Singaporeans are generally familiar with the Covid 19 pandemic and the Sars epidemic from 2003. But did you know Singapore faced a flu epidemic in 1957? Today, we speak to Liam Hoo, author of a new journal article on the 1957 Asian Flu’s impact on Singapore. We discuss the poor response of the colonial authorities as well as how media coverage shaped social responses to the flu outbreak. The curious case of Pulau Sudong provides an interesting example of how these factors came together.
Singapore’s Old Guard leaders are well known as politicians and cabinet ministers. But the ten of them also had lesser-known passions and careers beyond politics. Today, we speak to Peh, Derek and Jaime, co-writers of the book The First Fools: B-Sides Of Lee Kuan Yew’s A-Team. In this episode, we focus on three specific Old Guard leaders: E.W. Barker, Othman Wok and Yong Nyuk Lin, and learn about what kept them going amidst the huge challenges of Singapore’s early years.
Singapore has a long standing reputation as a clean and green city. It is also known as the Garden City. But did you know things were completely different in the 1960s? People were crammed in overcrowded and unsanitary living spaces and public areas, allowing diseases and pollution to spread easily. A pioneer civil servant, Lee Ek Tieng, stepped up to implement major reforms to improve Singapore’s environment. Today, we speak to Samantha Boh and Matthew Gan, co-writers of the new book “Lee Ek Tieng: The Green General of Lee Kuan Yew”. We discuss how this Green General marshalled resources to clean up Singapore and set new standards for the city we now live in.
Across Malaysia and Singapore, thousands of historic buildings are richly ornamented with motifs drawn from Ancient Greece and Rome.These classical details mix with ideas drawn from other architectural traditions from across Asia in a style that is unique to the region. Today, we speak to Dr Soon-Tzu Speechley, Lecturer in Urban and Cultural Heritage at the University of Melbourne, about his book Malayan Classicism, which explores how the British Empire’s classical architecture was transmitted, translated, and transformed in the hands of local builders and architects.
The paperback version of Malayan Classicism is nowavailable.
Singapore’s hawker centres are a cultural institution, serving a huge variety of affordable dishes to the masses. In 2020, Singapore's hawker culture was even added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. But how did hawker centres and hawker culture evolve through our history? Today, we speak to Ryan Kueh, author of the book “From Streets to Stalls: The History and Evolution of Hawking and Hawker Centres in Singapore”. We discuss how the colonial government managed hawking and the extensive reforms enacted by the PAP government in the late 1960s.
In 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia, shattering the hope of a shared postcolonial future. The new country needed as many friends as it could get. The man who led the effort to secure Singapore’s place on the global stage was S. Rajaratnam, our first Foreign Minister. Today, we speak to Irene Ng, author of The Lion’s Roar, which is the second of a two-part biography on Rajaratnam. While he is best known for drafting the National Pledge, Rajaratnam also helped establish Singapore’s foreign policy principles and tackled some of the country’s major challenges during the early years.
In this episode, we discuss the execution of Indonesian marines for the MacDonald House bombings, the settling of Japan’s blood debt for wartime atrocities, the crisis after the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia, Rajaratnam’s views on multiracialism and national identity, and the PAP Old Guard’s collective efforts to build Singapore.
Singapore’s short film industry is a small but vibrant one. With limited budgets, filmmakers aim to spotlight events and issues that rarely surface in more mainstream platforms. One such filmmaker is Leon Cheo, who has directed short films that focus on Singapore’s history. Today, we speak to Leon about his films Two is Enough (about the Stop at Two population control campaign in the 1970s) and 302 (about gay servicemen in the army in the mid-2000s). We also discuss the challenges in finding props and locations that accurately depict the past in a highly modernised city like Singapore.
Most of us are familiar with famous intelligence agencies such as the American CIA, the British MI6 and Israel’s Mossad. But did you know Singapore has its own spy agency known as the Security and Intelligence Division (SID)? Its first chief was Tay Seow Huah, who helped build Singapore’s early intelligence capabilities during the height of the Cold War and was involved in handling the Laju terrorist incident. Today, we speak to his son Dr Simon Tay, Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, about his new book, Enigmas, which describes his father’s life and unusual career.
The Singapore Heritage Fest this year celebrates our nation's rich built heritage. One of the most striking examples of this are the public housing estates which dominate Singapore’s urban landscape. How did we remake the island’s colonial era urban spaces into Singapore’s earliest HDB estates? How did rehousing Singaporeans change our lifestyles and hopes for the future? What does the kampong spirit mean when we think about the past? To answer these questions, we speak to Dr Loh Kah Seng, author of the book Squatters into Citizens. In this special episode, let’s learn about the history of public housing and urban redevelopment in Singapore.
Please note that the map referenced in this episode can be found here.
