Lunch with the Fools’ Authors

Met up with Shing Huei Peh and Aaron Low over lunch to celebrate the launch of their latest book, First Fools: The B-Sides of LKY’s A-Team.

This is a prequel to their bestseller Last Fools: The Eight Immortals of Lee Kuan Yew, which profiled eight technocrats who became legendary in Singapore’s political and administrative history.

First Fools turns the spotlight to the 10 titans who signed the Separation Agreement with Malaysia — nearly 60 years ago to the day. But this isn’t the version you’ll find in social studies textbooks. The book dives into untold stories — B-sides, in vinyl record parlance — adding depth and humanity to these founding figures (one of them was LKY’s “matchmaker”). I went straight for the chapters on Lim Kim San and Ong Pang Boon, both of whom I had the privilege of speaking with.

The stories in First Fools don’t just fill in the blanks of our early leadership. They bring us closer to understanding the personal behind the political.

They make the Singapore Story not only richer, but more human — and a little more complete.