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The 1963 Operation Coldstore in Singapore: Commemorating 50 years
Operation Coldstore remains the most contentious event in the history of postcolonial Singapore. Despite attempts by the state to silence ex-detainees, by warning that they would not be permitted to rewrite the state’s official version of history, the authors in this volume have done just that.
They have placed on record their own perspective of events. The autobiographical element in the narratives brings to life what these individuals went through as left-wing political actors who responded to the call of anti colonialism and the challenge of shaping a new society. Their accounts of life in prison are a sober reminder of the deprivations and tortures inflicted to break their spirit. These stirring accounts are supplemented by academic contributions that provide contextual depth to the historical events and a critique of history writing in Singapore.
They have placed on record their own perspective of events. The autobiographical element in the narratives brings to life what these individuals went through as left-wing political actors who responded to the call of anti colonialism and the challenge of shaping a new society. Their accounts of life in prison are a sober reminder of the deprivations and tortures inflicted to break their spirit. These stirring accounts are supplemented by academic contributions that provide contextual depth to the historical events and a critique of history writing in Singapore.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
542 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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May 6, 2014
The book is a collection of personal stories, peppered with a handful of academic insights into controversial Operation Coldstore. The book's clear division of chapters of academic insights (Why Operation Coldstore Matters) and chapters on personal views (For the Record) helps readers navigate the book. The various authors challenged the dominant narrative of the arrest of the communists in 1963. The few academic chapters were better than others in terms of depth of insight, objectivity of criticism and thoroughness of research. Unfortunately, almost all the chapters by those formerly detained were considerably much weaker, slanted as a personal appeal for sympathy and overall undermined the full potential of the book's revisionist narrative and efforts at objectivity.
Wade's chapter on Australian, British and Federation perspectives is a useful window into how their minds ticked then. The Australian commissioner to Malaya Tom Critchley said in August 1961 that the British lacked the will to manage the communists, "In the final analysis the force must be taken by the British...I have indicated a possible course of action but I realise that the United Kingdom will loath to grasp the nettle firmly." The British diplomat Philip Moore, acting commissioner Singapore in July 1962 defended that "we accept Lim Chin Siong is communist" but it was a "political not a security problem" as the communists behaved themselves and acted within the law. The book brilliantly opened with such a kaleidoscope of views on the decisions leading to Operation Coldstore and gave a geopolitical view of the complexities in the situation.
Unfortunately, many chapters in the book were not as intellectually robust. For example, "The Historical Truth will be Revealed: Political Detainees in Singapore 1950-2013" was a passionate albeit unsubstantiated appeal that many detained under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance and Internal Security Act were innocent, and overextended its narrative when it said that those arrested for jihad terrorism in Singapore since 2001 were political prisoners.
Personal anecdotes, were however not always superficial. The best personal account in the book was Poh Soo Kai's chapter "Living in a Time of Deception." He gave a snapshot of student activism when he was the founding member of the University Socialist Club and the Fajar trial, why he joined the Barisan Socialis because of Lim Chin Siong, and why they avoided the Communist Party of Malaya. His point about history being a contest of winners and losers and that those who have been silent are now speaking out is a significant reminder to history buffs. His honest words best capture the book's revisionist messages and that history is not about absolute truth, but about relativity in truth, "I also certainly do not make any pretence or claim to be objective, but perhaps this is a source of strength rather than a shortcoming." The book is never meant to be objective, but it is meant to give a different insight on what happened in Operation Coldstore.
Wade's chapter on Australian, British and Federation perspectives is a useful window into how their minds ticked then. The Australian commissioner to Malaya Tom Critchley said in August 1961 that the British lacked the will to manage the communists, "In the final analysis the force must be taken by the British...I have indicated a possible course of action but I realise that the United Kingdom will loath to grasp the nettle firmly." The British diplomat Philip Moore, acting commissioner Singapore in July 1962 defended that "we accept Lim Chin Siong is communist" but it was a "political not a security problem" as the communists behaved themselves and acted within the law. The book brilliantly opened with such a kaleidoscope of views on the decisions leading to Operation Coldstore and gave a geopolitical view of the complexities in the situation.
