By NG TZE YONG

IF there's ever going to be a movie on Tony Blair, it may well be a romantic comedy called 'There's Something About Tony'.

Speaking at the National University of Singapore (NUS) yesterday, the former British prime minister was decidedly different from the man who saw out controversy-ridden last days at 10 Downing Street two years ago. He had a glow about him, a spring in his step, and energy that could at times almost pass as exuberance.

Change - and it has been quite a change - is doing him good.

Mr Blair has traded public office for a classroom, world leaders for undergrads in hoodies, and elections for exams.

These days, besides shuttling around the Middle East as a special peace envoy, he also teaches at Yale University in the US.

His course is on faith and globalisation, the same topic he spoke about yesterday to a 600-strong audience comprising NUS students and staff.

God and economics.

Someone else may have put the audience to sleep. But not Tony.

In an hour-long session that flew by in the blink of an eye, Mr Blair charmed the men and probably set a few female hearts aflutter. He began his speech in his characteristic self-deprecating way, describing his transition from PM to prof.

'It has caused a certain amount of shock among those who knew me in university - and actually a sense of sympathy and empathy towards the students,' said Mr Blair, remembered as a cheeky and rebellious student by former teachers.

Urging the audience to brace for the pace of change that globalisation will bring, he recounted the days following the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank last September.

'As I was going out the door... there was this guy who stopped me and said: 'Mr Blair! You should know this... There's this gang of brothers out there and they are causing real trouble!',' he said.

'Suddenly, sub-prime mortgages, big names in banking, names which people have never heard of, are impacting their lives.'

In the upheaval of these changes, religious faith, said Mr Blair, can become either a positive force for peaceful co-existence, or a negative force that tears communities apart.

'When we look at the world today, to understand it... it's hard to do so unless you also understand the world of faith,' he said.

'Where there is ignorance, there is fear. Where there is fear, there are often problems.

'Alternatively, where there is understanding, there is more likely to be respect. Where there is respect, there is more likely to be peace.'

During the Q&A, Mr Blair was asked: How is it possible to get people involved in inter- faith work, if they believe their religion is the only one that leads to heaven?

Mr Blair replied by recounting a panel discussion he once chaired, where he had posed a question:

Would someone from a different religion as you, who has dedicated his life to helping other people, be on the path to salvation, just as you are?

Unanimous approval

The panellists dissected the question but the audience, Mr Blair recalled, was unanimous in their approval of such a person.

'Organised religions sometimes feel uncomfortable answering these questions, but... ordinary people.. wouldn't find it hard answering these questions at all,' said Mr Blair.

Another question, posed by a Muslim member of the audience, was:

Are Muslims losing sight of the real issues? Is it time for Muslims to stop being held ransom by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and start looking within themselves, get their act together, and start reaping the benefits of globalisation?

The question brought spontaneous applause from the audience, as Mr Blair quipped: 'I think that's pretty good!'

What many leaders want to do, he went on to explain, is to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue so it stops being the focal point.

'It is often used as an excuse for people not taking the action to make sure that Islam takes its rightful place in the 21st century,' he said.

Then, to a standing ovation from the enamoured crowd, Tony Blair - politician, professor and prophet of change - took his leave.

This article was first published in The New Paper.