Dear Friends,
One year ago, on 10 November 2025, “Lim Siong Guan: The Best is Yet to Be" was launched by Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Today, we share President Shanmugaratnam’s sharing from 2006, when he was Second Minister for Finance at the time of Siong Guan’s retirement from the Singapore Civil Service in 2006.
We are so grateful to President Tharman for launching the book and for giving us permission to reproduce his 2006 sharing in “Lim Siong Guan: The Best is Yet to Be".
Here are a few highlights from President Tharman’s sharing:
🤝 Deep Mentorship and Collaboration: President Tharman was tutored by Siong Guan early in his Administrative Service career in the mid-1990s and maintained a close working relationship across the Ministry of Education (MOE), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
🥇 Gold Standard of Public Service: President Tharman described Siong Guan as representing "the best" of the Singapore Civil Service, and credited Siong Guan with actively shaping the core values of the Singapore Civil Service.
🚁 Mastery of the "Helicopter Quality": President Tharman highlighted Siong Guan's exceptional ability to seamlessly balance macro strategic thinking with meticulous attention to detail.
We hope that you will enjoy reading President Tharman’s sharing below.
On another note, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of the late Professor Leong Ching, who recently passed away on 6 November 2026.
It was a wonderful privilege to have worked with Professor Leong for many years in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore (NUS).
She was generous with her ideas, ever curious, always friendly, and intensely committed to the advancement of NUS, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the interests of youth, and the well-being of students.
We are so grateful that Professor Leong had graciously delivered the welcome address at the 2025 launch of “Lim Siong Guan: The Best is Yet to Be" in her capacity as the Vice Provost (Student Life) of the National University of Singapore.
At the launch, Professor Leong had highlighted this line from “Lim Siong Guan: The Best is Yet to Be": “If there is one thing you could take away from this book, I hope that you would value love above all other things, and value people above things. With love, the best is yet to be.”
Professor Leong will live on in our minds and our hearts as a beacon of love, hope, and courage.
With love, the best is yet to be.
From Left to Right:
The late Professor Leong Ching, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lim Siong Guan, Joanne H. Lim (Author of “Lim Siong Guan: The Best is Yet to Be”)
2006 Sharing by Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam was sworn in as President of the Republic of Singapore on 14 September 2023.
“To me, Siong Guan represents the best. He epitomises the values that make the Singapore Civil Service so different from any other, and has helped to shape those values.”
I had the advantage of being tutored by Siong Guan soon after I joined the Administrative Service in the mid-90s, and worked closely with him at the Ministry of Education.
Later, I worked with him when I was at MAS, and he was at MOF. And now again at MOF over the last few months.
To me, Siong Guan represents the best.
He epitomises the values that make the Singapore Civil Service so different from any other, and has helped to shape those values: his dedication, his toughness under pressure, his constant questioning, and his unrelenting efforts to develop those around him.
But Siong Guan also has a rare ability among individuals to think big as well as work through the details with great care.
I have come across few who match him in this.
That is probably why the “helicopter quality” is not called a 747 quality. It is about spotting the trends that others miss, looking beyond the horizon but also deciphering the movements at the crossroads below.
Share your thoughts with us at Hello@LimSiongGuan.sg.
Prepared by Joanne H. Lim
Photo of Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Siong Guan taken during the launch of “Lim Siong Guan: The Best is Yet to Be”
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