Unfortunately, many chapters in the book were not as intellectually robust. For example, "The Historical Truth will be Revealed: Political Detainees in Singapore 1950-2013" was a passionate albeit unsubstantiated appeal that many detained under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance and Internal Security Act were innocent, and overextended its narrative when it said that those arrested for jihad terrorism in Singapore since 2001 were political prisoners.
Personal anecdotes, were however not always superficial. The best personal account in the book was Poh Soo Kai's chapter "Living in a Time of Deception." He gave a snapshot of student activism when he was the founding member of the University Socialist Club and the Fajar trial, why he joined the Barisan Socialis because of Lim Chin Siong, and why they avoided the Communist Party of Malaya. His point about history being a contest of winners and losers and that those who have been silent are now speaking out is a significant reminder to history buffs. His honest words best capture the book's revisionist messages and that history is not about absolute truth, but about relativity in truth, "I also certainly do not make any pretence or claim to be objective, but perhaps this is a source of strength rather than a shortcoming." The book is never meant to be objective, but it is meant to give a different insight on what happened in Operation Coldstore.
September 28, 2020
At 431 prose pages, this was not an easy read. I learnt better the pain and privation detainees underwent. But the shrillness and anger, while completely understandable, is a little off-putting.
The emotional argument is slightly different from the security argument. The personal cost the detainees paid was surely immense, but it follows a different logic from the justifications that led to these arrests.
There is a lot of (justifiable, understandable) rage here, but as a faraway reader, it makes the reading rather difficult after awhile. How many times would you like to read about the PAP being slammed as a grim dictatorship with no morals, etc etc etc? If you like that sort of echo-chamber thing, then this book is for you. Again, I'm not saying these feelings are wrong, I'm just saying it doesn't make for very differentiated reading after awhile.
I also wonder about some of the silences in these stories. Many of these accounts are from people who ended up in pretty decent places after their arrests, whether as doctors or lawyers. Would there be space for working-class voices here?
Genderly, Teo Soh Lung also appears as the only woman in this collection of essays, if im not wrong. Would have been more poignant to also collect the accounts of the mothers and children who had to soldier on with their lives with their husbands and fathers detained in prison for the better part of 2 decades. I wonder what their lives were like? Surely it must be damn difficult to raise a family while your husband is in jail for HIS beliefs. What were the beliefs, perspectives, emotions of the wives and mothers left behind? Why weren't their stories included? What kind of familial devastation did the state leave in its wake? That would have made a sharper emotional point too. Hmm.
Wade's essay was the most academically substantial piece here, though the leap in his last lines, trying to join the events of the 1960s to that of 1989, was a bit of an awkward stretch. PJ Thum's essay, lumping "the Chinese" into one homogeneous, undifferentiated Leftist mass, dreaming of Freedom, ventriloquized through just (unnamed, untitled) citations from Nanyang Siang Pau and Sin Chew Jit Poh, was a little problematic too, to say the least, especially for someone who calls himself a historian so loudly.
Overall, this book gave a useful insight into the pain suffered by political detainees. It is also full of rage and pain, directed along the generally same lines, for about 6 or 7 essays. A different set of voices to Singapore stories, but one that start to sound the same after awhile, perhaps dimmed by the distance of the years, and the inevitable weaving of their experiences together. Different, but a little unfocused.
The emotional argument is slightly different from the security argument. The personal cost the detainees paid was surely immense, but it follows a different logic from the justifications that led to these arrests.
There is a lot of (justifiable, understandable) rage here, but as a faraway reader, it makes the reading rather difficult after awhile. How many times would you like to read about the PAP being slammed as a grim dictatorship with no morals, etc etc etc? If you like that sort of echo-chamber thing, then this book is for you. Again, I'm not saying these feelings are wrong, I'm just saying it doesn't make for very differentiated reading after awhile.
I also wonder about some of the silences in these stories. Many of these accounts are from people who ended up in pretty decent places after their arrests, whether as doctors or lawyers. Would there be space for working-class voices here?
