Ex-ST Editor Han Fook Kwang on what it was like to work with Mr Lee Kuan Yew

"Once he had decided to do something, whether it was writing a book or securing Singapore's future, he was impossible to shake off.

"When he called me one night in August 2008 to do another book, I wasn't thrilled at the prospect. I was then the editor of The Straits Times, with my hands full running the paper. The editor's job was demanding, the hours long, and I did not relish doing another book on top of that.

"But it was impossible to say no after he said he had only two to three years left and he wanted to put across his views on some of the issues that troubled him: the call for more political openness, the backlash against foreigners and the challenges facing Singapore in a rapidly changing world.

"Given his failing health, it might well be his last book. When I took some time to get back to him on the concept of the book, he urged haste, telling me in an e-mail: 'Don't let the grass grow under your feet.'

"Finally, when we had settled on how the book should be done, he was impatient to start, and wrote: 'Try it the way you propose. Outline the subjects to be covered and draft a few chapters. Then, let's try your vigorous probing and challenging of my positions.'

"The book, Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going, was two years in the making. When we finally launched it in 2011, his health had deteriorated significantly after the death of his wife.

"Indeed, he loomed large in my professional life."

ST Photo: Mr Han looking on as then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, with his wife Kwa Geok Choo, took part in a webchat organized by ST for Mr Lee to field questions for his new book, From Third World To First, in 2000.