SINGAPORE, May 6 — As a small country, Singapore always has to “fight” to be at the table with the big boys, and former Senior Minister S Jayakumar’s new memoir is a reminder of the nation’s position, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today.

Things have gone well for Singapore for so long that “people sometimes do not realise that we can still easily be turfed off the table and become an item on the menu”, said PM Lee, who was speaking at the launch of the book held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The book, titled “Be at the Table or be on the Menu”, “reminds us of the harsh reality of international affairs, especially for a small country with little clout vis-a-vis big players”, he noted.

PM Lee paid tribute to the “quiet and unremitting” efforts of Professor Jayakumar and others like him. “People in MFA, in government, or in the private sector but doing public service, people who speak up for Singapore, make friends for us, defend our positions, and advance our interests,” he said.

He added that Prof Jayakumar’s personal story as laid out in the book is a reminder of Singapore’s ideals as a nation, mainly ideals of meritocracy, multi-racialism and rule of law.

Thanking Prof Jayakumar for dedicating the book to the late Lee Kuan Yew, PM Lee said the book contains a moving exchange of emails between both parties after the 2011 general elections. In his email, Prof Jayakumar told the late Mr Lee what a profound impact he had on him, and how he tried to imbue his younger colleagues with the same approach he had learnt from him.

“We must keep alive this spirit of stewardship, this compulsion to pass on our values and our experiences to our successors, so that Singapore can grow from strength to strength for more generations to come,” said PM Lee.

Prof Jayakumar said in a speech that he wrote the book because he feels it is important to record some important episodes and events in Singapore’s history.

There is a need to build up a collective store of memories of how certain events took place, and how and why Singapore responded in a particular way, he said.

Certain themes and lessons can be learnt from the book, he said, such as the need to be prepared for all kinds of situations, and the importance of working as a team and having competent officials.

The book is published by Straits Times Press, and sold for S$26 (RM70) before goods and services tax at all bookstores. — TODAY