Remembering S R Nathan : A Mentor for All Seasons

Remembering S R Nathan: A Mentor for All Seasons is a collection of essays commemorating the life of Singapore's sixth President, the late Mr S R Nathan. The book aims to give greater insights into the wide-ranging roles he had in his various contributions to Singapore. It reviews his leadership and influence, his distinguished civil service career, and his commitment to social service. The organisation of the sections in the book reflects the extensive footprints Mr Nathan has left in many different sectors: foreign service; security and intelligence; community building and social welfare; labour and trade unions; media; and research and academia. This book also contains views on his remarkable career from foreign observers. Other contributors include public servants, policymakers, and scholars who have worked with him, learned from him, and who were inspired by his lifelong dedication to Singapore. Told through the voices of these people, Remembering S R Nathan: A Mentor for All Seasons gives an informative, and yet, personal account of Mr Nathan as a leader and mentor.

Mushahid Ali has been a Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, since June 2010, having been with its earlier incarnation, the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies from 2001 to 2004. He has been Editor of various publications, particularly RSIS Commentary, besides being involved in organising and conducting Seminars, Conferences and Lectures for the Islamic radicalism and Terrorism Studies, and Southeast Asia security and Strategic studies programmes.

Born in Johor, Malaya, and educated in Singapore, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Singapore in 1968. He began working life as a Reporter with the Straits Times in 1959 and was a Television journalist and Radio News Bulletin Editor from 1963 to 1968. After his National Service stint, Mushahid Ali joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1970, serving in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, London, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Riyadh, where he was Charge d'Affaires from 1988 to 1991.

Mushahid Ali served as Chief of Protocol, MFA, from 1991 to 1995 and was appointed Ambassador to Cambodia from 1995 to 2000. He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) by the President of Singapore and conferred Commander of the Order of Sahametrei (Exalted Friendship) by the King of Cambodia in 2000. He is Co-Editor of two RSIS volumes: Reflections: The Legacy of Lee Kuan Yew (2015) and The APPSMO Advantage: Strategic Opportunities (2016).

Kumar Ramakrishna is a tenured Associate Professor and Head of Policy Studies, as well as Coordinator of the National Security Studies Programme, in the Office of the Executive Deputy Chairman, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He was previously the Head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) at RSIS from 2006 to 2015.

A historian by background, Associate Professor Ramakrishna has been a frequent speaker on counter-terrorism before local and international audiences, a regular media commentator on counter-terrorism, and an established author in numerous internationally refereed journals. His first book, Emergency Propaganda: The Winning of Malayan Hearts and Minds 1948–1958 (2002) was described by the International History Review as "required reading for historians of Malaya, and for those whose task is to counter insurgents, guerrillas, and terrorists". His second major book, Radical Pathways: Understanding Muslim Radicalisation in Indonesia (2009), was featured as one of the top 150 books on terrorism and counterterrorism in the respected journal Perspectives on Terrorism, which identified Associate Professor Ramakrishna as "one of Southeast Asia's leading counterterrorism experts". His recent publications include Islamist Terrorism and Militancy in Indonesia: The Power of the Manichean Mindset (2015) and Singapore Chronicles: Emergency (2016).