Many remember GCT for saying "more good years" and "swiss standard of living".Goh Chok Tong is the most popular. I know because I am semi retired and drink kopi everywhere in Marine Parade
He is super popular, especially among older folks
His soft skills are good compared to many other ruling party leaders
You look at his percentage popular vote, opposition no chance at all, can barely recover deposit
Some have forgotten that during the minibonds debacle, he gently asked the financial institutions to not only compensate the vulnearble investors, but also all other investors, to maintain goodwill.
Recently, he also commented that "insurance premiums should be kept affordable".
These are some reasons why he's popular among the masses. Strangely enough, they could also be the same reasons why he's not popular among some others.