Singapore Books

From Third World to First : The Singapore Story: 1965-2000

Lee Kuan Yew

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Development & Growth

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this memoir, the man most responsible for Singapore's astonishing transformation from colonial backwater to economic powerhouse describes how he did it over the last four decades. It's a dramatic story, and Lee Kuan Yew has much to brag about. To take a single example: Singapore had a per-capita GDP of just $400 when he became prime minister in 1959. When he left office in 1990, it was $12,200 and rising. (At the time of this book's writing, it was $22,000.) Much of this was accomplished through a unique mix of economic freedom and social control. Lee encouraged entrepreneurship, but also cracked down on liberties that most people in the West take for granted--chewing gum, for instance. It's banned in Singapore because of "the problems caused by spent chewing gum inserted into keyholes and mailboxes and on elevator buttons." If American politicians were to propose such a thing, they'd undoubtedly be run out of office. Lee, however, defends this and similar moves, such as strong antismoking laws and antispitting campaigns: "We would have been a grosser, ruder, cruder society had we not made these efforts to persuade people to change their ways.... It has made Singapore a more pleasant place to live in. If this is a 'nanny state,' I am proud to have fostered one."

Lee also describes one of his most controversial proposals: tax breaks and schooling incentives to encourage educated men and women to marry each other and have children. "Our best women were not reproducing themselves because men who were their educational equals did not want to marry them.... This lopsided marriage and procreation pattern could not be allowed to remain unmentioned and unchecked," writes Lee. Most of the book, however, is a chronicle of how Lee helped create so much material prosperity. Anticommunism is a strong theme throughout, and Lee comments broadly on international politics. He is cautiously friendly toward the United States, chastising it for a "dogmatic and evangelical" foreign policy that scolds other countries for human-rights violations, except when they interfere with American interests, "as in the oil-rich Arabian peninsula." Even so, he writes, "the United States is still the most benign of all the great powers.... [and] all noncommunist countries in East Asia prefer America to be the dominant weight in the power balance of the region." From Third World to First is not the most gripping book imaginable, but it is a vital document about a fascinating place in a time of profound transition. --John J. Miller

To Catch a Tartar: A Dissident in Lee Kuan Yew's Prison (Southeast Asia Studies Monograph Series)

Francis T. Seow

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Look at the Darker Side of LKY's Singapore 4 out of 5 stars.
22 of 23 people found this review helpful.

As a Singaporean, I heard about Francis Seow when I was younger. I remember him as a very eloquent speaker and a potential contender for Lee Kuan Yew's PAP government. I also remember how he was constantly potrayed by the local media as a 'dishonest' tax-evader, a 'collaborator' with the Americans to disrupt Singapore's political stability, a 'womaniser', etc. This book looks into the darker side of Singapore's politics from Seow's point of view. It begins with Seow's account of his early career as a government official, his clash with LKY after becoming president of the Law Society, and his 72-day detention without trial under Singapore's Internal Security Act in the late 1980s. Seow's book is a first-hand account of how a Singaporean has suffered under the PAP government's use of biased legislation and media manipulation to maintain political hegemony. Parts of LKY's speeches in the 1950s and 1960s were cleverly quoted by Seow to show the irony of LKY's government, demonstrating how LKY has become almost everything he used to be against since he came into power. Although the economic success of Singapore since independence is indubitable and has often been attributed to the great leadership and foresight of LKY, this book looks into the lesser known aspects of LKY's regime, and will no doubt, raise many questions for the reader.

Lee's Law: How Singapore Crushes Dissent

Chris Lydgate

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A sobering report on how power corrupts good intentions 5 out of 5 stars.
24 of 27 people found this review helpful.

Like most Americans, I knew a few odd things about Singapore and nothing much about its history, politics, or the manner of life of its citizens. This terrific reporting done by Chris Lydgate reveals a lot to me that the strange episode of the kid getting caned for vandalism did not.

