Mr President Writes Back, Critics Silenced

When I last wrote about Singapore's sixth President Sellapan Ramanathan, a more senior member of our legal fraternity sent me an angry response chiding me for being grossly unfair to an aged member of our country, whose driving motivation had been to do nothing other than give the best he could for his country. 

I dismissed his response and I said it was for the President to one day tell young Singaporeans like me what he had done for our country. I now wish I had held my tongue then.

Since leaving the Istana, Nathan, at 91, has been indefatigable. He would put many younger Singaporeans like me to shame simply by his sheer energy. 

He is fighting back to ensure that Singaporean 'ingrates' like me will not forget the great contributions he has made to Singapore with a series of publications. 

Given the chiding I received, I made it a point to read two of these publications recently. 

The first is a publication that goes to the bookshops this week: S R Nathan in Conversation. 

When I picked it up to read the night I bought it, I wondered what could he say that I didn't already know about him or Singapore. 

I started with his views of the divide we see in contemporary Malaysia today and he painted vivid a picture of how the well-intended roots of United Malays National Organisation, which should have evolved into a United MALAYANS National Organisation, has put Malaysia on a polarised path.

Of course, one could perhaps argue that he is looking at Malaysia from the tainted lens of battle-hardened Singaporean who toiled restlessly to bring Singapore from a colony to sovereign state, driven by a motivation to be all that a less divisive Malaysia should have been.

Ironically, Nathan makes clear his agenda at the start of the book: "My concern is not political debate, but simply the future growth, prosperity and wellbeing of Singapore and its people." 

In the pursuit of his agenda, he weaves together a series of stories from different stages of his life in shaping contemporary Singapore. He shares his stories with a diplomatic candour clearly burnished through his sensitive sojourns. 

Indeed, the strength of his story-telling made it such a difficult book to put down that I finished it in one sitting.

From time to time, he also refers to his autobiography, An Unexpected Journey: Path to the President, to fill in the gaps in his stories. This makes the reason for reading his autobiography even more compelling, which became the second book I read about Nathan. 

Reading both books you realize how invaluable Nathan's expansive contributions have been to Singapore. 

Here was a man with a ringside view of change in independent Singapore, who was happy to assert his influence whenever called upon to do so in sheer defence of such developments; something he felt was necessary to feed millions of mouths in Singapore. 

Hence, his involvement in reforming both the printing press and the diplomatic corps to enable each of these institutions to stay relevant to a government that became increasingly sensitive to negative criticism and bourgeois idiosyncracies. 

The relevance of his books can be  best summarised in Nathan's own words, "History never repeats itself exactly, but a close study of it can alert us to dangers. Experience of the past can prepare us for contingencies." 

Through his publications, Nathan has effectively silenced those who criticised his quiet ways of getting a job done. 

My President Nathan, thank you for doing the best you could.

Happiness,

Dharmendra Yadav

Book Review: From Leonard To Leona

Over the years, women I have encountered in the course of my life have told me that child-bearing is the most intense experience that a woman will ever have - it inflicts extreme pain and its fruit is immensely satisfying.

For the transsexual, that same experience is the journey from manhood from womanhood (or vice versa).

Indeed, most of us know a lot about motherhood but very little about the life of being a daughter without the capacity to ever really be a mother.

It was this desire to learn more that prompted me to invest in a copy of Leona Lo's book, From Leonard to Leona: a Singapore transsexual's journey to womanhood.

But I was totally unpreprared for the emotional roller-coaster that I'd be going on.

While it is possible to read this book in one sitting, the sheer amount of emotions and personalities running through this book immobilised me such that I had to read this book over three sittings, with a day's break in between each.

There is the student who never finds a place among friends. There is the Christian search for truth. There is the child sexually abused. There is the grandson, nephew brother and son that never was. There is also the patient that undergoes an invasive life-threatening surgery.

There are the incomplete lovers. There are the cynical cold public servants. There are the sucky systems of society.

Simply put, there was just too much to swallow!

In spite of all these, the character that is Leona prevails or perhaps, more appropriately, unveils herself in her unique blend of humour and horror.

Leonard Lo's journey to be Leona Lo is a landmark contribution to the understanding of a lesser-known community in Singapore; a class of people within a class that the armed forces of this country has bastardised as "302".

Its premise has a familiar famishness that many a minority will relate to. Its ending has a sweet success that many a freedom fighter will relish.

From Leonard To Leona is a soulful story of hope and promise that should be read.

Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav

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Review: A Labour of Love

I attended the final performance of the labour movement musical, A Labour of Love, with some of my friends.

