The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time
by
Ooi Kee Beng
|
This is the long-awaited biography of Malaysia’s powerful Home Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, who passed away of a heart attack on 2 August 1973. It is based on his private papers and on numerous interviews with his relatives and with people who knew him well, including Ghafar Baba, Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Robert Kuok, Lee Kuan Yew and Ghazalie Shafie. New perspectives are provided about the struggle for independence, Malaysia’s relationship with Singapore, the origins of Southeast Asian regionalism, the internal conflicts of the ruling party UMNO, MCA-UMNO ties, the fatal illness of Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the May 13 riots, and the New Economic Policy. This book contains not only new facts about Malaysian and Singaporean history, but also insights into the general processes of decolonization and nation building.
The book was published on 27 December, and stayed on Singapore Sunday Times’ Non-Fiction Bestseller List for six consecutive weeks (2-2-2-5-6-10).
Mass media coverage over the following months after publication includes the following:
In Malaysia’s New Straits Times:
- Write-ups, 31 December 2006
- “The Tunku never acknowledged my worth publicly”.
- “The man who saved Malaysia”.
- “We can make Malaysia a better country”.
- Six-part serialization, 1-6 January 2007
- “Secrets and all: A son shares a legacy”, interview with Tawfik Ismail by Abdul Razak Ahmad, 7 Jan 2007.
- “Tunku’s ‘great escape’ from Dr Ismail”, news report, 15 Jan 2007.
In Malaysia’s The Star:
- “Once a Penangite, always a Penangite”, interview with the author by Suhaini Aznam, 17 Jan 2007.
- “Reluctant but visionary”, interview with the author by Suhaini Aznam, 21 Jan 2007.
- (in South and East) “Dr Ismail an example of a towering Malay, says Musa”, by Meera Vijayan, 27 March 2006.
- “The reluctant politician”, book review by Suhaini Aznam, Sunday 24 June 2007.
- “Giving up medicine for Merdeka”, by Ooi Kee Beng in Founding Fathers Series (23 July 2007).
In Malaysia’s The Sun (18 Jan 2007):
In Malaysiakini.com Internet newspaper:
“The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time”, book review by Sharon Siddique, 11 April 2007.
In Malaysia’s Utusan Melayu (28 March 2007)
- “Biografi penuh makna” (A biography full of significance), by Zin Mahmud.
In Malaysia’s New Agency, Bernama:
- “Musa Told Aspiring Leaders To Emulate Tun Dr Ismail”, 22 March 2007.
In Malaysia’s The Edge:
- “The best prime minister Malaysia never had”, book review by Tommy Thomas, 23 April 2007.
In Malaysia’s Aliran Monthly:
- Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman: “The Third Man’ of Malaysian History”, book review by Johan Saravanamuttu, pp.28-31. Vol.27 (3).
In Malaysia’s Chinese-language Oriental Daily:
- Full-page coverage, 1 March 2007.
In Malaysia’s Catholic Asian News, February 2007:
- “The Liberal We Acutely Need”, book review by Terence Netto, February 2007.
On Radio Australia’s globally broadcast, Breakfast Club:
- “The best PM Malaysia never had… (The Reluctant Politician)”, live interview with the author Ooi Kee Beng on 2 April 2007 by Adelaine Ng and Philip Kafcaloudes.
In Singapore’s Straits Times:
- “A beacon of hope from the past”, 4 Jan 2006 (reprint of NST write-up).
- “Off the shelves and unwrapped – a 33-year-old secret”, 9 Jan 2007 (reprint of NST interview of Tawfik Ismail).
- “Book stirs interest in Malaysia’s ‘reluctant politician”, news report by Carolyn Hong, 10 Jan 2007.
- “Model of non-partisanship for his times – and ours”, interview with the author by Andy Ho, 22 Jan 2007.
- Five-part serialization, 23-27 Jan 2007.
- “Singapore-KL ties ‘should mirror relations between former leaders’”, by Leslie Lau, 23 March 2007.
