No then honor Rajaratnam - The Singapore Lion?

[elephanto]

Jeesh, whole ST today devote so many pages to upcoming launch of Rajaratnam biography by PAPPY ex-journalist cum Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng !

The timing is opportunistic.

Although I fully respect & believe Rajaratnam need be honored more in the public eye, inevitably any MIW publication will again glorify the PAP narrative as unashamedly conceded by reviewer PAPPY Chua Mui Hoong .

Expect ad nauseaum more excerpts in the days ahead in 154th...

Still my respect for stalwarts Goh Keng Swee, Rajaratnam, Hon Sui Sen, Lim Kim San all more than old man LKY.

Idealistic as he is to a Singaporean Singapore & all that talk of being non-yes men (including GKS ), I believe always at the end, they will give in to Lee Kuan Yew.

Whatever his objections to GRCs, race-based self help bodies MENDAKI/CDAC/SINDA etc, I am sure Raja would keep his own reservation to himself.

He is after all the supreme cheerleader & rah-rah man for Old Man.

Of all the Old Guard, Lee & chiefly Lee has the mean streak to be a ruthless leader.

This coming biography 'Rajaratnam - Singapore Lion' is supposed to come in 2 volumes ala LKY's 2-vol Spore Story.

Hope to hear more colorful anecdotes, snippets to come ....

I would never forget shaking Raja's hand as a schoolboy who won an trophy in his Kg Glam ward's pri sch art competition. The Kota Raya CC rickety building still stands today at the old site ......

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

I thought the memoir of Rajaratnam was published long time ago? I remember reading it when I was in NUS!

Interesting enough, Tampines MP Irene Ng is chairing this one. Tampines MPs have been very busy lately, especially Minister Mah who are either on newspaper or TV almost every week.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[scroobal]

Raja is going to turn in his grave when he realises its Irene Ng. The previous book was only his speeches. Only Tommy Koh know initimately was there from the very start.

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

Raja is going to turn in his grave when he realises its Irene Ng. The previous book was only his speeches. Only Tommy Koh know initimately was there from the very start.

Scroobal,

It is more than his speeches. He was stating his disagreement with LKY and things like that. A small booklet but a very good read.

Yes, Tommy Koh should be the appropriate one to commemorate him. Well, in Singapore even sports are capitalized for political brownie points, dead man is definitely useful as he could no longer protest.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[elephanto]

Wow, when Raja lost his mind, his trustees/power of attorney given to these 3:- relative Pillay, SR Nathan & Prof Tommy Koh (latter 2 his long time MFA kakis).

'Rajaratnam - the Prophetic & the Polemic' edited by Chan Heng Chee was around for a long time.

Imagine in his prime, Raja hearing Old Man saying the Pledge was just an 'aspiration', the whole gamut of 'race conscious' policies from ICA new classification to huge influx of FT, my my, but I still dun think he would break ranks with Old Man.

 

[scroobal]

Very superficial. The book by Chan Heng Chee and Ul Haq is dry and very academic. The one by old man's brother relative is less academic but still superficial but mainly speeches and oral history accounts which the author was in charge of. Raja and his gang including Tommy would meet on a regular basis but Raja by character was loner and thus hard to get raw details.

Scroobal,

It is more than his speeches. He was stating his disagreement with LKY and things like that. A small booklet but a very good read.

Yes, Tommy Koh should be the appropriate one to commemorate him. Well, in Singapore even sports are capitalized for political brownie points, dead man is definitely useful as he could no longer protest.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[IR123]

Irene Ng should write about cycling instead

 

[elephanto]

Prof Tommy Koh is a most interesting character.

Amiable disposition albeit a little effeminate at first glance.

Black-rimmed glasses & mop top hairstyle his timeless trademark.

Made his mark as Chair of UN Law of the Sea conference.

Our US Ambassador then become Supreme (my addition) Ambassador-at-Large.

A pioneer local U Law Faculty student leader.

One with the establishment.

Yet not PAP member (I think).

Appeared to have gotten the trust of top PAP leaders especially Old Man.

