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E W Barker: The People's Minister
“Barker was not a natural politician – he lacked raw political ambition and the consuming passion of the ideologically driven. He was a natural leader – in sports, in school. He also had a
first rate mind; he was a Queen’s Scholar. He was a renaissance gentleman and a human being comfortable in his own skin – no chip on the shoulder, nothing to prove and not one to seek out the political limelight.
As such, one tends to forget how much he was a crucial element in our birth as a sovereign nation – this reluctant politician was the legal mid-wife of Singapore’s Separation and birth
as an independent nation; the man who as Speaker shaped the conventions and order of a new Parliament; the man who as Minister was behind some of our most important nation-ilding endeavor like public housing, reclamation etc.
Many remark how we remember the man that Eddie Barker was and forget he was a Minister because the human being in him was always so much larger and deeper and real than any
institutional role he played at any one time.
This book attempts to piece together the story of Eddie Barker – his deeds, his accomplishments and the extraordinary life he led being the man that he was – and just how much Singaporeans and Singapore have been the beneficiaries of it.”
– Mr Benny Lim, former Permanent Secretary for National Development and former Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, who retired in April 2016
first rate mind; he was a Queen’s Scholar. He was a renaissance gentleman and a human being comfortable in his own skin – no chip on the shoulder, nothing to prove and not one to seek out the political limelight.
As such, one tends to forget how much he was a crucial element in our birth as a sovereign nation – this reluctant politician was the legal mid-wife of Singapore’s Separation and birth
as an independent nation; the man who as Speaker shaped the conventions and order of a new Parliament; the man who as Minister was behind some of our most important nation-ilding endeavor like public housing, reclamation etc.
Many remark how we remember the man that Eddie Barker was and forget he was a Minister because the human being in him was always so much larger and deeper and real than any
institutional role he played at any one time.
This book attempts to piece together the story of Eddie Barker – his deeds, his accomplishments and the extraordinary life he led being the man that he was – and just how much Singaporeans and Singapore have been the beneficiaries of it.”
– Mr Benny Lim, former Permanent Secretary for National Development and former Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, who retired in April 2016
400 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2016
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 27, 2018
The beginning was a little bit repetitive and boring with the first 30-40 pages emphasising the same narrative. Barker was a good man, a sportsman, a people's person, contributed a lot to Singapore' development. It was quite bad to the point that I wanted to stop reading it. However, I am glad that I withheld my judgement and pressed on to finish the book.
From this book, I have learned many new things which kind of filled in the gaps of the other founding fathers' biographies and what I have learned from various history books. As a 25 year old Singaporean, I wasn't aware of how much of my surrounding can be attributed to Eddie Barker. It started off with his relations with other founding father and how he went to join politics despite being not at all interested in it during his early days. He was also crucial to the drafting of the separation treaty with Malaysia. The book further described his role in the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of Law, imbuing his attitude and character into it. As I read towards the end, I soon realised he was probably the most eccentric PAP minister we ever had. You would never imagine politicians to be anything like him today. They say that without LKY, we will never have modern Singapore. I would say without Eddie Barker, we will never Joseph Schooling, affordable HDBs and a water agreement so well-crafted that it has defended our sovereignty till today.
From this book, I have learned many new things which kind of filled in the gaps of the other founding fathers' biographies and what I have learned from various history books. As a 25 year old Singaporean, I wasn't aware of how much of my surrounding can be attributed to Eddie Barker. It started off with his relations with other founding father and how he went to join politics despite being not at all interested in it during his early days. He was also crucial to the drafting of the separation treaty with Malaysia. The book further described his role in the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of Law, imbuing his attitude and character into it. As I read towards the end, I soon realised he was probably the most eccentric PAP minister we ever had. You would never imagine politicians to be anything like him today. They say that without LKY, we will never have modern Singapore. I would say without Eddie Barker, we will never Joseph Schooling, affordable HDBs and a water agreement so well-crafted that it has defended our sovereignty till today.
Displaying 1 of 1 review