At the close of their Bloomberg conversation in Singapore, Mishal Husain asked George Yeo and Kishore Mahbubani one final question: what is the challenge their own country must face in the decade ahead?
A built-in contradiction
Yeo, Singapore’s former foreign minister, describes a contradiction built into the city-state itself, rooted in how the country was made and how it connects to the world. To explain it, he reaches for a centuries-old parable from Gujarat, in western India, about newcomers arriving in an established land. He then sets out what he sees as the key to holding Singapore together.
Wildly optimistic
Mahbubani, Singapore’s former ambassador to the United Nations, declares himself wildly optimistic about Singapore’s future. He then names the one challenge that concerns him most.
Why it matters for Asia
Many of Asia’s most successful societies face related questions. Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong are ageing fast, and cities across the region compete for global talent while trying to preserve a shared identity. Singapore, small, open, and highly connected, often meets these pressures first, which makes its choices worth watching across the region.
What do you think is Singapore’s biggest challenge? Watch the full exchange and decide for yourself.
Further reading
- Kishore Mahbubani, Can Singapore Survive?
- Lee Kuan Yew, From Third World to First: A Statesman’s Powerful Story of Transformation from Poverty to National Leadership
Excerpt from The Mishal Husain Show (Bloomberg Weekend), recorded live in Singapore. Used for commentary and analysis. Views expressed are the speakers’ own.
