Make it Right for Singapore by Joshua Benjamin Jeyaratnam

Make it Right for Singapore is a compilation of Parliament speeches made by Joshua Benjamin Jeyaratnam (or more affectionately called JBJ) when he was a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament. JBJ was the first opposition leader to break the dominant one party system when he won the Anson by-election against a PAP candidate.

He was disqualified from being an MP when he insulted the judiciary and was charged in court. In the 1997 General Elections, he was the best loser in the Cheng San GRC ward and thus was appointed as NCMP.

After reading this book, I feel that he had made many repetitive speeches regarding political freedom in Singapore. The speeches were very rhetorical in nature and lacked focus on the bread-and-butter issues concerning most Singaporeans.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Mao Zedong by Delia Davin

There has been many books written about the great revolutionary figure, Mao Zedong. This book focuses on the family aspect of Mao Zedong.

With about 150 pages, it is impossible for the book to completely cover the nitty-gritty details of Mao's life. Hence this book makes a good starter for people to understand this revolutionary leader and take a look a little in depth into his marriages and love life.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism - Asian Values, Free Market Illusions and Political Dependency by Christopher Lingle

Author Christopher Lingle was previously a lecturer in National University of Singapore. After he wrote an article, in which alleging that the judiciary of Singapore is not independent, he was interviewed by the police. He later fled Singapore in fear that he would be heavily penalised by the government.

In Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism - Asian Values, Free Market Illusions and Political Dependency, Christopher Lingle sought to expose the fallacy of Asian Values and how the region is vulnerable in the near future.

The book is severely biased against Singapore's government and the reader would easily detect how the author routinely attempts to defend himself by condemning Asia Pacific states.

Overall Rating: 4/10

Representative Bureaucracy - Classic Readings and Continuing Controversies

Edited by Julie Dolan and David H. Rosenbloom.

Should the Bureaucracy be a representation of the population or the dominant forces of the population? Does the minority group compete with females to being represented in the Administration? This book has it all.

Representative Bureaucracy - Classic Readings and Continuing Controversies focuses on the United States of America as a context.

There are hypotheses and statistics to explain all about Representative Bureaucracy. Each chapter starts with a brief overview of the various views on a certain issue.

Overall Rating : 5/10

When Presdients Lie by Eric Alterman

Eric Alterman digs into the history of official deception and its consequences in his book, When Presidents Lie. He recognises the necessity of Presidents to lie under certain circumstances but dread the lies that result in war and subsequently the cause of unnecessary deaths. Yet those lies were created by American Presidents for self politically motivated purposes.

The case studies include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and the Yalta Conference; John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis; Ronald W. Reagan, Central America and the Iran-Contra Scandal; George W. Bush and the Post-Truth Presidency.

Eric Alterman draws on many sources in this heavily footnoted book to display a convincing portrayal of the Presidents. After reading When Presidents Lie, I felt disgusted and remained puzzled why someone of great power would want to wrest it this way...

Overall Rating : 10/10

The Future Role of Singapore by Dick Wilson

Published in 1972, The Future Role of Singapore depicts the problematic issues of the newly independent island-state republic. As the title of the book suggests, Dick Wilson analysed the trend of developments in Singapore and expressed his views on the future role of Singapore amidst a region that is catching up with development as well.

Dick Wilson believed that Singapore would be a step further from its neighbours while ensuring that they do not lag behind in terms of development. Singapore could contribute in their development as well.

Even though the book was published more than 3 decades ago, it is still relevant. The vulnerability of a small state with the absence of natural resources and geopolitical factors are going to stay on.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

What if There Had Been No Lee Kuan Yew? by Anthony Oei

From the condition of the book, you can see that this book had been read by many. The title of the books builds up our curiousity as readers. However, the title is misleading...

In What if there had been no Lee Kuan Yew? by Anthony Oei, the only mention of the question in the title lies in the last paragraph of the book.

