Reviews

FOR THE RECORD (almost)
While the encyclopedia is an A–Z book about Singapore, some prominent personalities were left out — but it is not because of censorship

Stephanie Yap

Anyone browsing the Ks in Singapore: The Encyclopedia will notice a glaring omission. There is no entry for Koh, Tommy, one of the country’s most prominent citizens. He served as Singapore’s permanent representative to the United Nations from 1968 to 1971 and from 1974 to 1984. He was also ambassador to the United States from 1984 to 1990.

This, despite the fact that other Singaporeans, like ex- porn star Annabel Chong, made the cut.

“There is no entry on me for two reasons: conflict of interest, and because I do not deserve an entry yet,” said Professor Koh, who served as editor- in- chief of the encyclopedia.

The 640-page book, which costs $75 and is sold at major bookstores, is produced by the National Heritage Board and publishers Editions Didier Millet.

It is an A–Z book on Singapore, with 2,560 entries on everything from Cabinet ministers and historical events to food and film stars.

The question of what — and who — to leave out was actually one of the greatest challenges he and the other 13 members of the Editorial Advisory Board faced when putting together the book, which was launched on Monday.

The Advisory Board was made up of university presidents, research centre directors and academics. Members included Mr Alan Chan, chief executive officer of Singapore Press Holdings, Mr Lim Chee Onn, chairman of Keppel Corporation, and Ms Lee Chor Lin, director of the National Museum.

“Sure, I will lose many friends tomorrow,” joked Prof Koh during the launch, referring to the fact that many ambassadors did not make the cut. “But at least I can point out to them that I myself was not included.”

He also said that no omissions were made due to censorship.

“I can assure you that no entry was left out for political or moral reasons.”

He added that he staked his “reputation and integrity” on the objectiveness of the book.

“True, I am a government official, but as some people in Singapore know, I am not a very obedient civil servant,” he said.

“I have a mind of my own, and am determined to maintain objectivity and balance.”

He pointed to the inclusion of Annabel Chong.

“We had a long debate about whether or not to include her. The more conservative members did not want to. But in the end, we felt she deserved an entry as she had achieved a certain level of notoriety,” he said.

So, who gets to be immortalised in the book?

General editor Jimmy Yap, who was one of the first to come on board the project when it was conceived two years ago, explained that in a project of this scope, certain criteria had to be met.

“For example, in the field of Arts, we used the Cultural Medallion or an award of similar significance to decide who should be included.”

This system explains why few journalists show up in the pages.

Mr Yap, a former Straits Times journalist, explained that the editorial board had trouble finding suitable criteria to gauge a journalist’s importance, and decided to err on the side of caution.

“Of course, if a journalist should win a Pulitzer Prize, that would be grounds for inclusion.”

For that to happen though, the journalist’s work must have appeared in an American newspaper that is published at least once a week.

However, he was quick to note that the editors recognised that there are some prominent individuals who might not have been honoured in any official way.

In those cases, they went back to their “panel of experts” — the list of acknowledged experts in a particular field, whom the editorial committee had approached to write entries — and asked them to suggest who they would nominate for inclusion.

A person gets in if a majority of experts deems him or her important enough.

For example, singer Stefanie Sun, 28, has not received a Cultural Medallion, but her popularity and record sales earned her a place alongside Medallion recipients like musician Dick Lee, 50.

The editorial team prides itself on its more than 200 contributors, which it says sets their book apart from previous publications such as the Encyclopedia Of Singapore and the Book Of Singapore’s Firsts, which were both two- man operations.

Said Prof Koh: “Some of the experts we approached turned us down because they were away or could not meet our deadline, but most of those approached accepted.”

Altogether, 231 contributors, including university professors, journalists and curators, wrote the 2,560 entries.

Mr Yap was responsible for coming up with the initial broad categories. These were then fleshed out by the editorial team. He said the team also referred to the encyclopedia of cities like London, New York and Chicago to ensure that they did not neglect any aspect.

“We were not reinventing the wheel,” he said.

As for ensuring the accuracy of the entries, there were three levels of checking: The Editions Didier Millet team went through the manuscript first, then special fact checkers it employed had a go, and finally, members of the Editorial Advisory Board had a final look.

Said Prof Koh: “In the final stage of our work, each member of the Board was responsible for checking the entries under a certain allocated number of alphabets.”

“Jimmy Yap made us sign our names on the proofs. I do not know whether that makes us liable in case we are sued for defamation.”

The editorial board, however, has no delusions that they have managed to get everything right the first time.

“Although we have tried to be thorough and comprehensive, I am sure that we have made mistakes of omission and accuracy, we will correct them in the second edition,” said Prof Koh.

He said that when he recently showed painter Ong Kim Seng a copy of the encyclopedia, the artist immediately pointed out that the painting credited to him under his entry was not his own.

Prof Koh admitted: “If I had checked the proof for that page, I would have immediately noticed the error, as I know he paints in watercolours and that picture was an oil painting.”

Other articles have simply become outdated, such as the entry on the late artist Anthony Poon, who died after the book had gone to print.

Prof Koh said that he expects — and welcomes — a flood of letters to the National Heritage Board and Editions Didier Millet from the public, pointing out anything from omissions to grammatical errors.

“We plan to review feedback in the days and weeks to come, and consider errors of omission, accuracy and balance,” he said.

Already, some Singaporeans have ideas on how to make the book better, with suggestions to, among other things, have an index where the entries are grouped under topics like Arts or Sports.

Customer service officer, Nina Suriani, 26, wanted an online version, which would be easier to update.

She was among the 16 people Life! spoke to at Borders bookstore yesterday. Most of those interviewed thought it was a comprehensive read although some complained that at 3.2kg, it was just too heavy.

Housewife Sophia Kan, 36, said she was glad war heroine Elizabeth Choy was included.

“The bite-sized information is great for a child who wants to find out more about Singapore,” she said.

Ephraim Loy, 24, a student at the Singapore Management University, said: “I realised that while the ministers are featured, members of the opposition parties are listed too, which is fair and really laudable.”

As for those who are peeved at being left out, consider these words from poet Edwin Thumboo, 73, who has a one- column entry on Page 564.

He said: “At my age, well, it’s an interesting vanity. But you get over it.”

Additional reporting by Kuek Lin

Text and image credit: Singapore Press Holdings