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After 55 years with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), veteran diplomat and lawyer Professor Tommy Koh has retired from service, the ministry announced on Tuesday (Sep 1).<\/p>\n
“Throughout his 55 years of service to Singapore, there was never once when Ambassador-at-large Professor Tommy Koh doubted Singapore’s ability to succeed,” the ministry said in a post on Facebook.<\/p>\n
“Behind his extraordinary career is a life shaped by family, conviction and a deep love for Singapore. As Professor Koh concludes his time with MFA, we reflect on his remarkable journey and enduring legacy.”<\/p>\n
MFA also shared a video interview with Prof Koh, who shared his thoughts on his time with the ministry.<\/p>\n
He spoke of his appointment as Singapore’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), stating that he felt “obliged to defend independent Singapore”.<\/p>\n
When then-Minister of Foreign Affairs S Rajaratnam asked him to take up the role, Prof Koh commented that he was too young.<\/p>\n
“I was 30 years old, no experience,” he said. “I said I’m not qualified to be an ambassador to the UN.”<\/p>\n
However, the ministry had no one else qualified at the time, and Prof Koh took up the role anyways.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, he was able to learn from other ambassadors in their senior years and picked up from their mentorship, he said.<\/p>\n
He wasn’t just Ambassador to the UN \u2014 he also became Ambassador to Canada and Mexico, and was the contact person with China.<\/p>\n
Professor Koh was also the leader of the Singapore delegation to the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).<\/p>\n
This was a critical conference for Singapore to attend, as “Singapore is a country that lives by the sea”, he stated.<\/p>\n
At the time, the laws governing the sea were “breaking down”, so when the UN wanted to convene the conference, Prof Koh had stressed the importance of Singapore’s participation.<\/p>\n
“I spent 10 years of my life in the Law of the Sea Conference,” he recalled. “It’s not a sacrifice – I enjoy my work.”<\/p>\n