Dissident Voices: Personalities in Singapore's Political History

by Clement Mesenas

They stood firm on their convictions despite the odds. Some paid a heavy toll for their beliefs - deprivations, long prison terms, lonely lives in self-imposed exile. But they never broke. Some will say the unflinching attitude of these dissidents against what they perceived as coercive authority has been an exercise in futility. Yet others say the course of Singapore's history might have been altered if their will had prevailed. Their stories need to be told. The first of its kind, this book will inform and educate than glorify their tough stance. These short memoirs are a record of human endurance, exemplifying the extreme sacrifices some people will make in pursuit of their ideals. Written by veteran journalist Clement Mesenas, this book chronicles the lives of ten leading dissidents - Ong Eng Guan, Catherine Lim, Francis Seow, Lim Hock Siew, Tan Wah Piow, Chia Thye Poh, David Marshall, Lim Chin Siong, Said Zahari and Vincent Cheng.

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short book which covers some well-known and other lesser known dissidents of Singapore. I felt some of the chapters were a little skimpy,perhaps the author just did not have enough information to do a more in-depth coverage of the respective people. Another criticism I have would be that the chapter on Catherine Lim seem to cover quite a lot on her dressing and figure which has nothing to do with the political side of her.

[Siva Kumar]

I believe there are two sides to history, one is actually what happened and another what "they" want to you believe as what happended.