Oei traces the life of Lee Kuan Yew from his childhood days to the formation of PAP and beyond. The last few paragraphs highlighted the main criticisms of Lee by his critics.

Oei is a former journalist who has worked for The Straits Times and Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, as well as for the Far Easter Economic Review of Hong Kong as its Singapore correspondent, and other magazines. He subsequently became the head of the EDB's Public Relations and Implementation Assistance Units.

Overall Rating: 7/10

The European Union : a guide through the EC/EU maze by Alex Roney and Stanley Budd

After reading The European Union: a guide through the EC/EU maze, I found myself slightly overwhelmed by the complexity of the European Union.

This book is useful for one to derive a basic understanding of the European Union, i.e. hierarchy, institutional bodies, memberships, etc.

For me, I thought that it served better as a reference than a leisure read due to the dryness of the writings.

Overall Rating: 3/10

From Kuan Yew to Chok Tong and beyond by George Nonis

From Kuan Yew to Chok Tong and beyond is one of the few books that carry political caricatures. In Singapore, cartoon drawings of political figures are seldom seen on newspapers due to the more restricted political expression within the state.

This is a comic book and carries jokes about Singapore. There is a previous comic book by George Nonis, entitled Hello Chok Tong, Goodbye Kuan Yew which caused some stir when it was released.

Meet the Cabinet Ministers aka players in the Singapore Young Lions as illustrated by George Nonis.

Bottom (from left): Abdullah Tarmugi - Mr Rock Steady, Lim Boon Heng - Mr Cupid, Lee Boon Heng - Best Trainee, Mah Bow Tan - Mr Goal 2010, Lim Hng Kiang - Young Player of the Year, Wong Kan Seng - The Singer, Lee Yock Suan - Mr Drama, Yeo Cheow Tong - Mr IT (intelligent tackles)
Top (from left): Goh Chok Tong - Mr Golden Boots, Teo Chee Hean - Mr Long Beans, George Yeo - The Thinker, Lee Hsien Loong - The Super Sub, Tony Tan - The Swinging Sub, Richard Hu - The Paymaker, S. Jayakumar - Mr Smiley, Lee Kuan Yew - Old Player of the Year

Overall Rating: 7/10

Foreign Policy and International Law by Charles G. Fenwick

Published in 1968, Foreign Policy and International Law is written by Charles G. Fenwick, a member of Pan American Union.

Foreign Policy and International Law looked into the following:

1. Character and Scope of Foreign Policy
2. The Community of Nations
3. Who speaks for whom in the World of Nations
4. National Security: 1776-1920
5. National Security: 1920-1942
6. The United Nations
7. The Rule of Law under the Charter, 1945-1968
8. Problems of National Self-government: Citizenship
9. Responsibility of the State for the Protection of Aliens and their Property
10. Special Obligations towards neighbouring States
11. Titles to Territory; National Boundaries
12. The High Seas
13. International Cooperation in the Enforcement and Administration of National Law
14. Treaties and Conventions
15. Diplomatic Agents; Consuls
16. Economic and Social Problems
17. The Settlement of International Disputes: Arbitration and Judicial Decision
18. Forcible Procedure by War

Foreign Policy and International Law is written from an American perspective and majority of it relates to the foreign policies of the United States.

Referring to case studies, Fenwick poses many questions for the reader to stipulate and think about the irrationality and abnormacy of certain acts by states.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins

Emphasising on the power of the individual to make a change on oneself is the main theme of Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins. In the more than 500 pages, Anthony Robbins literally talks to you as a reader.

More than just a motivational book, Anthony Robbins show readers how to better manage relationships, health, concerns from how to reduce crime rates to global warming. What's marvellous is that Anthony Robbins draw all the reference from the first part of the book, in which he explained how the human mindset worked.

Awaken the Giant Within gives a clear scope of how the brain works, how emotions work and how we can take control of them instead of the other way round.

