Historical Ebbs and Flows of US-Singapore Bilateral Relations An Interview with Ambassador Tommy

Well acquainted with his life-long service to our foreign ministry, I called on Ambassador Tommy Koh because I knew he would be just the person to speak to on the historical ties of the United States-Singapore bilateral relationship.

We exchanged warm greetings as soon as he entered the meeting room. The ever-slight tilt of a painting on the wall by Chinese painter Chen Wen Xi caught his eye, and he stopped to adjust it.

“In 1968, I asked Mr. Lee Kuan Yew for $100 to purchase the first piece of art for our foreign ministry. He said no initially, but agreed afterward,’’ chuckled Koh, beginning and concluding his first story at our meeting with a boyish smile of content and benign mischief that hinted at a feeling of buoyant triumph.

We briefly strolled around the room that showed off neatly arranged artwork. There was an oil painting by Singaporean artist Cheng Soo Pieng and two sets of pots by Singaporean master potter Iskandar Jalil. I could see, oozing out of Koh, a real sense of appreciation for the various art pieces.

As we moved toward the sitting area, Koh asked, “What are you drinking?” “Good old Chinese tea,” I sprightly answered. He then instructed his colleague, Siti, to bring the same for him, along with some books he had authored.

Laying three books on the table, Koh graciously said, “These are for you.” I studied the familiar covers (Tommy Koh Reader: Favourite Essays and Lectures, America: A Singapore Perspective, and The United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement) and recognized them instantly as titles I had come across at the bookstores I frequent with my daughter.

From the books he had presented me, it was evident Koh knew why I had visited.

“Our economic relations began 180 years ago, long before diplomatic relations were established between US and Singapore,” stated Koh. “You may know that the first American Consul, Joseph Balestier, owned a sugarcane and cotton plantation called Balestier Plantation?” He kicked off our conversation.

“Yes, there’s the Revere Bell in our National Museum that Mrs. Balestier, a daughter of Paul Revere, had donated to Singapore,” I politely affirmed my awareness.

To this day, the Revere Bell remains the only bell made by the famous Paul Revere outside the US. Located in the Singapore History Gallery of the National Museum of Singapore, the bell has come to symbolize the long-standing friendship between the two countries.

“Looking back on the past 56 years of diplomatic relations, what would you list as the three high points of our bilateral relations?” I inquired.

After a momentary pause, Koh said, “When the Philippines closed Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Bay to the US, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew bravely offered Singapore’s help. He offered to allow the US Air Force and Navy to use the facilities in Singapore. America’s acceptance of his offer has to be the most important bilateral landmark because it helped to anchor the US to our region.”

“And the American presence has been instrumental to the stability of our region,” I chimed.

Koh nodded, then placed both hands firmly on one of the books before us and said, “And this would be the second high point: The US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.”

Glancing at the book cover graced by the images of former US President George W. Bush and former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, I asked how long the agreement had taken to work out from conception to conclusion.

“Two years to negotiate, and another to have it approved by US Congress,’’ Koh answered.

One of the concluding acts of the Clinton administration, the USSFTA not only implanted for the US a template for future trade agreements and showed the US’ abiding commitment to Asia, but also strengthened Singapore as a manufacturing and services hub. Koh was, notably, the chief negotiator for Singapore.

Koh jovially went on to reveal how the agreement was conceived on a stormy night in Brunei after a round of midnight golf between Clinton and Goh (more such charming tales can be found in the books of this master storyteller).

However, soon after he had shared the enchanting story, a troubled expression came over his face. He detected my quizzing look and went on to explain.

“I must say, I’m quite sad at the growing polarization of US politics. After US Congress had approved the FTA, we had requested for Bill Clinton, Charlene Barshefsky, and Steve Green to be invited to the signing ceremony since they were the ones who had started the negotiation. Our request was rejected,” Koh sighed.

 “During my time [as Ambassador to the US], it was not uncommon to see Democrats and Republicans coming together socially and when the situation called for, but the rift between the two parties has since grown very wide.”  

Having lived in the US half my life, I am all too familiar with the growing political fissure Koh referenced. From healthcare to education, housing to infrastructure, America has indeed become so polarized that she has not been able to make definitive calls on even critical internal issues.

