On Lee Kuan Yew’s Sentosa nudist colony idea, being a ‘seat warmer’ and the politician he’d never speak to: former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong tells all in his new book

Tall Order: The Goh Chok Tong Story is a portrait of Singapore’s second prime minister trying to find his own voice in the shadow of his predecessor

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Published: 7:45am, 3 Nov 2018Updated: 9:45am, 3 Nov 2018

Tall Order: The Goh Chok Tong Story is a portrait of Singapore’s second-generation prime minister trying to find his own voice and steer his country in his own style, with the shadow of his predecessor Lee Kuan Yew looming large.

As the book puts it, he was an improbable prime minister for an unlikely country – he had neither the connections nor the cunning to rise to the top. He was an ordinary man, except for his imposing 1.89 metre height, uncommon in Asia.

His government career was marked by domestic policy wins and successes in expanding Singapore’s economic space overseas. But it was also fraught with political stumbles and humiliation by Lee, a man he described as both his mentor and kung fu master.

The book, written by Singaporean journalist Peh Shing Huei, is available on Amazon.com and in major bookstores across Asia. Here are excerpts of the book and selected Q&A with Goh.

The cover of Tall Order: The Go Chok Tong Story.

Chapter 10: This is Me