They had to be put on a par with the men, given the same education and enabled to make their full contribution to society.

During the election campaign, we had used one of our allotted party broadcasts in four languages -- English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil -- to put over our policy on women's rights.

But we could not find a PAP woman member who was a good enough speaker to take on the programme in English.

After Choo had auditioned the wives of two candidates in Lee & Lee's office, she came into my room, where I was in discussion with Keng Swee and Raja, to tell me that they sounded too soft, not tough enough.

When she left us, my two friends suggested that she should do it.

I asked her, and after a moment's hesitation, she agreed. Raja wrote the first draft, which she amended so that it would sound like her. It was cleared by the central executive committee and translated into the other languages, and she delivered it in English over Radio Malaya. One paragraph was crucial:

"Our society is still built on the assumption that women are the social, political and economic inferiors of men. This myth has been made the excuse for the exploitation of female labour.

"Many women do the same kind of work as men but do not get the same pay... We are fielding five women candidates in the election... Let us show them (the other parties) that Singapore women are tired of their pantomime and buffoonery.

"I appeal to women to vote for PAP. It is the only party with the idealism, the honesty and ability to carry out its election programme."

This was a serious commitment, or I would not have agreed to my wife making it in a broadcast. I wanted to implement it early, although it meant urgent work for the legal draftsmen in the attorney-general's chambers.

They searched for precedents in the legislation of other countries, and drew up the Women's Charter, which we passed into law within a year.

It established monogamy as the only legal marital condition and made polygamy, hitherto an accepted practice, a crime -- except among Muslims, whose religion allowed a man to have four wives.

The charter was comprehensive and altered the status of women. But it did not change the cultural bias of parents against daughters in favour of sons. That has still not been achieved.