Goh Chok Tong

Founding Patron (1987 – present)

In 1988, Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong announced the establishment of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), as a think tank outside of the government. As the Founding Patron of IPS, ESM Goh shared how he ideated IPS, drawing from notable think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and Brookings Institution in the US. With support from Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and other Cabinet ministers, ESM Goh asked Professor Chan Heng Chee, who was the head of the Political Science Department at the National University of Singapore, to be IPS’ first Director. In the founding of IPS, he had hoped for it to be a place for younger individuals to contribute to and participate in policy discussions.

On funding, ESM Goh said he purposefully did not want IPS to be funded completely by the government, fearful that it would lose its independence. He also shared how he suggested to former Director Professor Tommy Koh to start a company association for business people, to raise funds for IPS’ research.

Further, ESM Goh described his role as Founding Patron of the Institute. He shared how he first considered being its chairman, but that the Cabinet believed he should keep some distance from IPS to ensure its independence. Thus, he decided to be IPS’ Patron, in order to give IPS prestige and serve as a supportive bridge between it and the government. Evaluating IPS’ achievements thus far, ESM Goh described his hopes for IPS to “harvest” ideas for and find gaps in the government — to bring in new ideas from the outside, before the government even spotted them. On the future of IPS, ESM Goh expressed his desire for IPS to revive the political history of Singapore. He also hoped for IPS to run courses that teach the practical history of Singapore, in collaboration with other institutes, and involve more of civil society and the young.