting your simple notes of encouragement here…

AND the beautiful thing is, that you can too! Good day ahead to you!