The musical is an inaugural initiative of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to commemorate Labour Day, in particular Young NTUC.

Tickets were sold for about $70 publicly. I learnt from some of my friends that tickets were sold out for all the performances.

Taking into account the premium prices being charged and the high level of branding by reference attached to the musical, my friends and I returned quite disappointed.

The marketing materials shared, "From an award winning team who worked on Beauty World, Fried Rice Paradise, Forbidden City and many other sell out shows, comes the first musical based on Singapore's history and the struggles of workers!"

Plus, various local media, including the leading broadsheet of Singapore, The Straits Times, which often take an extremely critical view of any artistic endeavour, had given glowing reviews of the musical.

Perhaps, the glowing reviews were a justified sacrifice at the altar of national interest.

A reasonable member of the artistic audience, who is usually also a discerning one, was therefore led (or misled) into believing that the musical was going to be of a standard produced by the much-loved architect of Singapore musicals, Dick Lee.

Nevertheless, many of my friends who watched the musical had a fair amount of fun "dissecting" the play.

The play was essentially the story of an old man who had dedicated his life to trade union work from the time he met his wife. In fact, it was his wife that got him to take an active interest in trade union work.

In this musical, active unionists were roped in as artistes to perform. This is laudable since it conveyed both the diversity and passion one finds in a trade union.

There was also good use of theatrical tools, including real-time subtitling and other interactive elements.

But passion, diversity and effective use of props, sound and lighting failed in the face of weak content.

The script had great room for improvement and, at many points, one ended up feeling that one was attending a propaganda event of sorts.

The NTUC story was exaggerated and the hyperbole got even louder as the musical progressed.

This came at the expense of the personal relationships being presented in the musical. As such, the plot missed the wood for the trees, since personal relationships are really central to the work of any effective labour movement.

One could not help but return with a perception that the producers had oversold the NTUC story, to a point where the story felt draggy and skewed.

This caused at least one person in the audience to remark tongue-in-cheek to a song about "hope, faith and a bit of luck" in the musical: "I need hope, faith and a bit of luck to survive this play!"

Thankfully for the producers of the musical, there was no interval in the performance, which meant members of the audience - some quite reluctantly - had to watch the performance right till the end.

Most ironical was a scene involving the pivotal character, the wife of the old trade unionist. At a metaphorical level, the wife represented the union and everything that the old trade unionist stands for.

Unfortunately, she dies at the end. Her death, to a sensitive audience, may well have symbolised the death or dark future of the trade union.

This is really unfortunate for a musical that, at the outset, sought to highlight the relevance of a trade union in a developed Singapore.

As a result, one ended up watching up a musical that was high on entertainment value and energy but low on plot.

Better "hope, faith and a bit of luck" next time, Young NTUC!

Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav

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Book Review: Singapore Queers In The 21st Century

Some hours before this book was launched, its publishers received a call from the government department responsible for control of publications in Singapore.

Complaints had been received about the book. The public servants thus needed to investigate if there was a need to control the circulation of this book in light of the complaints.

On the surface, a complainant could put forward some valid reasons.

The cover of this book is brave yellow, a colour which the people of Thailand wear to show their love and loyalty to the Thai monarch.

It has a bold title "SQ 21: Singapore Queers In The 21st Century". SQ21, as the author of the book writes in his afterword, "is the world's only direct flight between New York and Singapore" operated by Singapore Airlines.

The stories in the book capture experiences faced by a diversity of people - about 15 of them - in telling others they are homosexual.

To the ill-informed public servant, this would be much cause for concern.

It could have repercussions on an international Singapore brand. It could spark off bilateral tensions. It could also affect other national interests such as the family values which Singapore so proudly cherishes.

But as one delves into this book, one will be struck by how much this book is not an attempt to discredit Singapore and its national interests.

In fact, two themes are striking about the many stories in this book: love and courage.

Heterosexual couple Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen readily highlight this in their foreword.

They share, "SQ 21 is ultimately a book of stories about love... We found ourselves smiling as we read these stories, because love is very much like that for the two of us as well."

It is about "love for one's partner" and loving your parents and children. It is also about being true to yourself and those around you.

As importantly, this book is about saying the things that need to be said but that are difficult to be said. And it is about living with the consequences of decisions one has made.

To do all these, one needs courage and this courage is seen in the many persons who contributed to this book.

One will also find this book an exploration of living in Singapore.

