Opening Address by Ms Melissa-May Tam, Chief Executive Officer of the National Library Board, at the Official Book Launch of “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man,” on 12 November 2025 at the Pod, National Library Building

Ms Jane Ittogi

Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large,
Your Excellencies

Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

  1. It gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone to The Pod here at the National Library Building for the launch of the book, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man.
  1. As we all well know, despite its title, this memoir is about someone who is very far from ordinary. Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large Professor Tommy Koh has worn and is still wearing many hats. He is a lawyer, professor, diplomat, chief negotiator, and chairman of various committees and boards, just to name a few of these hats.
  1. Suffice it to say, Prof Koh is extraordinary. In his memoir, Prof shares about his life over 30 chapters. Each chapter comes with nuggets from the different stages of his life. I am told that one such nugget is how, while doing his pupillage under David Marshall in 1961, a young and fearless Tommy Koh filed proceedings in Singapore’s High Court to charge then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew with contempt of court. If you haven’t read it, go find out how that turned out.
  1. Beyond what most of us already know of his work in the legal and diplomacy domains, Prof Koh also excels in many other facets of life including the arts, culture, nature, and even music. He was the founding Chairman of the National Arts Council, the second Chairman of the National Heritage Board, a patron of the Substation from 1990 to 2021, and for over 30 years, a patron of the Nature Society of Singapore.
  1. Prof champions tirelessly for causes he believes in, and NLB is a beneficiary of this too. As a bibliophile and champion of reading, Prof Koh has been a longtime supporter of NLB. In 2013, at his recommendation, NLB hosted the International Summit of the Book. Prof was the organising chairman of the event, which, naturally, meant that it turned out to be a tremendous success. This year, as part of NLB’s 30th anniversary celebrations, we organised a series of conversations that brought together thought leaders from diverse fields to explore the future of reading and learning. At the first session, Prof spoke alongside his fellow Ambassador-at-Large Professor Chan Heng Chee, and he shared this belief -- that as long as human beings needed stories – and they always will – books will never die. This is a sentiment that is close to our hearts as well.
  1. Despite his very busy schedule, Prof Koh has been a prolific contributor to our collections. He has written, co-authored and co-edited almost 30 books so far. In fact, in the last 12 months alone, he has launched at least four books here in The Pod, including today’s memoir. Needless to say, all these books can be found in our libraries. As Singapore’s Memory Institution, NLB will ensure that Professor Koh’s story, and all Singapore Stories, will always be easily accessible to all and enjoyed by generations to come.
  1. As we celebrate the launch of Prof Koh’s memoir today, we celebrate the man himself. He has chosen to launch his memoir today, on his 88th birthday, so please join me in a round of applause to wish Prof good health and a very happy birthday!