Beyond the Myth: Indian Business Communities in Singapore
Jayati Bhattacharya
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2011
ISBN: 9789814311366

This book is a macro-study of Indian business communities in Singapore through different phases of their growth since colonial times. It goes beyond the conventional labour-history approach to study Indian immigrants to Southeast Asia, both in terms of themselves and their connections with the people's movements. It looks at how Indian business communities negotiated with others in the environments in which they found themselves and adapted to them in novel ways. It especially brings into focus the patterns and integration of the Indian networks in the large-scale transnational flows of capital, one of the least studied aspects of the diaspora history in this part of the world. The complexities and overlapping interests of different groups of traders and businessmen form an interesting study of various aspects of these trading bodies, their methods of operation and their trade links, both within and outside Singapore. The book also charts their mobility and progress, in terms of both business and social status. The research aims to construct linear threads of linkages through generations and situate them in the larger framework and broader paradigms of business networks in Singapore.

In shedding light on aspects of Indian connectivities to Southeast Asia, the narrative is particularly relevant in the context of India's economic rise. This study raises economic, social and cultural issues regarding the transition.

Financial Services and Wealth Management in Singapore
Tan Chwee Huat
Singapore: NUS Press, 2011
ISBN: 9789971695767

During the last decade, many changes have taken place in the Singapore financial marketplace. The Montary Authority of Singapore has implemented numerous reforms to liberalize the financial services sector. Since 2002, two new laws have come into effect. The Securities and Futures Act and the Financial Advisors Act have important impact on the financial community. Institutions must hold the Cpaital Market Services (CMS) licence and the Financial Advisors licence and their representatives must pass the CMFAS examinations. This book discusses the changes in detail. Part A provides details of the reforms and discusses the impact of the new laws and regulations. Part B highlights the wide range of financial services and products provided by the institutions. In this edition, two new chapters have been added. They focus on issues related to wealth management which has become the recent focus of many banks that provide services to high net worth individuals or HNWIs. This book should be of interest to all financial institutions and professionals. It is also a must-read for investors who have to choose from a wide range of financial products.

An Unexpected Journey: Path to the Presidency
S R  Nathan with Timothy Auger
Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2011
ISBN: 9789814260732

Once a teenage runaway, living rough in a colonial port city, S R Nathan rose to become two-term president of prosperous, independent Singapore. In this exceptional book, he shares the story of his personal journey, set against the backdrop of modern Singapore history.

He tells his own story, simply and vividly: Accused of theft at the age of 16, he ran away from home. Living by his wits through war and occupation, he found new self-belief in unexpected sources, and experienced the political awakening that shaped so many of his generation.

Rejected for years by the family of the girl he was to marry, Nathan worked hard to better himself, serving as a junior clerk in the Johore civil service and joining the pioneer batch of Singaporeans to study social work at the University of Malaya in 1952.

The story of the struggle between the left and right wings of the student and labour movements comes alive in Nathan's retelling of his experiences as an activist, social worker and unionist. In 1965, with Singapore's unexpected separation from Malaysia, S R Nathan joined the fledgling Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and came to hold a number of senior civil service positions, including a term as director of intelligence.

Throughout the book, he describes vividly and frankly the momentous events he witnessed, casting new light on many decisive moments in the Singapore story. Here we read about his experience of ethnic violence during the war; of his working relationships with Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee, S. Rajaratnam and Devan Nair; negotiating with terrorists during the Laju hijacking; sensitivities with Malaysia; and the dilemmas facing the Singapore media.

In 1999, Nathan was elected president of Singapore. In the book's last chapter he takes the reader behind the scenes in the Istana, and describes his duties and responsibilities as elected president, and how he worked to develop the office and institution.

S R Nathan's compelling story depicts more vividly than ever before the people and circumstances that have made Singapore what it is today.

Heart Work 2: EDB & Partners: New Frontiers for the Singapore Economy
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2011
ISBN: 9789814342018

Heart Work 2 continues the narrative from where Heart Work (published in 2002) leaves off, into the unfamiliar challenges that EDB encountered during the first decade of the 21st century, in its effort to chart new frontiers for Singapore's economic development.