Genderly, Teo Soh Lung also appears as the only woman in this collection of essays, if im not wrong. Would have been more poignant to also collect the accounts of the mothers and children who had to soldier on with their lives with their husbands and fathers detained in prison for the better part of 2 decades. I wonder what their lives were like? Surely it must be damn difficult to raise a family while your husband is in jail for HIS beliefs. What were the beliefs, perspectives, emotions of the wives and mothers left behind? Why weren't their stories included? What kind of familial devastation did the state leave in its wake? That would have made a sharper emotional point too. Hmm.
Wade's essay was the most academically substantial piece here, though the leap in his last lines, trying to join the events of the 1960s to that of 1989, was a bit of an awkward stretch. PJ Thum's essay, lumping "the Chinese" into one homogeneous, undifferentiated Leftist mass, dreaming of Freedom, ventriloquized through just (unnamed, untitled) citations from Nanyang Siang Pau and Sin Chew Jit Poh, was a little problematic too, to say the least, especially for someone who calls himself a historian so loudly.
Overall, this book gave a useful insight into the pain suffered by political detainees. It is also full of rage and pain, directed along the generally same lines, for about 6 or 7 essays. A different set of voices to Singapore stories, but one that start to sound the same after awhile, perhaps dimmed by the distance of the years, and the inevitable weaving of their experiences together. Different, but a little unfocused.
October 21, 2014
In the preface to The 1963 Operation Coldstore in Singapore: Commemorating 50 years , the authors announce that this volume is ‘an effort to remember the arrest and detention of 133 men and women on 2 February 1963’. The book starts by Illustrating that Operation Coldstore matters because it's a key event in the creation of Modern Singapore and the emergence of a one-party state in Singapore.
Given the clear importance and impact of Operation Coldstore on Singapore, it is surprising that it took fifty years for such a volume to be published. For those who do not know much about the history of Singapore (a general audience or inexperienced reader), this book can be a difficult read as prior knowledge is assumed. It is therefore recommended to do research prior to reading the book.
Operation Coldstore was launched to arrest and detain anti-government progressive left activists, including key members of the opposition political party Barisan Sosialis (opposing to the People’s Action Party (PAP)). The Federation agreed for a merger (into Malaysia), if the progressive left would be arrested. As the editors write, ‘half a century after Operation Coldstore, there are enough former political detainees who are determined to assert their right to be left’. To address this issue, the book tries to answer the main fundamental question of how Singapore evolved to be a single party state.
The book is distinguished into two main sections. The first section provides a documentary of Operation Coldstore developed by three authors. The narrative by George Wade (developed from British records) concludes that the operation was ‘intended to ensure that the British policy of Greater Malaysia was realized, and that the PAP was able to achieve dominance’. He continues to describe Operation Coldstore as an intention to eliminate credible political opposition.
An interesting narrative is added by Tsum Pin Tjin, who writes based on Chinese-language sources. As most of the information on Operation Coldstore is dominated by British sources, Tjin adds insights from the values and assumptions of the dominating cultural group in Singapore. Tjin addresses how Lee Kuan Yew was able to win power as an intermediary between opposing forces (the colonial power and the electorate). The historian illustrates how challenging it is to navigate the political (colonial) environment from multiple perspectives and thereby the complications in building a nation of multiethnic nature.
As a concluding chapter of the first section, Hong Lysa’s compares the English and Chinese education. The PAP narrative of ‘3-3 versus 4-2 system’, addresses the PAP’s policy on Chinese education, the core of the contradictions in identity politics and national building in Singapore.
While the first section provides a historical context of Operation Coldstore, the second section of the volume adds an autobiographical narrative from former (political) detainees and anticolonial left-wing forces. The ten chapters are mostly based on personal experiences from these individuals, illustrating their political activities and life in/after prison. This adds tremendous value and is a crucial contribution in understanding the Singaporean history. It also breaks the silence of the topic of political detention without trial. The chapters all have their own contribution, but do not to have a clear organized structure.
However, putting the chapters together for an overall argument, the narrative that emerges is opposition. Nowadays, former political detainees no longer feel the urge to suppress their past. This book reminds people of how little was known about the history of Singapore politics and how it relates to the Internal Security Act (discussed separately at the end of the book). The ISA is a written law that allows the implementation of ‘preventive detention’. This act was initiated in 1963 and was aimed at suppressing violence against the national security of Singapore. The Act is used to this day. In chapter 4, Poh Soo Kai describes ‘they have spoken up whenever there was occasion to, to give account to their history’. This volume speaks as a joint effort to challenge the justifications given for Operation Coldstore to occur and fight the forces that try to silence them. By doing so, Singaporeans can understand the origin of their history and it’s birth as a nation.