When we study and discuss history in Singapore, we usually focus on the social and political history of this country. However, the people’s relationship with this island’s natural environment also tells a rich story of its own. Today, we speak to Associate Professor Timothy Barnard from the National University of Singapore about his new edited book, Singaporean Creatures. We discuss environmental history during the colonial era from his previous book and how early national development policies regulated and restructured Singapore’s relationship with animals.
When we think about the history of Indians in British Malaya, their work in the rubber estates usually comes to mind first. But Indians also helped construct, operate and maintain the Malayan Railways that stretched across the peninsula and connected Singapore as well. Along with the tracks came numerous Hindu temples and shrines that shaped Malaya’s religious landscape. Today, we speak to Professor Vineeta Sinha from the National University of Singapore about her new book Temple Tracks. We discuss the history of Indian labourers in the Malayan Railways, their role in religion-making via temple construction, and how these railway temple stories symbolise the contributions of Indians in developing colonial Malaya and independent Malaysia.
When we think about Southeast Asia during the Cold War, we usually think just about Indochina and the Vietnam War. But British counterinsurgency strategies and engagement with nationalist elites in Malaya and Singapore also influenced America’s anti-communist policies in the region. Today, we speak to Associate Professor Ngoei Wen-Qing from the Singapore Management University about his book Arc of Containment. We discuss why Britain and America shared ideas on containing communist threats in Southeast Asia and how Singapore and Malaya managed the transition from British imperialism to American hegemony during the Cold War.
Before he was President of Singapore, Yusof Ishak was the Yang di-Pertuan Negara which directly translates to “He Who is Made Lord”. Singaporeans generally know little about this role, other than it was the predecessor of the current presidency and a symbol of self-government. But in fact, the British, Federation of Malaya, and Singapore leaders all actively struggled to define the Yang di-Pertuan Negara’s powers and symbolism so that the office would align with their political vision for the island. Today, we speak to Muhammad Suhail, a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, who has authored a new book on the Yang di-Pertuan Negara. We discuss the intense debate over Singapore’s future constitutional arrangements in the 1950s, the British desire to keep effective control over Singapore, Malaya’s fears of communist influence, and Singapore’s demand for a public symbol of true autonomy.
NTUC FairPrice is such a household icon in Singapore that it’s more famous than the union movement itself. But how did NTUC come to operate a supermarket chain in the first place? Today, we speak to Sue-Ann Chia, co-editor of a new book titled “The Price of Being Fair” which chronicles FairPrice’s 50 years in business. We discuss FairPrice’s beginnings during heavy inflation, the pivotal decisions and costly mistakes it made, the supermarket wars, and its crucial role in national supply chain resilience.
In 1996, an Ang Moh arrived in Toa Payoh to start a new life. He loved Singapore’s idiosyncrasies so much that he decided to turn his humorous observations of everyday life here into a series of books. Today, we speak to Neil Humphreys, author of Notes From An Even Smaller Island (2001) and numerous other titles, about his take on 1990s Singapore, kiasu behaviour, colonial history and what he considers most unique about this little island.
Long before Pink Dot and the repeal of Section 377A, Singapore had a colourful Queer history of recreation, repression, and resistance during the 20th century. Today, we speak to Roy Tan, a veteran activist and archivist who founded the Singapore LGBT Encyclopedia Wiki. We discuss the history of activism, AIDS, gay bars, entrapment operations, media portrayals and early advances in transgender rights. Please note that this episode contains mentions of suicide and historical terms that may be offensive now.
Looking at Singapore’s football scene today, it is hard to imagine that we once enjoyed a golden age in football. But we did enjoy that golden age. The man often credited for nurturing it is Choo Seng Quee. Also known as Uncle Choo, he coached the Singapore national team to victory at the iconic 1977 Malaysia Cup final. Today, we speak to Reynold Pereira, author of a new book on Uncle Choo, about the legendary coach’s philosophy and how he shaped some of Singapore’s best football players.
The physical shopping mall is increasingly seen as out of date with the rise of online shopping. However, shopping malls were once considered major symbols of Singapore’s rapid modernisation. They became homes to youth culture, video arcades and even artistic protest. Today, we speak to Assistant Professor Liew Kai Khiun from Hong Kong Metropolitan University about his edited book “The Singapore Mall Generation”.
Singapore is a city renowned for its reputation as a stern, conservative environment. But history reveals a more colourful past, where queer people carved out spaces for their own voices despite overwhelming discrimination. Today, we speak to Isaac Tng, who has curated a walking tour exploring Singapore’s LGBT past, and discuss the significance of learning that history.
Raffles Institution celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2023. The school is more than an institution, weaving itself into Singapore’s history through the decades. Nowhere is this documented better than in The Rafflesian, which has been the official school magazine since 1886, and many other student publications. Today, we speak to Theophilus Kwek and Lara Tan about 135 years of student writing they have helped curate in the new anthology titled “Some Dreams From Now”.