Overall Rating: 10/10

How to Talk to Anyone - 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships by Leil Lowndes

The 92 Tricks for Big Success in Relationships are categorised into the following 9 parts:

• How to intrigue everyone without saying a word?
• How to know what to say after you say "Hi"
• Hot to talk like a VIP
• How to be an insider in every crowd: what are they all talking about
• How to sound like you are peas in a pod: "Why, we are just alike!"
• How to differentiate the power of praise from the folly of flattery
• How to direct dial their hearts
• How to work a party like a politician work a room
• How to break the most treacherous glass ceiling of all: sometimes people are tigers

Leil Lowndes, in her book, not only covered on how to talk to anyone, but it also revised and inspected some old methods and critically offered an updated alternative to them.

I really learnt a lot from her book. Every little thing count. You never know when you are going to be in a situation and you are not equipped with these tricks. Never waste your interviews or lose a prospect client ever again!

Overall Rating: 10/10

From Lee Kuan Yew to Goh Chok Tong by Shin Min Daily News

From Lee Kuan Yew to Goh Chok Tong is a compilation of news publications by Shin Min Daily News, a newspaper under the Singapore Press Holdings Corporation.

The first part of From Lee Kuan Yew to Goh Chok Tong provides coverage on Mr Lee Kuan Yew. From how he became the leader of Singapore, the book then interviewed the grassroots leaders and various individuals that had worked with him.

The second part of From Lee Kuan Yew to Goh Chok Tong then focuses on Mr Goh Chok Tong. Interviews from people who knew him before he stepped into politics shed some light into the nature and character of this great leader.

Overall Rating: 7/10

I Can Make You Rich by Paul McKenna

I Can Make You Rich consists of two parts - The Psychology of Wealth & Let's Go Make Money!

In the first half of the book, The Pyschology of Wealth includes methods of revamping your financial blueprint. McKenna adapted some concepts from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich as well as Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad. The book is equipped with a free hypnosis CD to be used in conjunction with the various book exercises. Part I of the book seeks to unravel all the negative thoughts about money that one could have, so that one is ready for the next part of the book...

Part II, Let's Go Make Money! consists of the following chapters:

• How to Make Money
• Assembling your Wealth Team
• A Proven Formula for Success
• The Simplest Business Plan in the World
• The Three Skills that Lead to Riches
• The Secrets of Living Rich

I Can Make You Rich is a very simple book to read. It is centred around the psychology of the human mind and how influencing the mind could lead you to a richer (not necessarily in the money sense) and happier life.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Business The Dell Way by Rebecca Saunders

Revealing the 10 Secrets of the World's Best Computer Business:

1. Mass Customise!
2. Get rid of Inventory
3. Love your Suppliers...
4. ... But Love Your Employees Even More
5. Be Direct!
6. You Are Your Customers
7. Never Stop Improving
8. Think and Act Global
9. Stay True to Your Talents
10. Manage Hypergrowth
    

Business The Dell Way is published in year 2000 but the content itself is still much relevant to date.

Rebecca Saunders provided an informative analysis on the success of Dell by quoting articles from various business analysts. She also added a summary of the pointers of success at the end of each chapter, which makes it easy for future reference.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Comparative Politics: A Theoretical Framework by Gabriel A. Almond, G. Bingham Powell, JR. Robert J. Mundt

Comparative Politics: A Theoretical Framework is a good text to study for an introduction into comparative politics.

Contents:

The Study of Comparative Politics
The Environment of the Political System
Political Socialisation and Political Culture
Political Recruitment and Political Structure
Interest Groups and Interest Articulation
Interest Aggregation and Political Parties
Government and Policymaking
Public Policy

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

The Politics of Policy-Making in Singapore by Ho Khai Leong

The Author is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore. He has also taught in the Master in Public Policy programme at NUS.

The Politics of Policy-Making in Singapore offers a critical analysis of the political dynamics that shape Singapore's public policies. It suggests that policy-making in Singapore involves a complex process of interaction among political institutions, and that the distribution of power among these institutions is hierachical and precarious. Thus, the book argues that the contestation of political interests occupies a central position in these stratified interactions, and this has been largely responsible for the types of policies and their impact.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Elections in Singapore by Pugalenthi SR

Elections in Singapore is a narrative summary of all the elections in Singapore from the Legislative Council General Elections of 1948 right up to the Presidential Elections of 1993. It encompasses all the By-Elections as well.

The book is easy to read and filled with quotes from the various politicians standing for elections. The purpose of the respective elections, the number of seats contested, the duration of political campaigning and the parties contesting were recorded in each chapter. Pugalenthi SR also pointed out the main issues that were debated during the Elections. Of course, each chapter ended with the results of the Election.

This book is a good read for people who want to see the whole big picture of Singapore politics via elections. However, readers would need to be equipped with some knowledge of Singapore politics before they could fully appreciate the contents.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

The Dynamics of One Party Dominance: The PAP At The Grass-roots by Chan Heng Chee

At time of writing Prof Chan Heng Chee was a lecturer with the Department of Political Science, University of Singapore (now called National University of Singapore). She is currently the Singapore Ambassador at United States.

The Dynamics of One Party Dominance: The PAP At The Grass-roots is a micro-study of the politics in Singapore and focuses on 5 constituencies - Chua Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Telok Ayer, Kg Kembagan, Crawford. These 5 constituencies represent the rural and the urban settlements in Singapore and thus acted as good range of reference for the study.

In this book, Prof Chan first described Singapore as an "administrative state", which would be frequently used by other authors and academics when they refer to the Singapore state.

Other issues covered in the book also include an analysis of the Opposition, grassroots composition at the different constituencies, as well as the voters' concerns at the domestic level.

As The Dynamics of One Party Dominance: The PAP At The Grass-roots is authored at around 1976, many of the issues covered might not be relevant now. In general, however, there are good sources of reference if one were to research for the domestic issues affecting Singaporean voters at the period of time.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Thinking Allowed? Politics, Fear and Change in Singapore by Warren Fernandez

At time of writing the book, Warren Fernandez was the Foreign Editor of The Straits Times, Singapore's leading English-language daily. Currently, he is the Deputy Editor and Foreign Editor.

Thinking Allowed? is a compilation of Warren Fernandez's articles written for The Straits Times. He had written for the column "Thinking Aloud". Arguing that there is politics in Singapore, Warren Fernandez illustrated his point with his viewpoints in various current affairs events related to local politics.

The Author expressed his moderate views and opinions in regard to government actions.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party by Diane K. Mauzy and R.S. Milne

This is a comprehensive overview of politics in Singapore since its independence in 1965 to the publication of the book in 2002.

The Authors present a moderate and balanced view in their depiction of the politics in Singapore under the PAP rule.

Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party covers the following topics:

What is remarkable about Singapore?
How Singapore became independent: Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP
Locations of power: the state and the government
The PAP: the structure and operation of a dominant party
Ideology of the leaders and for the populace
Economic policy for an independent Singapore
Supplying social services to the people
The dictates of ethnicity: language policy, education, and self-help
The successors: leadership trends in the PAP -- the search for top talent
Authoritarian aspects of PAP rule
Elections, electoral innovations, and the Opposition
The growth of civil society
Deterrence and diplomacy
Singapore in the future

Overall Rating: 9/10

Publish and Perish - The Censorship of Opposition Party Publications in Singapore edited by James Gomez

Publish and Perish - The Censorship of Opposition Party Publications in Singapore is a compilation of the Party Newspapers (SOLIDARITY, and then later renamed to NSP News) of the National Solidarity Party.

The book is edited by James Gomez, Founder of Think Centre and a Workers' Party Candidate for Aljunied GRC at the 2006 General Elections.

