I AGREE with the letter (March 2) wishing Mr Lee Kuan Yew health and a long life.

As a staff member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), I had a lot to do with Singapore among other developing countries in terms of economic reporting and project work. In many respects, the city state stood apart even at the time of my first mission to the country in the early 1970s.

I was curious to find out what was contributing to the country’s quick rise among the South Asian and East Asian countries. The answers were not far to seek.

I never met Mr Yew personally but did meet Mr Goh Keng Swee, the deputy prime minister, several times. In fact the first meeting with him was significant. The ADB mission, of which I was a member, called on him, and our mission leader, Mr Tsusaka, pointed out among other things that there was no Singaporean in the ADB staff and the bank must have someone so that the country’s progress could be transmitted to other member countries through the benefit of direct experience.

Mr Swee’s reply is still fresh in my memory. He said: “Mr. Tsusaka, someone whom we could spare would perhaps not be of much use to your institution, while someone who would really be of use to you, we cannot afford to spare.”

Mazhar A. Khan

Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2015

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