Reining myself from transitory thoughts, I asked about the third high point. Koh’s eyes lit up as he proceeded to share a proud moment.

“In 1985, as Ambassador of Singapore to the US, I successfully persuaded the Senate and the House to invite Mr. Lee to address a Joint Session of Congress. No other Singaporean leader has ever had such a privilege.” 

Indeed, not all foreign leaders who visit the US are invited to address Congress, the decision of which has historically been made by the congressional leadership in consultation with the executive branch. To receive such an invitation is considered an immense privilege and honor.

Relationships go through ebbs and flows, so I inquired about the low points of the bond between the two countries. His response was unexpected.

“During my time [as Ambassador to the US], I received a frantic call from Singapore one day on why the US had imposed a ban on our export of aquarium fish.”

My eyes went wide in bewilderment as he took note.

“Yes, an export ban had been placed on our aquarium fish, and Singapore was seeking to understand the rationale. It turned out that we had not signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, so the ban was an act of pressure to get us to ratify the treaty.

“I promptly advised Singapore to sign, and we did, so the ban was lifted. Truly, it was something we ought to have done without being pressured into doing it,” Koh continued.

“The other low point,” Koh readily offered, “was the expulsion of US diplomat Hendrickson from Singapore. We had expelled him for interfering in our domestic politics, and the US, in turn, expelled one of my staff, Robert Chua. Such retaliatory practice is standard in the diplomatic world. It was unfortunate as Chua had arrived at our embassy not too long before.”

As with those who had followed the news, I was aware of said incident. The year was 1988, and the US State Department had sought Chua’s removal in retaliation for the expulsion of E. Mason Hendrickson, the first secretary of the American embassy in Singapore. Singapore had accused the latter of inciting dissident lawyers to run for office against our ruling party, the People’s Action Party. Former president Ong Teng Cheong, who was then Secretary- General of the National Trade Union Congress, even led a protest outside the US embassy.

“The US disagreed with our version of the story and insisted that Hendrickson was merely doing his job meeting with various parties, including the opposition,” Koh added.

“But Francis Seow, the lawyer implicated, was not in the opposition, was he?” I curiously interjected.

Koh continued without proffering a direct answer, “We proposed to America to submit our dispute to an arbitral tribunal and stated that we would abide by the outcome of the findings. However, America rejected our proposal.

“It took about a year for relations to be normal again,” Koh recounted.

While we were trekking down memory lane, I could not resist surfacing my infamous colleague at Hard Rock Cafe, where I worked as a part-time wait staff as a student. Michael Fay, charged with various counts of vandalism, mischief, and theft, had dominated global news cycles and set back US-Singapore relations in 1991. At the US’ request for leniency, Singapore reduced his sentence from six strokes of the cane to four.

“An American official subsequently tried, at the WTO (World Trade Organization), to block Singapore from hosting the first WTO Ministerial Meeting, but he had no support. The meeting proceeded to be held in Singapore.”  

“But, there’s another low point, and that’s the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) withdrawal by the US when then-president Trump came into office. Misunderstood by most, TPP was birthed by Singapore, New Zealand, Brunei, and Chile - not the US. We had spent five years negotiating it, so US withdrawal was a massive disappointment.”

My hour-long inquisitiveness concluded with one more query on how the US and Singapore have worked around our disagreement on press freedom. Merrily, Koh went into a delightful story on how he had arranged for then-PM Lee to speak with US publishers of newspapers. At the end of the meeting, though Mr. Lee did not gain their agreement, he secured their respect.

Koh and I spent the rest of our time perusing precious decades-old photographs. We also broached the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Alert as whiskers on a cat, he instantly corrected me when my views erred, but did it ever so gently. Koh’s diplomatic ways jolted my mind back to a sparring dialogue I had witnessed between former foreign minister George Yeo, historian Wang Gungwu, and him. All three sages were able to disagree with class, respect, and graciousness, resulting in a healthy and productive divergence.

Nearing the last sip of my tea, I knew it was time to bid Koh farewell and let him tend to his next engagement. At age 84, the Ambassador-at-Large is sharper than a tack (and men half his age) as he presses on in strides to serve Singapore tirelessly. With him on the US-Singapore diplomatic scene, I am confident our two countries will persevere in nurturing our relationship with care and, perhaps, propel it to the next level.