A critique here can be derived from the editors claiming the first-person narratives are supported by academic contributions. At certain points, however, the objectivity of the books can be questioned. After all, autobiographical writings about being detained and/or tortured can bring out (subjective) emotions. Chapter 5 by ‘Lim Hock Siew’, for example, was extracted from transcripts of interviews given by him. He would then go through the final draft, but he passed away before he could review it. Although he was the longest serving political detainee in the history of Malaya, the main judgments in this chapter are developed from his speeches, and therefore based on personal interpretation of the editors.
Expanding further onto the motion of opposition, Tan Kok Fang’s chapter (9) adds a rather revolutionary statement; ‘Today, we are able to stand upright with our heads high because we occupy the moral high ground, not them!’. Could the publishing of this book be seen as revolutionary? The editors stated: “despite attempts by the state to silence ex-detainees, by warning that it would not be permitted to rewrite the state’s official version of history, this volume has done just that”. According to the American political scientist Jack Goldstone , the volume could be seen as an attempt for revolutionary work. He has defined revolution as “an effort to transform the political institutions and the justifications for political authority in society, accompanied by formal or informal mass mobilization and non-institutionalized actions that undermine authorities”. The book can be seen as partially in line with this statement, as it is an attempt to transform the justifications for political authority.
The fundamental question to be answered here: will this book change the nature of the state power that runs through Singapore? Perhaps it is too soon to call this phenomenon an attempt to a revolution, and transition or change is a more suitable term. The article on Operation Coldstore by PJ Thum , shares this thought. According to Thum, the Barisan was fighting a battle to transform into either proceed with an equal merger or become fully independent. Perhaps we could call this (an attempt for) a revolution, if they were able to achieve ‘mass mobilization’. Instead, these attempts were shot down.
Hong Lysa’s blog adds to this by stating that ‘writing of Operation Coldstore is part of a larger justification and fight for change to the status quo on the part of those who were suppressed. The former political detainees write to set the record straight. There has not been any serious and substantive challenge to their contention, only indirect responses to the writers.’
Therefore, I believe that Operation Coldstore and the transition in history is a political move rather than an actual revolution. This volume is the voice of those who suffered in 1963 and provides reasons to why justification is required. As Hong Lysa argues, ‘It is a difficult transition to make; it calls for an entirely new social compact which repudiates the old. It is a particularly exciting time to be a student of history in Singapore today.’
Given the clear importance and impact of Operation Coldstore on Singapore, it is surprising that it took fifty years for such a volume to be published. For those who do not know much about the history of Singapore (a general audience or inexperienced reader), this book can be a difficult read as prior knowledge is assumed. It is therefore recommended to do research prior to reading the book.
Operation Coldstore was launched to arrest and detain anti-government progressive left activists, including key members of the opposition political party Barisan Sosialis (opposing to the People’s Action Party (PAP)). The Federation agreed for a merger (into Malaysia), if the progressive left would be arrested. As the editors write, ‘half a century after Operation Coldstore, there are enough former political detainees who are determined to assert their right to be left’. To address this issue, the book tries to answer the main fundamental question of how Singapore evolved to be a single party state.
The book is distinguished into two main sections. The first section provides a documentary of Operation Coldstore developed by three authors. The narrative by George Wade (developed from British records) concludes that the operation was ‘intended to ensure that the British policy of Greater Malaysia was realized, and that the PAP was able to achieve dominance’. He continues to describe Operation Coldstore as an intention to eliminate credible political opposition.
An interesting narrative is added by Tsum Pin Tjin, who writes based on Chinese-language sources. As most of the information on Operation Coldstore is dominated by British sources, Tjin adds insights from the values and assumptions of the dominating cultural group in Singapore. Tjin addresses how Lee Kuan Yew was able to win power as an intermediary between opposing forces (the colonial power and the electorate). The historian illustrates how challenging it is to navigate the political (colonial) environment from multiple perspectives and thereby the complications in building a nation of multiethnic nature.
