Historyogi Post (92): Five new podcast episodes on politics & history, plus TikToks and more
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Historyogi Post: Issue 92
Dear Reader
The Historyogi Post is back after a long hiatus since March due to academic commitments. We have five new podcast episodes on history and politics, along with a selection of recent Historyogi TikToks and the ever popular Down Memory Lane.
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Historyogi Podcast
#18 - The Eight Immortals of Singapore's Civil Service ( A conversation with Peh Shing Huei): Singapore’s pioneer generation of political leaders, known as the Old Guard, are well known in our history. However, the civil servants who oversaw the implementation of policies and projects during that era have largely been forgotten. In fact, eight individuals were so influential they were known as the eight immortals: George Bogaars, Andrew Chew, Hon Sui Sen, Howe Yoon Chong, Lee Ek Tieng, Ngiam Tong Dow, JY Pillay and Sim Kee Boon. We speak to Peh Shing Huei, editor of the book The Last Fools: The Eight Immortals of Lee Kuan Yew on their stories & lessons for civil servants today.
#19 - The history of Buddhist advocacy & diplomacy in Singapore (A conversation with Jack Chia): Venerable Hong Choon may not be a familiar name to many younger Singaporeans. But the former President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation played an important role in diplomacy between Singapore and the People’s Republic of China in the 1980s. We speak to Assistant Professor Jack Chia from the National University of Singapore, on Venerable Hong Choon’s diplomatic legacy as well as the history of Buddhist advocacy in Singapore.
#20 - Building opposition alliances in electoral autocracies (A conversation with Elvin Ong): Building opposition pre-electoral alliances significantly enhances the chances of opposition victory against dominant incumbent autocrats. But opposition parties, including in Singapore, frequently find it difficult to make the costly compromises necessary for inter-party cooperation. When and how do opposition parties build pre-electoral alliances? We speak to Assistant Professor Elvin Ong from the National University of Singapore, about his new book Opposing Power: Building Opposition Alliances in Electoral Autocracies.
#21 - The Cold War history of the Philippine Chinese (A conversation with Chien-Wen Kung): From the 1950s to the 1970s, no Chinese community in Southeast Asia was more vigilant in identifying and rooting out suspected communists, and committed to mobilising against the People's Republic of China as the Philippine Chinese. We speak to Assistant Professor Chien-Wen Kung from the National University of Singapore, about his new book, Diasporic Cold Warriors. He argues for a networked and transnational understanding of the ROC-KMT party-state and demonstrates that Taipei exercised a form of non territorial sovereignty over the Philippine Chinese with Manila's participation and consent.
#22 - Gender, sexuality & power dynamics in Colonial Singapore (A conversation with Aydin Quach): Large numbers of Chinese men arrived in colonial Singapore to do domestic work in European households. They often worked under the supervision of white women who managed the households while their husbands took care of official business. Other Chinese men joined the local sex trade, servicing male European clients. We speak to Aydin Quach, a graduate student from the University of British Columbia, on how gender, sexuality and power dynamics functioned in colonial Singapore society.
Historyogi TikTok highlights
Book Review
I reviewed the book Theatres of Memory: Industrial Heritage of 20th Century Singapore for the latest issue of the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS). Thanks to Dr Liew Kai Khiun for the opportunity!
Read Review Excerpt
This Month in History (July, August, September)
Singapore's first drive-in cinema opens (Jul 14, 1971): On this day, Singapore's first drive-in cinema was opened in Jurong by Minister for Culture, Jek Yuen Thong. Located beside the Japanese Garden, the Cathay-owned cinema could accommodate up to 900 cars and was the largest in Asia (above). The opening night featured the film Doctor in Trouble. However, the novelty eventually wore off as the tropical weather, difficulties in managing the crowds in an open space, and video piracy led to declining audiences. By the early 1980s, there were only 100 cars per show and Cathay decided to close it in 1985.
Singapore Press Holdings formed (Aug 4, 1984): On this day, Times Publishing, Straits Times Press, SIngapore News and Publishing, and Singapore Newspaper Services merged to form Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). The stated intention was to cut costs from wasteful competition and duplication of resources. However, observers also note that the merger sharply reduced alternative voices and cemented growing state control of domestic news dissemination. In recent years, SPH has suffered falling revenues as consumers turn to online media platforms offering a greater diversity of views, including anti-establishment opinions rarely seen in SPH publications.
Association of South East Asian Nations founded (Aug 8, 1967): On this day, five Southeast Asian nations, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, came together to form ASEAN via the Bangkok Declaration. Its establishment came after Indonesia's policy of Konfrontasi against Malaysia ended in 1966 and ties were restored between both states. ASEAN remained staunchly anti-communist through the end of the Cold War, when it gradually expanded to include Indochina and Myanmar in the 1990s. Today, the bloc boasts one of the youngest and fastest growing societies but also faces increasing strain from Chinese influence and the inability to achieve consensus on pressing concerns.
Malaya becomes independent (Aug 31, 1957): On this day, the Federation of Malaya formally declared independence from Britain. Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman shouted the iconic phrase "Merdeka" (independence) at a ceremony on the Padang of the Royal Selangor Club in KL. The declaration came after a year of negotiations and consultations among Malayan leaders and with British officials. The Federation of Malaya would later merge with Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia in 1963. The anniversary is now annually celebrated as Merdeka Day.
Singapore applies to join the United Nations (Sep 3, 1965): On this day, Singapore officially applied to join the United Nations. It came less than a month after it had separated from Malaysia. Foreign Minister S Rajaratnam's application (above) to UN Secretary-General U Thant was sponsored by Malaysia, Britain, Jordan and the Ivory Coast. The membership resolution was unanimously passed by the UN General Assembly on Sep 20 and Singapore was admitted as the 117th UN member state the next day. Rajaratnam and Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye then embarked on a two month global tour to establish Singapore's status as an independent state and to form new cultural and trade links.
Down Memory Lane
Nicoll Highway: This road is named after Sir John Nicoll (1899-1981), Singapore's Governor from 1952-1955. Nicoll oversaw many important developments during his tenure. Among them include the Rendel Constitution, the 1955 election when David Marshall became Chief Minister, as well as the National Service Riots (1954) and Hock Lee Bus Riots (1955). Nicoll preferred a more gradual transition of power and clashed frequently with Marshall on the pace of reforms. Nicoll Highway was opened in 1956 and became infamous for the construction disaster in 2004.
Onraet Road: This road is named after Rene Henry Onraet (1887-1952), the Inspector-General of the Straits Settlements Police from 1935-1939. Joining the force as a cadet in 1907, he rose quickly through the ranks, becoming fluent in Hokkien and Malay. He disguised himself as a drain inspector and rickshaw coolie to track gambling syndicates and communist subversives. In 1928, he raided a bomb making factory in Balestier and later spied on French communist agent Serge Lefranc alias Joseph Ducroux when he was in Singapore. After the war, Onraet completed a report on reforms to intelligence activities in Malaya and retired. After his death, the road to the quarters of the Police Training School (Now Old Police Academy) was named in his honour.
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