- “The best PM Malaysia never had”, by Janadas Devan, 30 March 2007.
In Singapore’s Business Times:
- “A long-overdue story of an upright leader”, book review by S. Jayasankaran, 26 Jan 2007.
In Brunei Times and OpinionAsia.org:
In Asia Times Online, based in Bangkok:
In Singapore’s Berita Harian:
- “Tun Dr Ismail disegani”, opinion piece by Mohamad Rosle Ahmad.
Malaysian blogsite coverage:
- “Bloggers meet Kee Beng over breakfast interview”, and “A conversation with Dr Ooi Kee Beng” Friday, 23 March 2007.
- “Tun Musa Hitam on Bloggers”, 23 March 2007.
- “The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time”, 23 March 2007.
- “Tun Dr Ismail: No ordinary politician”, 28 March 2007.
- “Tun Dr Ismail…the Book”, by Pak Idrus, 11 April 2007.
- “Tun Dr. Ismail’s hypothesis on M’sia-S’pore re-merger”, 13 April 2007, mirrored in Malaysia Today, 14 April 2007.
* Book discussion forum with 20+ Malaysian bloggers at Valentine Willie Fine Art gallery, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur, on 20 April 2007.
* “Experiences Writing The Reluctant Politician”, talk by Ooi Kee Beng on 1 August 2007 in Kelana Jaya. Organized by University of New South Wales Alumni.
Launches:
- Central Library, Ngee Ann City, Orchard Road on 10 March 2007, as part of Singapore Book Publishers Association (SBPA) quarterly book launch;
- Danga Bay, Johor Bahru on 22 March 2007, officiated by former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam, organized by Karim Raslan Associates, ISEAS and Danga Bay;
- Park Royal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 23 March 2007, organized by the Melbourne University Alumni Association, Federal Territories and Selangor.
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The Malay version, Bukan Kerana Pangkat: Tun Dr Ismail dan Masanya, co-published by ISEAS Singapore and SIRD, Kuala Lumpur on 20 April 2007. Translated by Bashir Basalamah.
In Malaysia’s Berita Harian on 2-6 May 2007.
- Four-day serialization and commentary, 2-6 May 2007.
In Malaysia’s Bernama News Agency:
Launch by HRH Raja Nazrin Shah, Crown Prince of Perak, at Institute for Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, on 3 August 2007. Organised by Bernama News Agency.
Launch coverage in the media (besides extensive coverage on Bernama TV and Radio Television Malaysia, RTM One):
In Malaysia’s Bernama News Agency:
- “Raja Nazrin Overcome by Emotion at Book Launch”, 3 August 2007.
- “Raja Nazrin: Tun Dr Ismail a Malay Patriot, but Not a Racist”, 3 August 2007.
- “Raja Nazrin’s Stirring Call for Integrity”, 4 August 2007.
- “Tun Dr Ismail architect of national politics, says Bernama Chairman”, 4 August 2007.
In Malaysia’s Malay-language Berita Harian:
- “Dr Ismail miliki semangat Melayu tulen: Raja Nazrin”, by Mohamed Farid Noh, 4 August 2007.
In Malaysia’s Malay-language Utusan Melayu:
- “Raja Nazrin sebak”, by Ferfalie Fauzi, 4 August 2007.
In Malaysia’s The Star:
- “Follow vision of Tun Dr Ismail, leaders urged”, by Audrey Edwards, 4 August 2007.
In Malaysia’s The Sun:
- “Don’t take citizens’ loyalty for granted, Raja Nazrin to leaders”, 5 August 2007.
- “Revive principals of Ismail’s struggle”, English translation of Raja Nazrin Shah’s speech at the launch, 7 August 2007.
In Malaysia’s New Straits Times:
- “Moved by sacrifices of a ‘great’ Malaysian”, by Nisha Sabanayagam, 4 August 2007.
In Malaysia’s Weekend Mail:
- “Dr Ismail a Malay patriot but not a racist”, 4-5 August 2007.
On websites:
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