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 Understanding the Dewan Rakyat provides a comprehensive profile of the Lower House of Parliament in Malaysia, known as the Dewan Rakyat, as a measure of the state of the country's parliamentary democracy. The book provides answers to help readers understand Malaysia's system of governance, and how power is vested
in Parliament, in the speaker of the House, and in those who are elected to represent the people. For the first time in Malaysia, the book also compiles the profiles of all 222 Members of Parliament (MPs) who were elected in 2008. These profiles were obtained through The Nut Graph's MP Watch: Eye on Parliament online project, and provide voters with a sense of how their respective MPs would vote on issues that affect Malaysia's democracy.  The People's Action Party, the nation's ruling party since 1959, made Singapore a byword for political status quo. The electorate was known to be stolid, politically apathetic, indifferent. Until 2011. In a general election that witnessed Singaporeans' desire to alter the political landscape, the PAP saw its vote slide to an all-time low since Singapore's independence. The opposition Workers' Party secured six parliamentary seats. It was a significant breakthrough. Opposition parties have always been confronted with major obstacles on their road to Parliament, not least the multi-seat electoral divisions known as Group Representation Constituencies. With the fall of Aljunied GRC to the WP and the defeat of two Cabinet ministers, GE2011 shattered the ruling party's aura of virtue and invincibility.
Breakthrough: Roadmap for Singapore's Political Future examines the circumstances and context of WP's parliamentary gains, and where almost 2 out of 5 Singaporean voters opted for an opposition party. Singapore's electorate, post-GE2011, is polarised between those who subscribe to the status quo and those who want it altered irrevocably. As a consequence, Singapore's political future is certain to be marked by unexpected twists and turns, many of which will likely be counter-intuitive.  These 9 papers are from the 2010 international workshop of the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. After an introductory overview the specialist papers explore: ASEAN Defence Establishment roles in the evolving Regional architecture; ASEAN's quest for practical security cooperation through the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-plus Processes; The Five Power Defence arrangements and Regional Security Architecture; the Shangri-La Dialogues; the relevance of Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI) to the ADMM; Trends, prospects and challenges in Defence Diplomacy; China's Defence Diplomacy in Southeast Asia; US Defence Diplomacy in Southeast Asia.  This collection of papers examines a variety of topics on the Chinese in Malaysia: the nature of Malaysian multi-ethnic society and the position of the ethnic Chinese, the conflation between ethnicity and religion, the 8 March 2008 election and its impact on the community, the similarities and dissimilarities of the Chinese positions in East and West Malaysia, the new developments in the economy, and the media and education in the past few decades under the New Economic Policy which have major bearings on the 8 March 2008 election and the post-election Malaysian Chinese community.  Why does the issue of Tibet rouse such passions on both sides? And is there any way to find common ground? Chinese-speaking journalist Annelie Rozeboom worked as a foreign correspondent in China for ten years. During that time she was able to interview numerous Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet, as well as Chinese residents, Western observers and the Dalai Lama himself. As these people explain their life stories, it becomes clear to the reader why they think the way they do. The book also shows how history washed over this remote kingdom and how the Tibetans and the Chinese came to take such opposing positions. Waiting for the Dalai Lama is a uniquely valuable book which approaches the emotive issue of Tibet from all angles.  Red Star Over Malaya is an account of the inter-racial conflicts between Malays and Chinese during the final stages and the aftermath of the Japanese occupation. As Japanese forces retreated into the big cities, the Chinese guerrillas of the communist-led resistance movement, the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), emerged from the jungle and took control of some 70 per cent of the country's smaller towns and villages. The ensuing conflict involving the Malayan Communist Party, the Malay population, and the British Military Administration marked a crucial stage in the history of Malaya.
