Completing The Singapore Story? : Memoirs of A.Mahdeva
Published by Word Image
Mahadeva, the founding secretary-general of the Singapore National Union of Journalists (SNUJ), suddenly found himself in the news when he was arrested in 1963 under Operation Coldstore. This is his story, told posthumously by one of his brothers, who delved into the rich collection of Maha’s documents and publications he kept over the years.
Imprisoned without trial as a security threat with more than a hundred other political and union leaders, he had no recourse but to subject himself to six years of unjustified detention.
These memoirs not only chart Mahadeva’s life and beliefs, but also question the orthodox Singapore Story that now conveniently frames and justifies his and his cohort’s imprisonment without trial – some for as long as nearly two to three decades.
About the Author
ARUN BALA is one of those scholars with an uncommon breadth of interest. With an M.Sc. in Physics (University of Singapore), and an M.Sc. in Logic and Scientific Method (University of Sussex), he went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Philosophy (University of Western Ontario).
He held teaching and research appointments in philosophy in the National University of Singapore and the University of Toronto.
As one of Maha’s younger siblings (with a gap of 16 years), Arun wanted to discover the role played by his brother in Singapore’s anti-colonial struggle. Over 20 years this led him down a path of discovery—not only of Maha’s journey, but also the birth of post-colonial Singapore.