NSP is a relatively young political party in Singapore. It came into the limelight when its then Secretary-General Steve Chia managed to attain an Non-Constituency MP position for his performance in the Bukit Gombak Constituency. Publish and Perish - The Censorship of Opposition Party Publications in Singapore allows an insight of readers into the political views of the NSP and dispels the myth that there is no qualified opposition in Singapore.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

The Secret by Rhonda Brynes

The Secret, according to the author Rhonda Brynes, lies in the Law of Attraction. Originally casted as a film in 2006, the Secret brought together various academics and motivational speakers to bring insights to the darkest Secret. Rhonda Brynes also supported the Law of Attraction with quotes from Great people from history.

According to the Law of Attraction, "People's feelings and thoughts attract real events in the world into their lives; from the workings of the cosmos to interactions among individuals in their physical, emotional, and professional affairs."

While there are many fans behind The Secret, it also attracted much controversies over the acclamations made. I, for one, felt that The Secret makes a good read for people facing adversities. It gives one a reason to think positive and stay optimistic. However, for the general reader, The Secret seems to be over-exaggerated and simplified reality. The Author attempts to draw on quotes to strategically add credence to the Law of Attraction.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Singapore My Home Too by Chee Soon Juan

Another book by Secretary General of Singapore Democratic Party, Dr. Chee Soon Juan. "Singapore My Home Too" was written right after his book "Dare to Change: An Alternative Vision for Singapore".

A short glance at the table of contents shed some light into his area of discussion:

The Terrible Curse of Fear
Keeping Stomachs Full and Heads Empty
Intellectually Speaking
No Democracy Please, We're Asians
Meritocratic Humbug
Robin Hood
Looking Ahead

I particularly like this book as Dr. Chee patiently dispels all the urban legend and myth that the ruling party had entrenched in Singapore society. As always, the book is easy to read and self-explanatory even if you are a newbie in Singapore politics. If you have read his previous book, you might find some similar arguments in "Singapore My Home Too".

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

For reference, you might want to visit http://www.yoursdp.org

Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter and Holger Rathegeber

Learn some fundamental principles of leadership by reading this humorous fable story.

Through narrating how a group of penguins went ahead to convince the entire herd to react to the melting iceberg, the authors bring across the Eight Step Process of Successful Change.

1) Create a sense of urgency in the colony to deal with a difficult problem
2) put a carefully selected group in charge of guiding the change
3) found the sensible vision of a better future
4) communicated that vision so others would understand and accept it
5) removed as many obstacles to action as was practical
6) created some sort of success quickly
7) never let up until the new way of life was firmly established
8) ensured that the changes would not be overcomed by stubborn, hard-to-die traditions

Rating: 9.5/10

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

Learn the path to riches by reading the stories of Babylon. Over a mere hundred pages of wisdom generated from the realms of the wealthy city.

"The Richest Man in Babylon" educates one with the most fundamental financial notions.

Rating: 8.5/10

This is your Life, not a Dress Rehearsal by Jim Donovan

I borrowed this meaningful book from Andrew and completed in one day.

This is a very easy and simple to read book but it brings out much meanings to the ordinary man. For example, the author mentioned that all the people featured in the orbituaries thought they could live another day.

The author applied much of his concepts based on Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill but in a much direct manner and simplified basis. Over just slightly more than a hundred pages, the author managed to cast many important lessons deep into the mind.

Rating: 9/10

You and Your Money by Lois A. Vitt & Karen L. Murrell

I received this book as a gift from Wee Keat and Hwee Peng for my birthday.

You and Your Money is a very handy book for anyone that wants to start educating themselves financially. The authors use case studies of various individuals and their predicaments to illustrate their points throughout the book.

Even if you are already well-versed in financial education, You and Your Money contains a short little test that you could take to determine your values type. With the assessment, you can better understand yourself and how to minimise conflict with your family or spouse.

The down side of the book, I would critic, is that it gets dreary sometimes with too many examples.

Rating: 6.5/10