“Neither had I realised that our flag was designed initially to have three stars, until leaders such as then DPM Toh Chin Chye expressed concern that Singapore might be perceived to have associations with the Malayan Comunist Party, whose flag also had three stars.” — JASON LEOW giving a first-person account of a video shown at a localised citizenship ceremony in “History lessons with a few unfamiliar gems” (1988). The Straits Times. 12 January.

“Toh was also adamant about using the colour red, despite its association with ‘revolutionary change’.

“‘Although Singapore did not launch an armed revolution, we were mindful that in those years immediately after the Second World War, the Asian continent was fighting for independence from colonialism and imperalism,’, he said.” — THE QUIET REVOLUTIONARY: TOH CHIN CHYE (2008)