Fifty years is a solid milestone for any organisation. For the Singapore Economic Development Board, it is a time to recharge for the challenges ahead, but also to reflect on core values and the course of its evolution. The agency's drive and determination are derived from a resilience embedded in its organisational culture – in particular, the exercise of leadership at all levels, from the formulation of strategy to adroitness on the ground in anticipating and meeting the needs of investors and rallying the necessary partners from all quarters. Looking to the next half-century, as new frontiers are crossed, the focus shifts to fostering an even deeper connectedness to Singapore. The city-state is being enhanced, in every  way feasible, as a "home" in Asia, in all its senses, for business, innovation and talent. The Republic's well-honed and well-known key attributes of trust, knowledge, connectedness and high standard of living make it very well-placed to be a "living lab" to develop new sustainable solutions for tomorrow's global opportunities in emerging areas such as the urban environment, health and wellness, lifestyle and entertainment.

Singapore is aiming to equip itself to be always ready to be a home for the high-growth industries of the future. And, so long as the EDB and its partners keep in touching distance of the most promising new frontiers, Singapore should remain "future-ready".

Singapore: From Place to Nation [2nd ed.]
Lee Soo Ann
Singapore: Pearson Education, 2011
ISBN: 9789810686840

This book chronicles Singapore's tumultuous journey from a newly established British settlement to the developed city-state as it is today. With a particular focus on Singapore's economic development, this book is divided into two parts: Understanding the Present by examining the history leading up to Singapore's independence, and Living for Today, which chronicles the country's post-independence growth.

The book covers topics such as the growth of commercial banking and currency use in 19th century, commodity exports, nationalisation and industrialisation in the post-World War II era, the history of the Singapore dollar, as well as the push for manufacturing growth and welcoming multinational companies in Singapore. 

This is a useful reference volume about Singapore’s modern history, written in an easy-to-read and succinct manner that is appealing to educators and students alike.

Trees of the Istana: Treasures in the Domain
Wong Tuan Wah
Singapore: National Parks Board & Suntree Media, 2011
ISBN: 9789810874810

Commissioned by President Nathan, Trees of the Istana features over 70 species of trees out of some 150 species found at the Istana. It provides readers with a glimpse into the greening of the Istana domain since its completion in 1869 and how it has been lovingly nurtured into a stately arboretum that has welcomed foreign dignitaries, statesmen, royalty, and local visitors. The Istana domain is also a flourishing sanctuary for wildlife including birds, butterflies, squirrels, dragonflies and more.

Some of the interesting trees featured in the book include an unusual nutmeg tree which has produced several fruits with 'twin' seeds instead of one seed, the Pride of Burma tree which produces beautiful orchid-like flowers, and Heritage trees that have grown into majestic giants.

Singapore Biodiversity: An Encyclopedia of the Natural Environment and Sustainable Development
Peter K.L. Ng (ed.)
Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2011
ISBN: 9789814260084

Amidst Singapore's glistening urban landscape there is an amazing diversity of life - wildlife that continues to thrive and flourish in spite of multiple threats to the island's fragile ecosystem. This groundbreaking encyclopedia represents the first-ever comprehensive guide to nature in Singapore and is written by the city's foremost authorities on the natural environment, who describe in detail more than 40,000 species of flora and fauna that make up the island's biodiversity. The encyclopedia comprises two parts: the first is a fine collection of essays outlining issues relating to biodiversity, ecosystems and sustainability; the second part of the book is a comprehensive A-Z directory of over 1,500 entries, covering virtually every known organism found in Singapore. This unique reference work is not only academically rigorous - based as it is on the latest cutting-edge data and fieldwork - but its richly illustrated presentation is eminently suitable for a wider, non-specialist readership.