I did not know of the one party rule in that city-state and the ruthless and extreme measures taken to keep that power in the hands of the PAP. Small states in hostile areas often justify their need for police state measures because of their size and context in the nations around them. However, in nearly all those cases the threat never ends and the police powers are the normal way of life. In Singapore dissent was crushed by torture and long imprisonments (decades) without ever being charged with anything. This kind of brutality is beyond the comprehension of Americans. Why? Why the need to keep power by any means? This kind of government corrupts the fabric of the society it claims to protect.

Mr. Lydgate brings us the story of one Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam. He is a person who has given everything to the fight for social justice and political plurality in Singapore. Mr. Jeyaretnam is a man of talents and strength who led the opposition party (the Workers Party) to the PAP. The PAP used EVERY means to drive Jeyaretnam out of government including the courts. Singapore apparently has very strange laws about defamation and the PAP influence on the courts makes these strange laws subject to even stranger interpretations. For example, the suit that finally broke Mr. Jeyaretnam happened because he mentioned that an associate had placed a report on the podium in front of him. Somehow that constituted an endorsement of what was in the report! This subjected him to hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and court costs.

This kind of abuse of the legal system to break anyone who would speak out is obscene to Americans. As are the threats of the prime minister to not refurbish the government-subsidized buildings in districts that voted for the opposition. These naked power plays seem something out of America's Tammany Hall days.

Singapore suffers from being a country that is really a huge city. The Prime Minister is a mayor with too much power over the other aspects of government. It isn't big enough to have sufficient other structures to dilute his power. While Singaporeans justly resent outside influence and recommendations for improvement, I think the advanced democracies need to work to make Singapore a more open and free society in terms of the rights of speech and freedom from government harassment for raising questions.

Mr. Jeyaretnam is the hero of this book and yet in his old age he is reduced to selling books from a stand on the street and is still harassed by hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and court costs. Lovers of freedom and pluralism in the west should reach out and help the aged warrior. There must be some agency that could put together a fund to help him live the dignified life he deserves.

Thanks to Mr. Lydgate for bringing our attention to this important story and this hero of Singapore.

Editorial Review:

The perils of dissent in Singapore are at the heart of this poignant story of the country's most prominent opposition politician, J. B. Jeyaretnam. Following the career of this ambitious lawyer, prosecutor, and judge, the book traces his subsequent disenchantment with the system, his stunning political breakthrough at Anson in l981, and the devastating consequences of his direct opposition to Lee Kuan Yew and the ruling government. A chilling insight into Singapore's politics, the book also raises questions about Singapore's brand of "Asian democracy."

Singapore Burning

Colin Smith

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Probably the best book on the campaign 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Among contemporary accounts, this is probably the best book on the campaign. Its analysis of the individual actions down the peninsular is fair and judicious. There is a pernicious tendency in writing about the Malayan campaign to either define the heroes and the villains, and then build the story around that; or to tilt in favour of either the Australians or the British. This book does neither: it unpacks the facts and lets the reader decide. In that way it does justice to all the protagonists, including the Indian army and the Japanese.

A book which everyone interested in this campaign should read is 'Phoenix from the Ashes' by Daniel Marston, which is an excellent account of what the Indian army learned in terms of the tactics of jungle fighting from its experiences in Malaya and Burma and how it responded.

There are a few technical errors (e.g. Nelson was not of the same class of battleships as Prince of Wales), but overall Smith's research seems equally sound as it affects the air, land and sea elements of the campaign.

