Now if democracy will not work for the Russians, a white Christian people, can we assume that it will naturally work with Asians?

I think in Singapore, we stand a chance of making the one-man-one-vote system work. With amendments as we have done, you know, like GRCs.. We need to make it work. And I believe with pragmatic adjustments, given these favourable conditions, we can have more open debate.

Usually I read biographies of interesting people. I am not attracted to novels - make-believe, or recreations of what people think life should be.

I’m not intellectually convinced that one-man, one-vote is the best. We practise it because that’s what the British bequeathed us

You marry a non-graduate, then you are going to worry if your son or daughter is going to make it to the university.

You begin your journey not knowing where it will take you. You have plans, you have dreams, but every now and again you have to take uncharted roads, face impassable mountains, cross treacherous rivers, be blocked by landslides and earthquakes. That's the way my life has been.

I feel sanguine enough to say that there has never been a better set of conditions for open democratic politics because there is no need for unified front politics.