GEORGE YEO: MUSINGS - SERIES ONE

Over sessions which lasted two to three hours each time, every week for half a year, George Yeo met and mused over a wide range of topics with writer Woon Tai Ho and research assistant Keith Yap. Speaking from notes, he began with himself and his hope for Singapore, and then spanned over a wide range of subjects — from the importance of human diversity and Singapore's reflection within itself of the world, to history, politics, economics, philosophy, taijigong and religion. He gives his views on India, China, ASEAN, Europe, the US and other parts of the world, and how Singapore's history and destiny are connected to all of them. The style is conversational and anecdotal.

George Yeo: Musings is exactly that — musings. Some themes recur throughout the book which reflect his view of life. But there is no grand theory. He does not expect all of his reflections to be of interest to everyone, but he hopes that everyone will find something of interest.

This is the first of a three-part series.

Contents:

• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Identity
• Early Formation
• Big Singapore
• Reflecting the World's Diversity
• The Eurasian Prawn Paste
• Passages to India
• India and Singapore
• On the Nalanda Trail
• Revival of Nalanda after 800 Years
• The Homogeneity of China
• The People's Republic
• Singapore's Chineseness
• Chinese Education
• Managing Singapore's Political Relations with China
• Singapore's Economic and Cultural Relations with China
• Love China, Love Hong Kong
• Wukong and the Monk
• Index

Readership: Readers from Singapore, China, India and Southeast Asia who are interested in George Yeo's perspective on history, politics, economics, philosophy, and other related topics.

'Musings gives the reader an enthralling lesson in Asian civilization, history, culture, traditions, philosophy, religion and political thought. His musings reflect a brilliant and intellectual mind, always curious and inquisitive. This is the George Yeo I know and admired as a colleague in the Singapore Armed Forces, a boss in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a good friend. A man destined for bigger things. Though not written as a biography, it gives a fascinating insight into his life, especially his Teochew identity and his strong attachment to his ancestral home in China. This book has something for everyone and is a must-read for every Singaporean.' - Winston ChooFormer Chief of Defence Force and Diplomat

'George Yeo is a distinguished public figure of international stature. He is a widely respected thinker with a deep understanding of history. He has a great zest for life. This monumental work is a treasure trove. He shares the rich experiences of his life's journey and discusses a wide range of matters relating to our times and the human condition. His observations are wise and perceptive. His insights are profound and illuminating. Readers will find Musings thought provoking and enriching and will learn a great deal from it.' - The Honourable Andrew Li Kwok-nangFirst Chief Justice of the Hong Kong SAR of the People's Republic of China

'George Yeo is widely read, widely travelled and widely admired, as you will find from this book. I have met few people like him who live and enjoy every moment of life with unflagging intellectual curiosity and interest. His abiding love for China, because of his roots, is understandable but his love affair with India led me to remark once that in his previous birth he must have been an Indian!' - P ChidambaramMember of Parliament, Former Finance Minister of India

'George Yeo writes from both the head and the heart. He is sympathetic with human vulnerability but also champions what the human spirit can achieve. I have known George since I was the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea and the Secretary General of the UN and seen how he has always tried to bring East and West together. His 'Musings are those of a cultural envoy and a peacemaker.' - Ban Ki-moonFormer United Nations Secretary-General

'George Yeo is brilliant. Singaporeans know this. Now, through this delicate mingling of personal stories, insightful anecdotes and deep historical and philosophical reflections, George Yeo allows the soul of Singapore to shine through in these pages. The exceptional economic success story of Singapore is well known. George Yeo has done his fellow Singaporeans and the world a great service by sharing this extraordinary rich Singapore soul. Like Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs, these musings will be read and reflected on for generations. An absolute must read. And, amazingly, a very easy read, accessible to all.' - Kishore Mahbubania Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singaporeis the author of Has China Won?

'By sharing intimate thoughts about his world, George Yeo shows us how plural a 'Singaporean' can be. He relates every connection in life that he finds memorable — whether at work, at home, or at play — and a complex diversity shines through. The simple strokes he makes on this canvas illustrate an exceptional Chinese Singaporean as but one intriguing part of a multi-coloured national mural. Reading his musings reminds us how much more there is to tell about this new island state.' - Wang GungwuUniversity Professor

'We live in a complex world and a turbulent era. Mere analyses do not seem to offer us much certainty. We need wisdom that is grounded in real-world experience. George Yeo's diverse Musings are woven into a masterpiece of insights so relevant to our world today. Myriad contradictions — in cultures, identities, history and realities — are treated with sensitivity and thoughtfulness. What one gains from the series are not references and models, but a deep sense of understanding that would be very useful when we navigate our unpredictable future.' - Eric LiShanghai Venture Capitalist and Political Scientist

'A vivid remembrance by a visionary statesman of the search for his Chinese heritage and his impassioned exploration of Asian connections that bind Southeast Asia with both South and East Asia. George Yeo's evocative Musings provide an intellectual foundation and a moral compass for politics in our time, showing how scholars and statesmen can celebrate diversity and strive together for an Asian renaissance.' - Sugata BoseGardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs, Harvard University

'Musings is an easy, entertaining, and yet educational book. Especially for people like myself who live in the generally homogeneous society of mainland China, Singapore's diversity, as richly presented by George Yeo, serves as an epitome of mankind. For students of international affairs, George Yeo in this pictorial volume teaches us how to integrate strategic vision, intercultural knowledge, and diplomatic skills to contribute to his own country and indeed the whole world.' - Wang JisiPresident, Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Peking University

'George Yeo's beautifully written memoir is both highly informative about the world (not least about India and Singapore) and fun to read. Yeo's variety of experiences as a military officer, leading statesman and public thinker are all striking, but in addition he shows an exceptional ability to recount past events entertainingly and also explain why the recounted events may be important. One of the intellectual developments on which Yeo throws exceptional light concerns the attempted revival of the oldest university in the world, Nalanda, established under Buddhist leadership in the fifth century. Yeo was, from the beginning of the efforts in reviving Nalanda, a member of the mentor group and played a powerful role. Yeo's account of the political events which led to his resignation as second Chancellor cannot be read without a sad realization of what India lost as a result.' - Amartya SenThomas W Lamont University Professor at Harvard University

Key Features:

• Tells George Yeo's story in a casual format
• Includes personal anecdotes from his childhood, his hobbies, and talks about his schizophrenic eldest brother for the first time
• Includes George Yeo's thoughts on his parents, on suffering and God, and his latest insights about China, India, Southeast Asia, China, Europe and the US