It is said that the duty of public servants is to "speak truth to power" — to give honest, sound and sometimes unpopular advice to political leaders. Underneath the narrative of the Singapore story, as personified by Lee Kuan Yew and the first-generation leaders, lie the lesser-known tales of dedicated public servants in the nation-building process. Singapore's development cannot be fully understood without considering the role of those in public service during the transition to independence from the 1950s to 60s.
Featuring oral history interviews from the National Archives of Singapore with 11 pioneer public servants, Speaking Truth to Power: Singapore's Pioneer Public Servants reveals first-hand, personal accounts of the civil service's transition from the colonial era, their relationship with the political leaders, and how Singapore's economic development was driven by sound public administration in those critical years. The annotated interviews make for an easily readable format for researchers and general audiences alike.
Some of Singapore's pioneer public servants featured in the book include:
- Wee Chong Jin, The First Local Chief Justice
- Goh Koh Pui, Chairman of the PSA
- Abdul Wahab Ghows, Solicitor-General and High Court Judge
- Hedwig Anuar, Director of the National Library
- Kwa Soon Bee, Pioneer of Singapore's Healthcare System
- Alan Choe, HDB's First Architect-Planner, and Founder of the URA
- Chan Chin Bock, Chairman of the EDB
- J. Y. Pillay, The Man Behind Singapore Airlines
- Ngiam Tong Dow, The Maverick Perm Sec
- Tommy Koh, Singapore's Representative at the United Nations
- Winston Choo, The First Chief of Defence Force
Sample Chapter(s)
Introduction
Wee Chong Jin, The First Local Chief Justice
Contents:
- About the Book
- About the Editor
- Editor's Note
- Photo Credits
- Introduction
- Wee Chong Jin, The First Local Chief Justice
- Goh Koh Pui, Chairman of the Port of Singapore Authority
- Abdul Wahab Ghows, Solicitor-General and High Court Judge
- Hedwig Anuar, Director of the National Library
- Kwa Soon Bee, Pioneer of Singapore's Healthcare System
- Alan Choe, The Housing and Development Board's First Architect-Planner, and Founder of the Urban Redevelopment Authority
- Chan Chin Bock, Chairman of the Economic Development Board
- J Y Pillay, The Man Behind Singapore Airlines
- Ngiam Tong Dow, The Maverick Perm Sec
- Tommy Koh, Singapore's Representative at the United Nations
- Winston Choo, The First Chief of Defence Force
Readership: General public interested in Singapore leaders and history.
Loke Hoe Yeong is a London-based analyst and researcher on politics and international affairs. Formerly an Associate Fellow at the European Union Centre in Singapore, National University of Singapore, he has published widely in academic journals and the media on a range of subjects from Europe-Asia relations to Southeast Asian politics and public policy, besides being a guest commentator on international affairs for TV.
He is the author of Let The People Have Him — Chiam See Tong, The Early Years, a biography of one of Singapore's longest-serving politicians which was shortlisted for the 2016 Singapore Literature Prize, and The First Wave, a history of the opposition in post-independence Singapore. He holds an MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.