As a concluding chapter of the first section, Hong Lysa’s compares the English and Chinese education. The PAP narrative of ‘3-3 versus 4-2 system’, addresses the PAP’s policy on Chinese education, the core of the contradictions in identity politics and national building in Singapore.
While the first section provides a historical context of Operation Coldstore, the second section of the volume adds an autobiographical narrative from former (political) detainees and anticolonial left-wing forces. The ten chapters are mostly based on personal experiences from these individuals, illustrating their political activities and life in/after prison. This adds tremendous value and is a crucial contribution in understanding the Singaporean history. It also breaks the silence of the topic of political detention without trial. The chapters all have their own contribution, but do not to have a clear organized structure.
However, putting the chapters together for an overall argument, the narrative that emerges is opposition. Nowadays, former political detainees no longer feel the urge to suppress their past. This book reminds people of how little was known about the history of Singapore politics and how it relates to the Internal Security Act (discussed separately at the end of the book). The ISA is a written law that allows the implementation of ‘preventive detention’. This act was initiated in 1963 and was aimed at suppressing violence against the national security of Singapore. The Act is used to this day. In chapter 4, Poh Soo Kai describes ‘they have spoken up whenever there was occasion to, to give account to their history’. This volume speaks as a joint effort to challenge the justifications given for Operation Coldstore to occur and fight the forces that try to silence them. By doing so, Singaporeans can understand the origin of their history and it’s birth as a nation.
A critique here can be derived from the editors claiming the first-person narratives are supported by academic contributions. At certain points, however, the objectivity of the books can be questioned. After all, autobiographical writings about being detained and/or tortured can bring out (subjective) emotions. Chapter 5 by ‘Lim Hock Siew’, for example, was extracted from transcripts of interviews given by him. He would then go through the final draft, but he passed away before he could review it. Although he was the longest serving political detainee in the history of Malaya, the main judgments in this chapter are developed from his speeches, and therefore based on personal interpretation of the editors.
Expanding further onto the motion of opposition, Tan Kok Fang’s chapter (9) adds a rather revolutionary statement; ‘Today, we are able to stand upright with our heads high because we occupy the moral high ground, not them!’. Could the publishing of this book be seen as revolutionary? The editors stated: “despite attempts by the state to silence ex-detainees, by warning that it would not be permitted to rewrite the state’s official version of history, this volume has done just that”. According to the American political scientist Jack Goldstone , the volume could be seen as an attempt for revolutionary work. He has defined revolution as “an effort to transform the political institutions and the justifications for political authority in society, accompanied by formal or informal mass mobilization and non-institutionalized actions that undermine authorities”. The book can be seen as partially in line with this statement, as it is an attempt to transform the justifications for political authority.
The fundamental question to be answered here: will this book change the nature of the state power that runs through Singapore? Perhaps it is too soon to call this phenomenon an attempt to a revolution, and transition or change is a more suitable term. The article on Operation Coldstore by PJ Thum , shares this thought. According to Thum, the Barisan was fighting a battle to transform into either proceed with an equal merger or become fully independent. Perhaps we could call this (an attempt for) a revolution, if they were able to achieve ‘mass mobilization’. Instead, these attempts were shot down.
Hong Lysa’s blog adds to this by stating that ‘writing of Operation Coldstore is part of a larger justification and fight for change to the status quo on the part of those who were suppressed. The former political detainees write to set the record straight. There has not been any serious and substantive challenge to their contention, only indirect responses to the writers.’
Therefore, I believe that Operation Coldstore and the transition in history is a political move rather than an actual revolution. This volume is the voice of those who suffered in 1963 and provides reasons to why justification is required. As Hong Lysa argues, ‘It is a difficult transition to make; it calls for an entirely new social compact which repudiates the old. It is a particularly exciting time to be a student of history in Singapore today.’
December 8, 2016
Great anthology of essays from various people who have investigated or even gone through detention during the infamous Operation Coldstore of 1963, and subsequent detentions after that including into the new millennium! Hard to read some of the stuff - the harsh treatments during detentions - but makes for riveting reading on the early years of Modern Singapore. Nice to have a different perspective from the other books published during that era which tows certain party lines.
April 19, 2014
revolutionary.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews