S Rajaratnam on Singapore: From Ideas to Reality by Chong Guan Kwa

S Rajaratnam on Singapore: From Ideas to Reality Reviews

• 
  Angelin

  Rajaratnam was known to be good with words, with the ability to string facts together and present them to convince people of his point. This collection of essays and extracts from his talks was interesting in the way that it had tackled different aspects - of nation building; foreign policy; international relations; communalism, communism, colonialism, imperialism, etc. There were definitely some things that I disagree with, but I do agree that Mr Rajaratnam does have a great understanding of situations and the world around him. A good and informative read all in all.
• 
  Victor

  It's been said that the best examples of Singapore's approach to foreign policy comes from S Rajaratnam's speeches. This book collects and organises some of the most important ones, which make clear his views on Singapore's diplomacy, Asean regionalism, and also on building community in the newly independent Singapore. A short and worthwhile read.
• 
  Emily

  I enjoyed reading this collection of Rajaratnam's speeches, which gave me an insight into the mind of Singapore's founding leader and architect of our foreign policy.
  
  It was beneficial to have read the part on Singapore's history from his perspective as a "partisan... and not [a] mere observer". As a Singaporean, I finished the book with a better appreciation of the importance of ASEAN, as well as the genuine threat of communism and the political convulsions that Singapore faced in the 1950s-1960s (rather than something to be dismissed lightly).
  
  All in all, Rajaratnam was clearly a well-read man, especially on universal history and human civilisations, judging by his ability to mention and at times quote Vico, Spengler, Albert Toynbee and Ibn Khaldoun.
  
  However, the book could have used better editorial judgement.
  
  For one, I was disappointed that the book left out what is perhaps one of Rajaratnam's most impressive speeches on Singapore's foreign policy and on the Soviet Union. Given in December 1981, the speech laid out the history and philosophy behind Soviet Union's imperialist ambitions and the reasons why Singapore cannot behave like a small state. The foreign policy principles that Rajaratnam cogently espouses in the speech is highly pertinent in light of Kishore Mahbubani's 2017 controversial statement that small states must behave like small states.
  
  Not only is the speech incisive, it also manages to be humorous and witty at the same time, and even had the honours of being shared by Bilahari Kausikan on his Facebook page.
  
  If you're big on foreign policy, I cannot recommend that 1981 speech highly enough, which you can read on the NAS website:
  http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/...
  
  Secondly, a few of the speeches included in the book were brief and lacked intellectual depth to have been considered a worthy representation of Rajaratnam's thought and sharp wit. Those speeches were opening speeches that were meant to be light in tone / depth. As such, they did not add any intellectual value and could have been removed from the book altogether (e.g. "Small Steps to a Better Future" at an informal ASEAN ministers' meeting, "Creating Singapore and Singaporeans" on the Jews during a Jewish dinner and dance -- which only consisted of 3 short paragraphs).
  
  Note that Rajaratnam's speeches are not printed in full in the book, but are only extracts. As such, depending on the editor's better (or worse) judgement, some paragraphs might be left out of printing.
  
  For example, in the speech "Birth of A Nation", the editors chose to leave out a paragraph in which Rajaratnam emphasised the importance of "sound leadership and a responsive, [equally intelligent] electorate" as being "the two essential ingredients to a nation's progress and prosperity". This is a critical line of thought that should not have been removed, lest it give the impression that all a country needs is good leadership, when educating the populace to be discerning is just as important.
  
  There were also other quotes that were removed by the editors, which I left would have lent greater force to Rajaratnam's testimony on the threat of communism and why the PAP was not expected to have won. I see this as important for modern Singaporeans like myself, who did not live in the tumultuous ages and may think that Singapore's and PAP's leadership today can be taken for granted.
  
  Despite the weaknesses inherent in this compilation, I'm glad to have read it and came out the better for it as a Singaporean interested in our country's history.