Politics and Governance in Singapore [2nd ed.]
Bilveer Singh
Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education (Asia), 2011
ISBN: 9780071081108

This revised and updated edition aims to make the book relevant and useful for the changing times as Singapore's politics evolves, matures and moves ahead. The rise of new issues, especially relating to housing, 'foreign talent' and migration are covered as are those relating to political change in the PAP and the Opposition. How Singapore's politics will look ahead in the coming years, especially in the context of changes to the composition of the Parliament, announced in May 2009, expanding the number of seats for the Opposition, will also be discussed. Is the ruling party preparing for the rise of more Opposition in Parliament or is this a measure to contain it, is something worth analyzing.

Politics and Governance in Singapore is written in response to the dearth of a comprehensive and succinct summary of the ins and outs of Singapore's politics. With the increasing importance of Singapore studies in national education, this book is an invaluable read for the specialist, student and any interested member of the Singapore public. Couched in layman's language, the book also gives an outsider an easy grasp of Singapore's politics, and is a convenient tool to examine the past, present and future of Singapore.

Serving a New Nation: Baey Lian Peck's Singapore Story
Ooi Kee Beng
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2011
ISBN: 9789814345422

The story of Dr Baey Lian Peck should be well known, but it is not. Not even among Singaporeans, and especially not among the young. This tells us a lot about a Singapore caught in pathological haste and prone towards ignoring values that do not add to the financial bottom line. The innovativeness of Dr Baey not only made him a very wealthy man before he was forty, it also made him an indispensable actor in the implementation of urgently constructed national policies. Political leaders such as Dr Toh Chin Chye, Lim Kim San, Chua Sian Chin, and Dr Goh Keng Swee picked him to solve pressing problems such as skyrocketing inflation in the early 1970s, the crisis in prisoner ward in the late 1970s, and the drug addiction epidemic in that same latter period. His one condition for taking on public positions was that he should not be paid. It was exactly this independent trait that made him so highly effective. This book tells his amazing life story, taking us into a surprising world where the qualities that make a good entrepreneur are exactly what make a good public servant, as long as he remains unbound by the bureaucracy.

Routes: A Singaporean Memoir 1940-75
Robert Yeo
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2011
ISBN: 9789810875367

Routes: A Singapore Memoir 1940-75 is both a personal and public memoir; it is personal as it records part of Robert Yeo's life for the first thirty-five years, and it is public as it follows his response to some of the tumultuous events of the period at the local, regional and international levels. Personally, what happened to his family of five living in Hougang when his father passed away at a relatively young age? Publicly, where was he on the day Singapore separated from Malaysia on August 9, 1965? What was he doing in swinging London in the sixties? And on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok in the seventies?

In revealing skeletons in the cupboard through letters, diaries, extracts from his poems, plays and fiction, Yeo presents an unvarnished account of one person’s story of his country’s emergence from third to first world. The inclusion of more than a hundred illustrations enhances the intriguing prose.

The Short Stories and Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam
Irene Ng (ed.)
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2011
ISBN: 9789810878481

The late Mr. S. Rajaratnam is probably best remembered by many as a founding father of Singapore and its first Foreign Minister. Some will remember him to be the man behind Singapore's National Pledge. Others will know he was the PAP's ideologue. Few, however, will remember or know that this fascinating man was once said to be among the world's top writers of fiction. Now, at last, his stories and plays have been diligently put together in a single volume by his official biographer, Ms Irene Ng.

This is a book to have and read and keep; it is a treasure trove for those who love fiction and literature. And for those who remember Mr. Rajaratnam, this book will serve as a wonderful testament to the man all Singaporeans admired and have been proud of.

British Policy and the Chinese in Singapore, 1939 to 1955: The Public Service Career of Tan Chin Tuan
Lee Su Yin
Singapore: Talisman Publishing, 2011
ISBN: 9789810866679

British Policy and the Chinese in Singapore, 1939 to 1955 examines the policies and methods employed by the British in their administration of the colony of Singapore during a period when dramatic changes were happening there. The transformations were brought about by events which included a worldwide economic depression, the Second World War, a tumultuous postwar recovery and the birth of a Chinese Communist nation. The Chinese constituted the most populous ethnic group on the island. Before the war, Chinese, who were members of the British empire because they were locally-born, were a minority. To bring both the local-born and China-born Chinese within the pale of British administration and jurisdiction, the authorities relied on intermediaries, that is, men who acted as the channel of communication between the British and the Chinese.

This new book, therefore, approaches the topic by focussing on the public service career of Tan Chin Tuan, the highest-ranking non-European government official and spokesman for Chinese economic interests in the Legislative Council until 1955. It is not intended to be a biography of Tan. Instead, the first objective is to analyse the ways in which the colonial authorities tried to maintain law and order in a colony dominated by a migrant population during a period of major political transformations. The second aim is to document and examine the dimensions of Tan's public service career before the colony was granted a measure of self-government in 1955. Through this, a valuable case study is developed of how British colonial power made use of Chinese community leaders to liaise with and promote its rule over the community.

Milestones of the China-Singapore Connection: Friendship and Cooperation: Growing From Strength to Strength, 1965-2010
Pitt Kuan Wah (ed.)
Singapore: National Archives of Singapore, 2011
ISBN: 9789810881009

This publication highlights major milestones in China-Singapore relations since 1965 and complements the exhibition, 'Milestones of the China-Singapore Connection: Friendship and Cooperation, Growing From Strength to Strength' that was jointly organised by the National Archives of Singapore and State Archives Administration of China in 2010 to mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Tracing the growing and multi-faceted ties between China and Singapore, this publication hopes to contribute to a better understanding of China-Singapore relations from a historical perspective

Nanqiao Jigong: The Extraordinary Story of Nanyang Drivers and Mechanics Who Returned to China During the Sino-Japanese War
Pitt Kuan Wah (ed.)
Singapore: National Archives of Singapore, 2011
ISBN: 9789810881016

"This publication complements the travelling exhibition, 'Nanqiao Jigong: The Extraordinary Story of Nanyang Drivers and Mechanics Who Returned to China During the Sino-Japanese War', which was jointly curated by the National Archives of Singapore, the State Archives Administration of China and the Yunnan Provincial Archives between 2008 and 2009.
...
The exhibition tells the poignant story of some 3,200 Nanyang Chinese who responded to calls to assist in China's defence against Japanese military aggression. The Singapore leg added a local perspective to the story of the volunteers. Drawing from its rich holdings of hundreds of hours of oral history interview recordings on the topic, the National Archives of Singapore incorporated the personal accounts of local volunteer drivers and mechanics into the storyline."

Nostalgia is the Most Powerful Seasoning
Joycelyn Shu
Singapore: Ate Media, 2011
ISBN: 9789810881528

"It is my grandmother who taught me that to eat well is to live well. Thus, knowing how to feed oneself and the people one cares about in a fine fashion is what gives real meaning to life itself. To nourish the body is to nourish the soul. This is the motto by which she comports herself; such is her devotion to her family and to cooking for them. This is the food of love. And surely a secret to happiness well worth telling on..."

Those who know her as the voice behind acclaimed food blog Kuidaore will already know Joycelyn Shu's present obsession with cooking and eating. In this book, the first-time author reveals not so much about what she cooks as why she cooks -- a documentation of the bits and bites in her days growing up that made her a passionate cook and gourmet. Discover here, the ideas and sentiment behind the essays first found an airing on her blog. And relive here, through her food memories, a little piece of Singapore's gastronomic heritage.

The Heritage of Hospitality: A History of the Singapore Hotel Industry
Singapore Hotel Association
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions for Singapore Hotel Association, 2011
ISBN: 9789814346436

The Heritage of Hospitality is published to mark the golden anniversary of the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA). Filled with interesting information, it is the first book to trace the development of the local hotel scene since the early days of Sir Stamford Raffles. Following events unfolding across the world, the industry has grown over the years and adapted and innovated according to changing trends and consumer preferences.

This lavish coffee table book is a record of Singapore's hotel industry through the years and includes a section on the factors and trends that have contributed to the shaping of the industry. Finally, it wraps up with a review of the achievements and activities of the SHA.