SINGAPORE - Cabinet ministers had robust and candid discussions when coming up with novel laws such as the elected presidency and group representation constituency (GRC) schemes, said former deputy prime minister S. Jayakumar.

Various options and angles are explored by the ministers, and different perspectives heard before a final decision is made for all major policies and laws, said Jayakumar, 87, who was also law minister during his 31-year-long political career.

Through his new book, he gave readers a glimpse of the debate behind these laws that had not been made public previously.

The processes behind these two laws, along with the Non-Constituency MP scheme, are the subject of the book Creating Three Unique Singapore Laws: An Inside Story by Jayakumar, launched on Aug 12.

“In government, before the die is cast, and you announce the law, announce the policy, all possible options ought to be looked at,” he said in an interview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao on Aug 5.

“For sound decision making, you’ve got to explore all angles before the final decision is reached.”

He hopes that the book will help readers understand that there is a “fairly detailed discussion of important issues, (which) might give them some sense of comfort that things are not rushed through at a railroad speed”.

The former minister, who joined politics in 1980, was involved in the process of developing all three laws from conception to enactment.

Jayakumar acknowledged that the laws were deemed “controversial” and said: “I’ll be the first one to admit that all three, at various stages, different opposition quarters said it was to fix the opposition.”

But the specific mechanics of the laws are not sacrosanct and can be adapted by future generations, he said.

What matters, he added, is whether people agree on the underlying doctrines of the laws.