REMEMBRANCES: LIVING IN CONFLICT AND CHANGE

In this engaging memoir, Daljit Singh traces his journey from a small Malaysian town to a distinguished career in Singapore's public service and academia. He recounts formative years at Raffles Institution, the University of Malaya in Singapore, and Oxford University, highlighting the people, ideas, and political events that shaped his worldview.

Singh offers rare insights into life during the Japanese Occupation, the turmoil of the Malayan Emergency, and Singapore's dynamic political climate in the 1950s and 60s. He reflects on the vibrant atmosphere at the then University of Malaya during the transition from colonial rule to independence.

Drawing on his experience as a senior officer in Singapore's intelligence service and the Ministry of Culture, he provides an insider's view of the government's challenging relationship with the local and foreign press. He also chronicles his later work at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, detailing both the institute's development and his contributions as a scholar. Along the way, he examines major regional issues, from the Asian values debate to the Asian Financial Crisis and the rise of terrorism.

Contents:

• Foreword by Tommy Koh
• Preface
• Childhood and Memory:
  • A War Veteran and My Mother
  • War and Childhood
  • Normalcy and then, Terror
  • Singapore
  • Foundations of a Self
• Explorations:
  • Philosophies for a Life
  • University and Awakenings
  • Being Sikh: A Matter of Identity
  • Years of Wandering
  • Oxford
  • 1965: A Year of Change
• Intelligence, Culture, and Research:
  • Darkness and Light
  • The External Intelligence Service
  • Security and Intelligence: Vietnam, May '69 and the Cultural Revolution
  • An American Interlude
  • The Spectre of Communism
  • Security Developments and Workplace Colleagues
  • The Winds of Change
  • The Archbishop, A History of Singapore
  • Campaigns
  • A Closing and A New Beginning
  • A Research Institute
  • On China
• Landscapes, Mindscapes:
  • Landscape and Memory
  • Philosophies of a Life
  • Looking Back, Looking Forward
• Acknowledgements
• Author's Profile

Readership: Academics, civil servants, journalists, diplomats and think tanks who are interested in political and security developments in Southeast Asia, and readers who are interested in the history of Singapore.