City Minister Lee Senlong Hoing, distinguished guests, family and friends. As an author, I could not ask for a better audience than this gathering. We have former President Tony Tan and Mary. Tony was my contemporary in university in different faculties and later cabinet colleague and develop a good friendship with him. Mary was my classmate in Raffles institution when RARI went co-ad for the first time at the HSC what what do you call A levels and very glad that you're here two former prime ministers SM gochukong and SM Lienu Chukong if I may call you Chukong was responsible for getting me into politics and altering the course of my life and completely changed my career plans which I thought I'll be an academic for the rest of my life. He then was my cabinet colleague and they became my boss as prime minister and we develop a friendship. We are still good friends both on and off the golf course and senior minister Lee Senlong. We worked closely on the elected presidency and other legislation and we were cabinet colleagues. He was also my boss when he became PM and we are good friends. One vivid memory I have and there's a photograph of it in the book is when Yoning and I introduced him to the media when he was announced he was entering politics and fielded as a PAP candidate. I thank you for gracing this occasion as a guest of honor this evening. And cabinet ministers, former cabinet ministers, senior minister Shanmugum and Shanmugum was my student when I was a lecturer in the university. And the very first tutorial I had with him on constitutional law, I was so impressed that the next day I asked the staff to produce me the records of Shanmugum and to see where this guy had come from. And no wonder he is now a minister for law. and Vivven Balak Krishna now my current boss at MFA when he was at the eye center as a eye surgeon together with the late Dr. Arthur Lim took care and managed my catact operation also years ago. And one other person I need to mention is Zastan Suki who late husband the former attorney general Tan Bontek and I worked very closely during the course of the three legislation especially the elected presidency where we had to produce draft after draft to cabinet and for Mr. Lee Kanu and Suki was vice dean of the law faculty when I was dean and gave me incredible support. Uh at that time I want to thank all of you for coming today. Many of you friends in recent days have asked me, bro, what is the difference between this book and your other books that you've written? You know, be at the table, governing, diplomacy. Well, the short answer is all the books are different of course, right? uh different themes, different topics, but I would say that this book is different in the sense that it was probably the most challenging of the books that I've written. Challenging in two ways. First, it was a challenge how to explain the three laws and the institutions created in those laws which were fairly complex uh in detail and in law. How to explain it in a way that non- lawyers could easily understand? My audience was not lawyers and I didn't intend it to be a legal textbook. So how to explain it in an easily understandable way was a challenge. Second challenge was how to balance two things. First, the content and substance of the new institutions and the laws. How much to devote to that and how much to devote to the very frank and candid discussions that took place within cabinet which the book spends quite a bit of time explaining. Well, have I struck the right balance? That's for you and other readers to judge. I believe that as an author, one should not extol the virtues of your own book. So in the remaining time that I have what I propose to do is to pick up two or three broad brush impressions of the features in the book which I believe or hope will entice people to get the book and read it. I will touch on first what I'll call lifting the veil of secrecy or the lifting the veil of mystery. Secondly, opening a window through which you can see and have greater insights into the vision and far-sightedness of Mr. Lee Kwanu. Third, some dispelling of a few myths and misconceptions. And I end up with a very broad personal reflection. First, the book lifts the veil of secrecy or mystique about how the Singapore government especially the cabinet discusses important matters and comes to a decision. The people's action party both as a party and as a government has always kept a tight lid on its internal deliberations. We all know that right? We don't have all sorts of leaks. I think that that is actually a sound policy because for the principle of collective responsibility in cabinet to work well, you need the prime minister and his ministers to discuss important matters in a frank and candid manner. weigh all the options before the dye is cast and a public pronouncement of statements made. Secondly, it is important for party discipline. Next, I think it's important to avoid a situation where a disgruntled or unhappy cabinet minister leaks distorted versions of what happened in cabinet to the media and you get troublesome speculation and rumors. So, there's sound policy. But as I've said in my preface to the book, it is a pity that the public does not have that understanding and insight to the way in which cabinet discusses important matters. And as the book reveals, discussions are detailed, thorough, and robust. So my book with the permission of the former prime minister and with the present prime minister's permission lifts the veil of secrecy to an extent to an extent. meaning the background to these three books. It gives you a glimpse into the inside story of how deliberations took place on these issues, the arguments, the rebuttals, the point, the counterpoint and the dynamics of the personalities. And finally how the process of compromise and consensus were reached all with one thought uppermost in the minds of all the members of the cabinet that is what would be the interests of Singapore. So it gives you as it were it transports you back in time to have a ringside view of what actually was being discussed. Of course, what I've written is about the Li Kuwanu prime ministership era, but you know, I have worked under subsequent prime ministers Kchukong and Denlong and I should say that the same approach of the leader encouraging his minister miners to speak candidly frankly give alternative options also continued with the premiership of gochukong and leenu in fact and I've written about this