Has a bohemian lifestyle son.

I am sure Tommy Koh knows many dark secrets & skeletons....

Who will write a biography of him some day ?

 

[scroobal]

Excellent description. Thats what I like about this forum. You seldom get one liners but info rich for sure..

Prof Tommy Koh is a most interesting character.

Amiable disposition albeit a little effeminate at first glance.

Black-rimmed glasses & mop top hairstyle his timeless trademark.

Made his mark as Chair of UN Law of the Sea conference.

?

 

[kingrant]

According to the book Singapore:the Unexpected nation by Edwin Lee, it was Raja who over-reacted in the famous Enright affair and calling him that famous phrase 'bird of passage' and finally expelling him from the Uni of Singapore for interfering in domestic affairs. Acc to Edwin Lee, LKY in contrast actually disagreed with Raja over the severity of his punishment and wrote a rather light-hearted reply to DJ Enright that said he wasnt really offended by his writings and was prepared to back off, but that DJ 'for his sense of propriety' did not want to accept even a rebuke. It took place in the then atmosphere of university autonomy and academic freedom, where the Univ wanted to do pretty much what it wanted to do, and Old Man coudlnt accept that from a national univ.

 

[elephanto]

Re: Now then honor Rajaratnam - The Singapore Lion?

Some interesting revelation from ST's excerpts from 'Rajaratnam - The Singapore Lion'

(1) Mrs Rajaratnam's Hungarian wife disliked Raja's politically colleagues e.g. LKY very much - blaming them for luring her hubby away from his lucrative journalistic career

(2) Horrors ! Irene Ng indirectly caused the death of Raja in 2006 ?!

No joke, as she embarked on her biography project, Irene found amongst Raja's old writing, his disdain for medical technology to artificially extend a human's life - he dread becoming a 'cyborg'.

So Irene went to share her discovery with one of Raja's trustees since by Raja is not in command of his faculties. Prof Koh then remarked with resignation they would not attempt 'heroic medical intervention' when Raja next have a medical emergency.

And so, 3 days before his 91st holiday, Raja passed away when he suffered a series of strokes .... 'let go' more appropriately it seemed in line with his holistic wishes.

Methinks any intrinsic reasons aside, writing political biographies for PAP old guard is one good sideline source of income.

Old timers, wanna try ? :p

 

[elephanto]

According to the book Singapore:the Unexpected nation by Edwin Lee, it was Raja who over-reacted in the famous Enright affair and calling him that famous phrase 'bird of passage' and finally expelling him from the Uni of Singapore for interfering in domestic affairs. Acc to Edwin Lee, LKY in contrast actually disagreed with Raja over the severity of his punishment and wrote a rather light-hearted reply to DJ Enright that said he wasnt really offended by his writings and was prepared to back off, but that DJ 'for his sense of propriety' did not want to accept even a rebuke. It took place in the then atmosphere of university autonomy and academic freedom, where the Univ wanted to do pretty much what it wanted to do, and Old Man coudlnt accept that from a national univ.

Good point from a good book.

In fact, having recently read this same book from the national Library, i think it is by far the best read of modern Singapore history from the 50s to the 2000s.

Better than books by Dennis Bloodworth, John Drysdale, Lee Kuan Yew or Alex Josey.

 

[scroobal]

Absolutely agree. His political acumen is spot on and better than his colleagues in the Political Science Dept.

Good point from a good book.

In fact, having recently read this same book from the national Library, i think it is by far the best read of modern Singapore history from the 50s to the 2000s.

Better than books by Dennis Bloodworth, John Drysdale, Lee Kuan Yew or Alex Josey.

 

[Highfalutin]

Raja is going to turn in his grave when he realises its Irene Ng. The previous book was only his speeches. Only Tommy Koh know initimately was there from the very start.

I recall the late Wee Kim Wee's anecdote about Raja's final years. Only two words were occasionally blurted out from within his fog of dementia. Harry and Tommy.

 

[Ramseth]

Harry needs a hair transplant and Tommy needs a haircut.