TWO Singaporean envoys paid tribute to the contributions of Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew at a US think-tank on Wednesday, while stressing that the country’s success cannot be taken for granted by its young.

Speaking at an event at the Brookings Institution, former Singapore ambassador to the United States Chan Heng Chee and former Ministry of Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Bilahari Kausikan told a US audience about Mr Lee’s approach to governance and foreign policy, but made clear that the matter of whether the country can stay on track was very much an open question.

…The panel also featured Mr Shashi Jayakumar, a co-editor of the book, and Dr Joseph Liow, who holds the Lee Kuan Yew Chair at Brookings.