elsewhere godong even before he was DPM instituted the idea of a pre-c cabinet pre-c cabinet lunchons preceding the formal cabinet meeting. In other words, everybody attended except Mr. Lie Kuwanu where we had a freewheeling informal discussions. No fixed agenda but various things on minister's minds would be brought, ideas would be floated. So when a formal proposal came to cabinet there were no big surprises and subsequent prime ministers Leenum and I believe also Lawrence Wong have continued the tradition. So another layer of discussions. The next broad brush point I want to raise is my book opens a window I hope for the readers to have an insight a peak into the leadership style of Mr. Prime Minister Lee Kuwanu much has been written of course of Mr. Lee Kuwanu as an individual, as a politician, as a statesman and so on. I myself have devoted some pages of my previous books to that. But this book gives you a certain insight into especially his vision and far-sightedness in approaching problems of Singapore. I found him unique. As I've said elsewhere, he's probably one of the few p persons who spends all his waking hours from morning to night thinking of only one thing, the future of Singapore, how to keep Singapore going. But his vision and this is what is special is not just during his tenure as prime minister. indeed not even during his lifetime he thinks far beyond and his far-sightedness is quite amazing I give you one example take the question of the GRC's right group representation constit constituencies to ensure minority representation at that time when it was proposed as one of the trio of legislation The opposition criticized it as well. It's a scheme to fix the opposition. But as the book shows, he had been thinking about this way back in the 70s. In the early 70s, he wrote a letter to all the PAP MPs expressing his deep concern for the Malay PAP MPs, how they could effectively operate and function in a constituency which at that time was more predominantly Chinese-speaking than now many are English speaking. And this has been documented in another book the history of the pap written by another gyakuma shashi my son. So that is an additional insight that the book gives. Third, I want to touch on my attempt in the book to dispel some myths and misconceptions. The first myth is about Mr. Lewanu that he was such a towering figure with such strong views, some say fierce that the myth was well he no dissent, no contrary abuse and any firm proposal that he had he would just ram it True. But if you read the book, you'll find a different side of the story. You'll find a Mr. Lee Kuwanu who although he felt very strongly about the elected presidency and he wanted a powerful wicked keeper he was listening to willing to listen to the views of the younger ministers and in fact in the book there's one part where he says look those to those who have reservations and disagreements. I ask you to put up alternatives. And on page 73 of the book, you'll find a quote that tells you a lot about Leonu. He says, "What is important is not," and this is practically verbatim, "what is important is not that the solution I proposed be accepted. but that there be a solution formulated which would be workable with a new God in charge. I think that tells volumes about the man and I recount in the book Mr. EW Barker who was then the first minister for law and I was minister of state for law before the detailed discussions started on the elected presidency. He pulled me aside and he said, "JA, you work with the AG to to give whatever drafts PM wants." But I better tell you, he can be very headstrong in his views. But he's intellectually honest. Intellectually honest. And the way I've described the discussion, you'll find that that is true. The final broad brush comment I want to make is really a not found in the book is a more uh personal reflection. I have been in cabinet before for some 30 years. I was involved in policym and the drafting of many laws. Uh I found this trio of legislation elected presidency, GRC and the NCMP to be the most interesting and the most challenging. As I said just now, I'm 87 and when you reach the age of 87, I feel that uh I consider myself blessed. But at this point, you cannot help but reflect on the past as you ponder over the future. As I reflect on the past, it is really amazing how Singapore has advanced to what we are today. As we ponder over the future, there are many unknowns, right? But one sure known fact is when we became independent, we were small. We had unusual and unique circumstances. now to 61 years. We are still small and we still have to operate under unusual and unique circumstances. So how we got here is partly because the leadership in the past took important, innovative, unusual and unique decisions and pivotal decisions and we look to the future where unfamiliar challenges will beset us. I think it is important for us not to be afraid to take where necessary unusual and innovative steps for our circumstances. Yes, I think it is important for us to look at the best practices of other countries, adapt them which are useful to us but adapt them to our circumstances. But we should be very cleareyed that whatever approaches of other countries may not always work in Singapore because of our circumstances. So my book touches on three laws, right? But to me it is really more than that. It is an illustration in a small way of how we had to figure out solutions for unusual situations, think out of the box, came out with the solutions. And as we face the future, we may need that ingenuity and the courage to take that approach. Before I leave the podium, I want to thank a few people who have been most helpful. Apart from senior minister Lee Shen's honoring us uh we have the diplomatic academy who put together this organization uh E1 and her capable team. I want to thank the publishers the science press and PPH Sumiko Hu and Leang who over many many breakfast sessions we journeyed over this book. I want to thank u few people from AGC's who have over several years assisted me in working on this book. Serang Tohan and and much earlier Vanessa and finally my I should mention National Library Board Julia and her team u Melissa and her team and National Archives uh Julia and her team for the tremendous support when the process of my handing over my papers to them And finally, my ever reliable secretary, Alicia. Once again, thank you so much for honoring me with your presence. Thank you.