NOTE FROM THE EDITORIAL TEAM

With the passing of Professor Lim Chong Yah in July 2023, Singapore lost one of its most eminent and well-known economists. Professor Lim’s lifelong professional preoccupation was the improvement of lives in Singapore. Having served as the founding chairman and headed the National Wages Council for almost thirty years, he cared deeply about the welfare of the everyday man. Under his visionary leadership, Professor Lim built up trust among tripartite partners and helped establish Singapore’s responsive and flexible wage system today.

To commemorate Professor Lim’s contributions to Singapore’s development, this issue of Economics & Society has gathered contributions from academia, government, and industry that focus on historical decisions or factors that contributed to the long-term economic growth and development of Singapore, or on forward-looking actions required to ensure continued prosperity and quality of life for future generations.

We are honoured to have Mr Peter Seah, current Chairman of the National Wage Council (NWC), present the foreword for this issue to share his thoughts on the legacy of Professor Lim and the role of NWC in addressing the main issues concerning Singaporeans.

We are also glad to have the opportunity to interview Professor Cheong Koon Hean for her perspectives on issues relating to urban planning and its role in nation-building. Professor Cheong has held multiple leadership positions in Singapore’s statutory boards and currently chairs the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities.

The essays in this issue are contributed by a diverse range of authors and offer multiple perspectives related to this issue’s central theme on the legacy of leaders and their policies. Dr Loh Kah Seng, historian and director of Chronicles Research and Education shares his takeaways from interviewing members of the Pioneer and Merdeka Generations on their life experiences in Singapore, while Dr Ooi Kee Beng, Executive Director of Penang Institute, Malaysia, and Visiting Senior Fellow of ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute presents his thoughts on the concept of modernity as political economy building in Singapore’s context. Meanwhile, Mr Tony Yeoh, Research Fellow of Penang Institute, Malaysia, shares his ideas on the role of leadership in an AI future. We also have a submission from Meherdeep Singh, an A Level student, on how the key tenets of Singapore’s success can be represented through the visual of our national flower, the orchid.

We have also included an article previously written by Professor Lim on his thoughts regarding Singapore’s prospects and developments in the year 2065.

In “Perspective”, we sit down for a chat with Mr Lee Wung Yew, former threetime Olympian on his thoughts regarding athletes being recognised as a country’s sports icon and serving as a source of inspiration for future generations. We wish all readers a fruitful journey through these pages.