Bloody Shambles : Volume One : The Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore

Christopher Shores, Brian Cull, Yasuho Izawa

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Details Tell the Story 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Bloody Shambles is an extraordinarily detailed study of the utter futility of the first months of the war in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. While providing little overview or narrative, the detail of the experiences speak for themselves. Inadequate equipment, both, quality and quantitative, flying procedures designed more for regimental show than for effect, and a complete lack of cooperation between services, were the hallmarks of the impending disaster.
The loss of the British battleships, Repulse and Prince of Wales, are examples of the short service life that was awaiting those who took a cavalier attitude towards the power and complexities of managing air assets. When combined with a lack of coherent intelligence, the impossible situation of the British High Command is felt as much as understood. Given Churchill¡¦s widely quoted disparaging remarks at the lack of ¡§fight¡¨ put into the defense of Singapore, the details point to more insidious reasons. Most notably, almost no air defense was anticipated for Singapore¡¦s defense. The collapse of the Malay Peninsula put Japanese artillery within easy range of Singapore¡¦s defenders and the inability to respond to the daily air attacks were the coup de grace to the morale of the island.

Editorial Review:

This is the story of the Allied air campaign across Singapore, Malaya, Burma, Ceylon and the Philippines during World War II. It documents the Allied underestimation of Japanese ability, which led to the destruction of 50% of the British bomber force in two days.

Singapore Architecture

Robert Powell, Patrick Bingham-Hall

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Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> Building Types & Styles -> General

Editorial Review:

Singapore Architecture captures the architectural heritage of Asia's crossroads city. The early temples, chophouses and colonial monuments hold historical significance, while the modern skyline reflects Singapore's role as a 21st-century powerhouse. The recent work of local architects represents a unique and dynamic mix of cross-cultural influences, combining traditional Asian style with a thorough knowledge of modern architecture.

Filled with full-color photographs of private houses, public buildings, shrines, mosques and office towers, this book reflects the broad spectrum of Singapore's buildings.

Sinister Twilight: The Fall of Singapore

Noel Barber

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Debacle 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

For anyone living outside the former British Empire, it is virtually impossible to describe the calamitous psychological impact of the loss of Singapore in 1942. Winston Churchill had touted Singapore as the Gibraltar of the East; it was imagined to be impregnable, yet it was overwhelmed in a relative heartbeat by the Imperial Japanese Army, which rapidly advanced through Malaya (sometimes even by bicycle). Indeed, once the Japanese reached the island of Singapore itself, their main problem was that they had overrun their supply lines and were almost out of ammunition. Much has been made of the "complacency" on the British side that led to the debacle; the simple truth is that Singapore was only ever a trading post, that its defenses were more imaginary than real and that the local British and Australian troops, when put to the test, defended themselves very bravely. Barber paints a vivid picture of the pre-war Singapore, a place where English families would travel down to the same shop every week for Streets Ice Cream; where pink gin was lovingly poured at the clubs; where "There'll Always be an England" was sung on Sundays. Plainly Barber is in love with Singapore's history (as his other books on Singapore attest); from that perspective he conveys the sting of defeat just that more sharply.

Editorial Review:

Published to international acclaim in 1968, Noel Barber’s account of the fall of Singapore remains the best account of this, Britain’s greatest military defeat. In just ten weeks, Malaya was overrun and the ‘fortress’ of Singapore surrendered to a Japanese army that found itself outnumbered by the 100,000+ British and Commonwealth prisoners. Written at a time when he could still interview many of the senior officers as well as ordinary soldiers caught up in this disaster, Noel Barber’s account reveals how peacetime complacency prevailed in Singapore up to the very moment the Japanese onslaught began

The Battle for Singapore: The True Story of the Greatest Catastrophe of World War II

Peter Thompson

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Disaster Daily...... 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

To truly understand a nation you need to understand how it reacts in defeat as well as victory. This is an excellent study of the former by Peter Thomson. Details of the adversaries on all sides of the conflict help to crystalise the thoughts and pervading attitude and atmosphere that both led to and propagated the greatest catastrophe and capitulation in British military history. The author's description of events, of the fighting retreat, tactics (especially of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, Australian regiments and the Anti-tank and Artillery regiments) ,of the mistakes , mis-handling, bungling and lack of foresight, as well as some of the all too short successes is exilarating reading. The many atrocities covered make the ordinary mortal question the inhumanity of the Japanese Army. More balance might have been achieved by expressing more of the enemy military strategy and better maps would have help in the understanding, but this is nevertheless an outstanding historical read. I chose to read the book in parallel with Colin Smiths book Singapore Burning which developed my understanding . The culpability for the debacle was easily discernible through the narrative and politicians in Britain, Australia and Singapore play their part in this. The desertion, at the end , by the Australian commander General Bennett, all bull and bluster, was only counterbalanced by the extreme bravery of Australian and many other nationalities. It's also fair to say that others deserted Singapore by dereliction and were not brought to book. I strongly recommend this book to anybody interested in WW2 history and the fall of an Empire.

Editorial Review:

The Fall of Singapore on February 15, 1942 was a military disaster of enduring fascination and seemingly unshakable myth. The book uncovers the controversial truths which have remained hidden behind self- serving lies and distortions for 60 years.

The Four Little Dragons: The Spread of Industrialization in East Asia (The Edwin O. Reischauer Lectures)

Ezra F. Vogel

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Editorial Review:

Japan and the four little dragons--Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore--constitute less than 1 percent of the world's land mass and less than 4 percent of the world's population. Yet in the last four decades they have become, with Europe and North America, one of the three great pillars of the modern industrial world order. How did they achieve such a rapid industrial transformation? Why did the four little dragons, dots on the East Asian periphery, gain such Promethean energy at this particular time in history?

Ezra F. Vogel, one of the most widely read scholars on Asian affairs, provides a comprehensive explanation of East Asia's industrial breakthrough. While others have attributed this success to tradition or to national economic policy, Vogel's penetrating analysis illuminates how cultural background interacted with politics, strategy, and situational factors to ignite the greatest burst of sustained economic growth the world has yet seen.

Vogel describes how each of the four little dragons acquired the political stability needed to take advantage of the special opportunities available to would-be industrializers after World War II. He traces how each little dragon devised a structure and a strategy to hasten industrialization and how firms acquired the entrepreneurial skill, capital, and technology to produce internationally competitive goods. Vogel brings masterly insight to the underlying question of why Japan and the little dragons have been so extraordinarily successful in industrializing while other developing countries have not. No other work has pinpointed with such clarity how institutions and cultural practices rooted in the Confucian tradition were adapted to the needs of an industrial society, enabling East Asia to use its special situational advantages to respond to global opportunities.

This is a book that all scholars and lay readers with an interest in Asia will want to read and ponder.

Singapore: A Pictorial History 1819-2000

Gretchen Liu

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

You won't believe this is Singapore (or how fast it changed) 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Its simply amazing going through Singapore's history through this book. Its almost unbelievable how much change has occured in Singapore, especially when you look at pictures of Orchard Road in the book and it looks literally like an orchard, unlike the ultra-modern shopping district it is now. Or the pictures of Bugis as an old Malay village with it just next to the shoreline, and thinking about the amount of land that has been reclaimed. You'll encounter feelings and thoughts like this over and over as you go over this book.

Recommended for the Singaporean who's curious on our own past, or for the visitor to Singpapore who wants to know more about this small island nation.

The only thing that I find disapointing with the book are the photos chosen for the "modern era" depiction of Singapore. Some of those pictures simply don't belong there, like the pictures of the local actors and actresses...

Editorial Review:

This is a superbly illustrated volume telling the story of how Singapore became the cosmopolitan place it is today.It has dedicated mailing and e-mail campaign to targeted historical interest media & organisations.This lavishly illustrated volume features over 1,200 rare, fascinating and beautiful images that vividly bring Singapore's history to life.The images featured in "Singapore - A Pictorial History" include the first-ever photographic portrait taken in 1843; lyrical landscape scenes shot by the early studios; evocative portraits that reveal the faces of a truly cosmopolitan city; gritty shots taken by the photo-journalists chronicling World War II; and portraits of the 20th century professionals who have epitomized the nation's extraordinary post-independence boom.Each image conveys a strong sense of place, and together they tell the story of a nation, and how its people transformed their island from a small fishing village to a global city state.