A group of university students from Mexico and the United States asked Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh early last year what Singapore’s secret was in its successful evolution in just a few decades from a developing to a developed country.

Professor Koh’s reply was that there was not one secret but many, enough to write a book.

That gave him an idea, one that finally took form when he received a book from the former Finnish ambassador to Singapore, called 100 Social Innovations From Finland.

Prof Koh’s book, Fifty Secrets Of Singapore’s Success, was launched by Mr Eddie Teo, the chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers, at the National Museum of Singapore yesterday.

Curated by Prof Koh and published by Straits Times Press, the 340-page book consists of 50 essays written by leaders and experts in various fields in Singapore. They address how Singapore, a small state, has succeeded economically and in eight other areas.

For instance, National University of Singapore president Tan Eng Chye writes about the country’s universities, Singapore’s first Chief of Defence Force Winston Choo gives his take on creating a people’s army through national service, and Ambassador-at-Large Chan Heng Chee addresses Singapore’s relationship with the major powers.

Straits Times senior education correspondent Sandra Davie penned an essay on how Singapore’s students outshone the rest of the world in mathematics. She called it one of the most memorable stories she has covered in her over two decades on the education beat.

“Singapore Math, as our approach to teaching mathematics is popularly called, has travelled the world. It is available in print and digital forms and in many languages. It is cited, researched and used in many schools around the world and has lifted the performance of their students,” she said.

Mr Christopher Tan, the national broadsheet’s senior transport correspondent, also contributed an essay on the Republic’s Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system.

“ERP has served us well since it was launched in 1998, but I think it is high time we moved to a more sophisticated iteration which charges according to time, place, as well as distance clocked,” said Mr Tan.

He said a sharper tool would also be a more equitable system.

ST associate editor Vikram Khanna wrote about Singapore’s fiscal policies, which he called one of the country’s greatest economic strengths, through his observations of over 25 years.

“But there’s more to it than just prudent budgeting. The fiscal soundness for which Singapore is renowned also derives from its astute design of policies around public enterprises, pensions and healthcare, which have produced good outcomes without straining public finances,” he said.

In a preface to the book, Prof Koh said: “My hope is that the 50 success stories in this book will be of interest to people around the world. I hope that this book will inspire other countries to achieve their own dreams.”

Notably, Singapore is among the world’s least corrupt countries, has one of the highest home ownership rates and world-class schools and healthcare facilities.

The country has also contributed significantly to the development of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean).

Singapore has played a leading role in the United Nations, such as in negotiations for the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation – also known as the Singapore Convention on Mediation – which was signed here last year.

The Republic also contributes to the international community. For instance, it helped create the 2010 Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity, a UN-endorsed tool for assessing biodiversity conservation efforts.

It was also involved in the 2008 creation of the Santiago Principles, a set of International Monetary Fund-endorsed guidelines for sovereign wealth funds.

In a foreword for the book, President Halimah Yacob said: “Our journey has not been easy in the face of global challenges, but we have always pulled through because we were determined to make something for ourselves.”

She said she hoped the 50 essays in the book would let Singaporeans better appreciate the nation’s shared journey, and also serve as “useful case studies” for other countries.

Mr Tan Ooi Boon, supervising editor for Straits Times Press, said the book helps to showcase the literary works of Singaporeans to the world, and will benefit both local and overseas readers.

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