IPS to launch books to celebrate Singapore's 50th birthday

Olivia Siong Channel NewsAsia 10 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: A series of books to commemorate Singapore's 50th year of independence will be launched next year, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) announced on Tuesday (June 10).

The Singapore Chronicles will comprise of 50 volumes written by experts in their field. It will cover topics in the fields of politics and governance, the environment, arts and culture and the economy, the IPS stated.

Each book is to serve as a primer on a subject, and can be thought of as an "extended Wikipedia article" written by specialists for the general public. It will serve to record, explain and offer some insights into what makes Singapore, Singapore, it added.

Authors include Ambassador Chan Heng Chee, former Permanent Secretaries Peter Ho and Bilahari Kausikan, food writer Sylvia Tan, academic Chua Beng Huat and biologist N Sivasothi, the IPS revealed.

- CNA/ek

IPS to launch books to celebrate S’pore’s 50th year
KOK XING HUI Today Online 11 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE — From local politics to the origins of chilli crab and whether Singapore’s conservation efforts led to the reappearance of otters on our shores, topics related to “what makes Singapore, Singapore” will be addressed in 50 books to be launched by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) next year to commemorate the Republic’s 50th year of independence.

The Singapore Chronicles will be authored by renowned researchers, scientists, engineers, writers and policy practitioners, such as former Permanent Secretaries Peter Ho and Bilahari Kausikan, as well as food writer Sylvia Tan, who will take charge of books on governance, Konfrontasi and food respectively. Each book in the series is expected to delve into the history, issues and future outlook of its respective subject.

IPS special research adviser Arun Mahizhnan said the chronicles would record, explain and offer insight into what makes Singapore, Singapore. While the books will be penned by experts in their field, they will be written for the public, from A-level students and lay people to business leaders and foreign diplomats, he said.

IPS director Janadas Devan described them as extended Wikipedia entries.

Mr Ho, former head of the Civil Service and one of the 50 authors, said he chose to write about governance as he felt “it’s important that we have a record of how governance in Singapore has evolved”.

“This is not just for the Singapore public, but also for our civil servants because our civil servants need to know … how governance has evolved through the years,” he added.

The topics were whittled down from more than 70 suggestions that the IPS had received from its staff and experts. “We shortlisted the final 50 based on whether the subject was important, whether it added to the comprehensiveness of the coverage and whether we could find the right author,” said Mr Arun.

Ideas that were tossed out included subjects such as government-linked companies and fashion, which Mr Arun said were not as important.

Government-linked firms, for example, he said, were “too narrow a focus and did not help with the diversity as we’re already doing a book on economy, finance, trade and so on”.

The IPS is in the midst of commissioning the authors, with 47 on board so far. Likely to be launched in batches over the course of next year, the Singapore Chronicles will be sold individually or in box sets at major bookstores and promoted in schools.

Write way to mark nation's 50th birthday
Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh The Straits Times AsiaOne 13 Jun 14;

A team of experts on Singapore has been called on to pen 50 books to mark the nation's golden jubilee next year.

The Singapore Chronicles will be launched by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) next year to help Singaporeans deepen their understanding of the nation's journey from fishing village to global city.

Academics, civil servants and journalists will delve into 50 topics, including the country's bleak, war-torn years during the Japanese Occupation, civil society, and even the Central Provident Fund - the talk of the town in recent weeks.

"The series will provide a guiding hand to navigate the sometimes murky waters of politics, economics and social development, and give insight into what makes Singapore tick, and why Singapore chose certain paths untrodden," said IPS special research adviser Arun Mahizhnan at a media briefing yesterday. For the young, especially, he hopes the series will provide a "comprehensive picture of Singapore as a whole in a digestible form".

Mr Arun is one of two coeditors of the project, and will be writing on literature. The other is Mr Asad Latif, visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

The books are intended to serve as simple primers for the general public on wide-ranging and sometimes complex issues in about 100 pages each.

They will give historical accounts, highlighting critical milestones and issues, and also provide a glimpse into the future.

To fund this project, IPS has approached the SG50 committee, which is planning a nationwide celebration of Singapore's 50th birthday bash next year, and will also seek sponsorship from other organisations, said Mr Arun.

So far, 47 books have been commissioned, and some manuscripts have already started coming in, he said. The books will be released in batches throughout the year, and sold at major bookstores here. IPS is looking at promoting them in schools as well, he added.

Five of the authors shared their thoughts on the project yesterday.

One of them is National University of Singapore (NUS) sociology professor Chua Beng Huat, who will explore Singapore's policies in managing different cultures, religions and races.

Prof Chua said: "Every city, every post-colonial society is a mix of races, but there are very few which consciously make multiracialism a policy, especially constitutionally (like Singapore)."

Another is NUS biology lecturer N. Sivasothi, who will write on Singapore's ecological development to showcase the country as a "petri dish for South-east Asia".

Ambassador-at-large and policy adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bilahari Kausikan will draw lessons on the country's approach to foreign policy from the Confrontation era in the 1960s, while former civil service head Peter Ho, now the Urban Redevelopment Authority chairman, will share how "achieving good governance is not a simple matter".

Food writer Sylvia Tan said her message will be simple - that Singapore has "the best food in the world".

The ensemble of writers also includes IPS director Janadas Devan, who will write on Singapore's separation from Malaysia, and Ambassador-at-large Chan Heng Chee, who will give a broad view of political developments.

The Straits Times' deputy editor Zuraidah Ibrahim will focus on opposition politics.