Another interesting highlight of this book is how it shares the plight of other minorities. For example, the deaf person that found difficulty in securing a suitable job. Or the Malay lad who aims to rise the ladders of success and inspire a new level of confidence among Malays in Singapore. Or the woman that is beaten up and gang-raped.

This book has the potential to take reflections about both the Singapore identity and being minority in society forward.

There are some assertions in the book, which are topics of a raging debate in Singapore and elsewhere. For example, the acceptance of homosexuality in religion or therapies to help a homosexual become heterosexual.

This publication will inject new energy to such discussions.

Earlier this month, an encyclopedia was launched to serve as "a reference book for anyone seeking to understand Singapore's history and culture".

Channel NewsAsia reported, "The "Encyclopedia of Singapore" has been launched in conjunction with National Day celebrations. Written by an Australian of Singaporean descent, it is the first of its kind here, featuring an A to Z of Singapore's history, people and culture. It is Singapore's first comprehensive reference source."

There was glaringly no topic on "homosexuality" in that encyclopedia.

"SQ 21: Singapore Queers In The 21st Century" is therefore an attempt to fill a missing page in the Singapore story. This will certainly help complete the Singapore story and facilitate appreciation of a lesser-known aspect of Singapore's history, people and culture.

Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav

Book Review: Economists Say Goodbye To Economics

On 15 August 2006, a friend who studied economics at a top American university and is now involved in helping set Singapore's economic direction asked me, "How do you get someone interested in a dry subject like Economics?"

I found it hard to answer this question. I gave a positive but absolutely vague answer to avoid adding to my friend's plight about his pet subject.

After all, I had abandoned economics after college to study law in university, and - as much as I did not admit to my friend - I too found economics to be a very dry subject!

That evening, as I walked around a book shop, a Singapore publication by Chen Z J, "Economists Say Goodbye To Economics", grabbed my attention - a result, clearly, of the conversation with my friend.

I found the author, who studied Economics at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, to be even more disillusioned about the subject.

In fact, he is so disillusioned about Economics that he is offering US$1,250,000 to any Nobel laureate in Economics to refute his findings, in particular two key "secrets" the author has discovered about how money works.

The bold author further questions that if no Nobel laureate can claim his prize, should economists even continue to be awarded the Nobel Prize every year?

I immediately bought the book not because I aspire to be a Nobel laureate and hope to eventually claim the cash prize that the author is offering, which could be a strong reason for many specialists in Economics around the world.

Instead, I bought the book for three other strong reasons:
1. The failed economist in me wanted to reinforce my reasons for dropping Economics many years ago.
2. I relished a good debate and challenge - my occupational hazard.
3. I wanted to know what were the two key "secrets" that the author had found.

In the next 102 pages, which I read that same night, I was brought on a journey by the author. He offered a colourful history of Economics. He willingly offered his own beliefs about how the world economy as we know it today has evolved. He described vividly about how economic growth could lead to the end of this world and why economists should really say goodbye to economics!

Having read the book, I found myself unsure about whether or not to believe the author.

If he is to be believed, the very future of Singapore and the rest of the world is at stake, including the jobs of the many experts like my friend advising our government on this vast subject called Economics.

If he is not to be believed, it certainly marks the perfect start for a very robust debate about the many arguments he provides in this book.

Then, voila, it dawned upon me! I had found in this book the perfect answer to my friend's question about how to encourage a person to be interested in Economics.

"Economists Say Goodbye To Economics" is recommended reading for both economists and non-economists. There is much food for thought in this book. The references at the end of the book are especially useful for an individual who wants to do read up more on the issues raised in the book.

The irony of "Economists Say Goodbye To Economics" is that it has given a "dry subject" like Economics a refreshing lifeline. You could also well end up a millionaire after reading this book! So who wants to be a millionaire?

Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav

Book Review: The Little Red Dot, Reflections by Singapore's Diplomats

As a student of international law, I always used to wonder about Singapore's lack of prominence in certain areas of international relations. I thought we had many good reasons to be prominent.

After all, it was the leadership of one of our diplomats, Professor Tommy Koh, that helped the world to agree on a standardised law of the sea. The constant chants of our diplomats and political leaders also continue to influence the world that human rights must be balanced by human responsibilities. Above all, Singapore had gone from third world to first in about three decades and, even today, many countries seek to transplant our success in their own backyards.

As such, The Little Red Dot, Reflections by Singapore's Diplomats, edited by Professor Tommy Koh and Chang Li Lin, is a collection of stories long overdue.

The collection of stories puts into context our achievements and contributions in international relations while helping readers to appreciate the demands on our little foreign service beyond our little red dot.