Based on extensive archival research in Malaysia, Great Britain, Japan and the United States, Red Star Over Malaya provides a riveting account of the way the Japanese occupation reshaped colonial Malaya, and of the tension-filled months that followed surrender. This book is fundamental to an understanding of social and political developments in Malaysia during the second half of the 20th century.  In 1819, when Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore, he was accompanied by two French naturalists. Ever since, French missionaries, merchants, planters and other pioneers have contributed to its economic, educational and cultural development. Be inspired and entertained by the colourful stories of personalities, such as J. Casteleyns (who built the first hostelry, the Hotel de l'Europe, in 1857), Father Jean-Marie Beurel (who constructed the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd and St Joseph's Institution) and Alfred Clou?t (who started the well-known Ayam Brand canned sardines business). Amply illustrated with photographs, paintings, sketches, old documents and maps, The French in Singapore is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to discover the little-known history of the French in the Singapore we know today.  The author, a Former Assistant Director of Education, Singapore, writes informally of Dr. Goh Keng Swee (1919-2010) under whom he worked for 11 years in the Staff College when Dr. Goh was Minister of Defence and as a Senior Inspector in the Ministry of Education when he was Minister there. These anecdotes highlight many of the methods, aims and attitudes which enabled Dr. Goh's vast range of achievements on which so much of Singapores life economy and defence has been and is still built upon. With archival photographs, personal photographs and amended documents.  This coffee-table album, produced jointly by the National Archives of Malaysia and Singapore, illuminates the background, construction and roles played by the Singapore-Johore Causeway since its 1924 opening. Maps, plans, records, memories and photographs from personal and archival sources trace the long planning and negotiations which preceded the Causeway's construction and its 1924 official opening of the rail and road interchange. Highlighted are the Causeway's impact on the area's multilateral development and its role in WWII when it formed a route for the withdrawal of British troops who then blew it up on 31 January 1942. Photographs show the Causeway's reestablishment following WWII and the vast constructions and extensions of the checkpoints built at both ends following the 1965 Separation of Malaysia and Singapore and the 1967 introduction of separate Immigration Controls. With illustrations, glossary and index.  These 50 short articles originally published in the Borneo Times shed light on Brunei and the lives of Bruneians past and present. Rozan Yunos is a Bruneian with a distinguished career in Shell and the Bruneian civil service and a lively interest in local history. With archival photographs.  Great Expatations gives an eye-opening glimpse of bewildering situations that expats in Singapore may find themselves in. It features contributors of varied nationalities and professions, and peels away the many layers that make up Singapore, the island that many expats have come to love.
Totally sincere and without hypocrisy, they reveal what they love and dislike about this Little Red Dot they call home. They share with open honesty and lightheartedness that will delight fellow expats who have had similar experiences and offer Singaporeans a whole new perspective on their local way of life. A glossary of Singlish terms is included to help non-Singaporeans who are absolutely clueless about the local lingo used in the book.  Written and designed to be easily accessible, this book attempts to shed new light on the Chinese community in Malaysia. It is an attempt to correct misconceptions about the character of the Chinese community and its influence politically, culturally and socially. Rita Sim groups the Chinese community into three clusters: G1 - the Chinese-literate; G2 - the non Chinese-literate; and G3 - the overlap between G1 and G2. She examines the characteristics of these three clusters, including their social relationships, way-of-life and communications methods, and the impact they have on Malaysian politics, economics and religion.  No one represents diversity better than Eurasians - those individuals with a mix of Caucasian and Asian heritage. Once a source of shame, the Eurasian face has become the face that sells. It is the face with which everyone can identify. In an ever-shrinking world, the search is on for a one-size-fits-all global image. Eurasians have become the world's poster boys and girls, much sought after as actors and models. Taking advantage of increasingly tolerant times and the growing commercial and cultural exchanges between East and West, Eurasians have gained prominence as entrepreneurs, professionals and athletes. This book of interviews and black-and-white portraits reveals how seventy Eurasians of diverse backgrounds see their place in the world today.  The Cliff Richard and the Shadows concert in November 1961 opened the floodgates for Singapore pop music. It and subsequent pop music developments made for a very exciting pop scene in Singapore as there were releases to look forward to every week from EMI, Philips, Decca and other record companies, including local labels. With shows almost nightly and tea dances to welcome the week it was pop heaven. This book examines why it was so. Individual profiles of the bigger acts study their careers in details and trends like rhythm and blues, the blues movement and pyschedelia are examined. The attitudes of officialdom to this phenomenon in Singapore as well as other factors like the infrastructure that helped the sixties pop music movement are also discussed.  The Chinese Admiral Zheng He (1371-1435) is widely known as a near-legendary seafarer but Professor Hum of the NUS Business School draws from his experiences and writings many principles of management which are applicable in today's contexts. In Part 1 the Admiral's leadership and non-confrontational management are described and contrasted with the classic principles of the Art of War set out by Sun Zi. In Part 2 Zheng He's leadership principles and practices, human resource management and logistics and supply chain management are all related to contemporary contexts. The final chapter looks at the implications for management practices of the Admiral's religious faith. With reference notes and index.  The baby boomers have come of age - the first cohort born in 1946 is now 65 years old. The pervasive themes in this book are mental resilience, the ethical mind and life satisfaction. What factors influenced and determined the lives of 40 young lads from a small Malaysian town who were from the same school in 1964? Their experiences and life stories are juxtaposed with another group of baby boomers in Singapore. This book is, in essence, a quantitative and qualitative study of their collective experiences. There are many books on gerontology in the libraries and bookshops, but they are all written from the British or American perspective. Ageing Baby Boomers is written from an Asian perspective, viewed through the lens of time by a doctor who has lived and worked on both sides of the Causeway. Professor Kua Ee-Heok hopes it will ignite interest, like the yeast for the unleavened bread; its effervescence will give rise to new ideas in addressing the most pressing issue of the age - the ageing of the baby boomers.  The wide ranging influence of Asian art has pervaded artistic styles throughout the world, from Art Nouveau to the Impressionsists, from Klimt to Van Gogh. This wonderful new book spans a thousand years with an incredible sweep of fine, decorative and three dimensional art, represented by China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Tibet, Indonesia, Burma, Vietnam and Cambodia.  Eko Nugroho (b. 1977) is one of Indonesia's hottest rising stars. He is a member of the artistic and intellectual community that centres on the vibrant central Java city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Working across media, form and presentation, Eko's works often forces an interface between high art and street and popular culture. He works in diverse media, creating paintings, murals, videos, handmade zines with collage and drawings, and also collaborates with local machinists to produce beautiful embroideries. Eko has participated in numerous international shows. This is his first monograph, and documents the artist's career from the early 2000s up till 2011. Includes an in-depth interview by Enin Supriyanto with the artist.  This elegant and compelling coffee table book unveils ten of Asia''s best-loved boutique jewellers. Iconic yet discreet, these designers fuse their own personal style with a high sense of art, creating inspirational style and jewellery trends for fashion-forward women in this part of the world. The book reveals the designers' influences; how they developed a signature style; their design process from an emotion or idea to the finished piece; and their opinions on how to wear jewellery, combine it with fashion, and how to make old pieces new again. Beautiful photography adorns this superbly designed, vellum-jacketed book.  The Piccus Collection of Tibetan Rugs was formed during an exciting "window of opportunity" that existed during the 80s and 90s to collect in this previously little-known area. The Collection demonstrates the genuine aesthetic sense and cultural achievements of the unknown Tibetan weavers who produced these masterpieces. The book tells the story of the rugs' collection, the individuals involved and the evolution of scholarship in this field. Beautifully illustrated, the book is divided into design categories, including Tigers and Leopards, Dragons, Tantric, Geometrics, Medallions, Warp Face Backs, and Nomadic, among others. It also includes technical information and a visual glossary that will be useful for collectors and designers alike. The book documents a previously little-known aspect of Tibetan history and culture that deserves to be recognized and is an essential addition to any collector's and design libraries.  Jack Shepherd is sick of Washington politics, sick of corporate law, and even a little sick of himself. So he hits the road looking for a new start, makes a couple wrong turns, and somehow winds up in Hong Kong. Now he needs a job, and being General Chalerm Kitnarock's lawyer is a job, so he takes it.
He could do worse. Charlie Kitnarock is the world's 98th richest man and controls billions in assets. But he's also a former prime minister of Thailand living in exile in Dubai where he is plotting his return to power. For Shepherd, that could be a real problem. The new prime minister is Kathleeya Srisophon, a woman with whom Shepherd was once involved.
Then Shepherd discovers Charlie is smuggling arms to his supporters in Thailand. Is he going to assassinate Kate and use the Thai army to seize control of the country.
Thailand is hurtling closer and closer to a bloody civil war. And as unlikely as it sounds, Jack Shepherd may be the only person on earth who can stop it.  Malay Sketches is a collection of stories that borrows its name from a book of anecdotes by
colonial governor Frank Swettenham, describing Malay life on the Peninsula. In Alfian Sa'at's
hands, these sketches are reimagined as flash fictions that record the lives of members of the
Malay community in Singapore. With precise and incisive prose, Malay Sketches offers the
reader profound insights into the realities of life as an ethnic minority.  Literary Singapore is a directory of 139 writers actively writing in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, the country's four official languages. It represents a spectrum of acclaimed, distinguished, celebrated or recognized writers and artists, and offers a broad range of voices in contemporary Singaporean writing, and a comprehensive look at Singaporean writers from different generations, writing in different languages, styles and genres. It includes useful information on publishers, related organizations and literary journals in Singapore. It is a rich resource, a useful guide and an interesting compilation.  This invaluable cookery book has a delicious collection of Thai and Chinese recipes. Whether you want to create a fabulous family meal or entertain guests, you will find a flavourful and appetising dish here. The easy-to-follow text and delectable photographs make it simple to create delectable dishes in your own home - from Savoury Wontons to Ginger Lobster.  KidsGo! Hong Kong is packed with suggestions for exciting things to do and places to check out, so that you can make the most of every day while you are in Hong Kong. Armed with fascinating facts and ideas, you can give great suggestions to make your trip fun, carefree and memorable for every member of your family, from the toddlers to the teens to the grown-ups!
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