It also highlights how our pragmatism (and, to some extent, luck) has influenced the way we deal with our many international friends.

Those who come away with the impression this is a coffee-table book providing a glossy picture of the foreign service are likely to have been charmed by the plain and diplomatic language used throughout this book. (What else can you expect from diplomats, right?)

This is, quite simply, not just a collection of inspiring stories. The real beauty of this book is in the subtle messages found across the book.

A reader sensitive to the subtleties will find in this book some of the more serious challenges faced by Singapore's foreign service in protecting its interests across the world, including having to face highly embarassing situations or near-death experiences.

The reader will also realise that our diplomats have thrived by not being "yes-men". This often has meant bending the rules or bypassing protocol. A concern facing the foreign service today is how to continue to attract such individuals who are not afraid to speak up for Singapore and be counted.

Former diplomat Vergese Matthews in his story, Speaking Up For Singapore, writes, "I fear that there has been a perceptible deterioration in MFA [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] and the civil service as a whole where this culture of speaking up and/or offering views at variance with those held by the leadership has dissipated...One possible reason is that there has been a national tendency to favour "safe hands" that would not rock the proverbial boat and that had the additional uncanny ability to second-guess what the Ministers were thinking."

Likewise, one of Singapore's leading civil servants, J Pillay, in his story, A Sojourn For Diplomacy, reflects, "Diplomats now have to practise their trade within a restricted compass. The heavy lifting is done by the politicians. It is interesting to speculate whether that situation has hobbled the skills of diplomats and encouraged them to be principally tacticians and perhaps occasionally strategists, but not mould-breakers."

These speculations perhaps explain why in the past our foreign service has been especially successful in winning over persons, like the late Dr David Marshall, who, despite holding very divergent views from the ruling party, have gone on to make sterling contributions to our country.

Some of the stories in this book are "recommended reads" to the general reader:
1. Making Friends by late President Wee Kim Wee, which may motivate you to invite your neighbours and friends to "makan".
2. Eight Lessons on Negotiations by Professor Tommy Koh, which may help you to better persuade others and give you a reason to visit Little India.
3. Reflections in Bits and Pieces by Mr Lee Chiong Giam, which will make you laugh to bits and leave you lessons in pieces.
4. Reflections of 33 years in Diplomacy by Mr Low Choon Ming, which may inspire you to "be interesting".
5. I Wish I Had a Wife by Mrs Mary Seet-Cheng, which gives a refreshing twist to showering attention to other men's wives.

A final warning to readers of this book: it may leave you wishing you were in the foreign service!

Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav

Book Review: Thinking Allowed?

PUBLISHED IN TODAY (SINGAPORE) ON 9 SEPTEMBER 2004

In reading Warren Fernandez's latest book, Thinking Allowed?, a reader has to keep in mind the wisdom of Salman Rushdie: "A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return."

At the end of 252 pages, the reader must appreciate that, like most books, what the author offers is a perspective; a perspective born out of spending a good part of his life in the Singapore he calls home; particularly his time as a journalist of The Straits Times (ST).

As the author rightly admits in his introduction, his essays are not academic theses. Thinking Allowed? is essentially an attempt to complement nine informally-written and brief essays, covering various aspects of the Singapore psyche, with 27 articles previously published in ST.

The reader should, thus, avoid falling into the trap of comparing this book to seminal commentaries such as Tim Huxley's Defending the Lion City: The Armed Forces of Singapore or Cherian George's The Air-Conditioned Nation.

Instead, the reader is encouraged to think about the themes or issues that are raised in the essays and articles.

A key advantage of Thinking Allowed? lies in the fact that the reader need not necessarily start from Page 1 of the book and end at Page 252.

One can read Thinking Allowed? in four ways:
1. Just read the nine essays;
2. Simply read the 27 articles;
3. Spend some time and read all nine essays and 27 articles; or
4. Be more choosy and randomly read the essays or articles that appeal.

Therefore, some thinking is allowed in how readers approach this book.

As a first read about the prevailing socio-political climate in Singapore, a reader may well find Thinking Allowed? refreshing, if not alternative. But it is also possible that the reader may come away with the impression that the author's perspective, albeit independent, is heavily influenced by the editorial slant of ST.

The many accolades on the book cover by present representatives of ST perhaps enhance the impression. As such, a reader of ST may well find the ground covered in Thinking Allowed? familiar territory.

One can therefore expect the thoughts on "politics, fear and change in Singapore" contained in Thinking Allowed? to play a constructive role in nation-building.

The author leaves no doubt about this when he writes: "This book is my humble attempt to help further the process of engaging Singaporeans in thinking about our collective future."

Nevertheless, a seasoned reader of the socio-political climate in Singapore will find Thinking Allowed? interesting in that it offers an "insider" perspective. This is to be expected since the author has been heavily involved in many public service committees and projects.

Thinking Allowed? is Warren Fernandez's version of Singapore. If, as a reader, you do not like it, ignore it. Alternatively, you can choose to be engaged and offer your own version in return.

After all, thinking is allowed, right?

Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav

Book Review: The Art Of Making A Difference

PUBLISHED IN HIGH BROWSE (JULY - SEPTEMBER 2004) BY NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD, SINGAPORE

Every day that we live, we are MAD (Making A Difference). One of United Kingdom's leading personal development experts, Andy Gilbert, will tell you this in his book: "The Art of Making A Difference" (2001).

But let me first tell you a little bit about myself.

For two decades, I didn't think too highly of myself. I was a little person with a little mind "thinking little thoughts about the trivia that is the stock and trade of Mr and Mrs Mediocrity" - at least, according to Zig Ziglar in "See You At The Top" (1984).

As a result, I didn't expect a lot from my life.

In school, I was neither good in sports nor studies.

With an aggregate of 209, I only just made it into the Express stream in secondary school. With 17 points, I also just made it into St. Andrew's Junior College. I spent three years in college instead of the usual two. My dismal 'A'-Level results could not get me into any credible university, both locally and overseas. The diploma that I acquired later barely qualified me for law school at the University of Leicester, UK.

I did not take an active part in sports. I was what the Acting Minister for Education Tharman Shanmugaratnam recently labelled a "soft" student.

I completed my National Service as a mere footman performing a clerical function.

All this while, my loved ones encouraged me to read, read and read. They believed that the acquisition of knowledge opens windows to opportunities. So I visited the library frequently, shopped at bookstores regularly and read newspapers daily.

I guess my loved ones were inspired by the words of the great innovator, Walt Disney, who said, "There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island."

Similarly, John Milton, one of the greatest poets of the English language, has shared, "A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life."

To me, these words were pure rhetoric until the summer holidays of my first year in university when I read "The Art of Making A Difference".

Months before the holidays, by sheer accident, I had picked up the book in my university's students' union building. It reminded me of the Singapore 21 vision: "Together, We Make A Difference".

"The Art of Making A Difference" is the outcome of a 14-month research involving more than 3,000 people. Andy and his team at Go MAD Group wanted to know the answer to one basic question: "What is the natural process that a person uses to be successful?"

Each person involved in this research was invited to reflect about a difference he or she had made.

As a result, the research team discovered the 'DNA for Making A Difference'. The research team found that there were seven key things a person did consistently to be successful, whatever the measure of success. First, the person had strong reasons for making a difference. Then, the person defined the goal, planned priorities and effectively involved others. Crucially, the person also had positive self-belief and a high sense of personal responsibility. Above all, the person took action and measured results.

In "The Art of Making A Difference", the research team encourages readers to apply the findings of its research in their own lives. After reading the book, I applied it to a few projects I did.

One of the projects eventually led to my nomination as UK's Asian University Student of the Year. I did not get the award but the publicity that followed this nomination enabled to me to share my experience with others.

Later, I worked with the Go MAD Group for about two years. During this stint, I got first-hand knowledge about how some of the world's leading thinkers and companies applied the research. For example, a business unit at 3M used it to secure over 50% of the investment funding available to the whole of Europe.

I have also acquired the will and ability to help others make a difference. One vivid experience was when I helped a friend, who was just starting his business, to close key deals with a few national companies.

All in all, "The Art of Making A Difference" has made me a more confident and positive person. It has enabled me to make measurable differences in both my professional and personal life. For example, the book helped me to secure the job of corporate counsel at a top organisation in Singapore. A few years ago, I would have considered this a distant possibility.

I believe that "The Art of Making A Difference" can help you in the same manner as it has helped (and still helps) me. A dean at a local university, who read "The Art of Making A Difference", once shared with me, "If people apply even less than half of what is written in this book, it will still make a big difference!"

Nevertheless, I appreciate that the books we read uniquely affect us. There is clearly some wisdom in the words of one of my favourite authors, Salman Rushdie: "A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return."

You never know where a book can take you. The great scholar and historian Andrew Lang once said, "You can cover a great deal of country in books."

My parting advice is this: read, read and read! Indeed, it is a good way to pick up "The Art of Making A Difference".

Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav