ANNUAL REPO T 1985-86 INSTITUTE of Sollj TH AST ASIAN STUDIES SINGAPORE I5ER5 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
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DS501 ' 15 91 ANNUAL REPO T 1985-86 INSTITUTE OF SOllJ TH AST ASIAN STUDIES SINGAPORE I5ER5 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies was established as an autonomous organi zation in May 1968. It is a regional research centre for scholars and other specialists concerned with modern Southeast Asia, particularly the multi-faceted problems of stability and security, economic development, and political and social change. The Institute is governed by a twenty-two-member Board of Trustees comprising nominees from the Singapore Government, the National University of Singapore, the various Chambers of Commerce, and professional and civic organizations. A ten-man Executive Committee oversees day-to-day operations; it is chaired by the Director, the Institute's chief acadP.mic and administrative officer. The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Singapore 0511 A display of /S EAS publications showing some of the award winning titles. 2 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Annual Report 1 April 1985 - 31 March 1986 INTRODUCTION the permanent Director of the Institute in 1972, Professor The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) was formally K.S . Sandhu was given the additional task of promoting a established in May 1968 as an autonomous body to undertake greater regionalization and internationalization of the Institute, to research on Southeast Asia. Towards th is end it was understood the extent that it should eventually develop into a de facto regionat from the beginning that if the Institute were to discharge its research centre for all scholars and specialists interested in mod objectives efficiently, it should be given maximum freedom to ern Southeast Asia, especially its multi-faceted problems of eco conduct its activities. Thus, no nationality qualifications were nomic development, stability and security, and political and social attached to the post of Director, the ch ief academic and admin change. istrative officer of the Institute. Indeed, the first Director of the Staff expansion and appointments were managed in accord Institute was Professor Harry J. Benda of Yale University, USA ance with the objectives outlined. Today, in addition to supportive (1968-69). He was succeeded by Professor John D. Legge of staff, some thirty research fellows and other specialists work in the Monash University, Australia (1969-70), and he in turn by Profes Institute at any given time. More than half of these are Southeast sor Josef Si lverstein of Rutgers University, USA (1970- 72). Like Asians with almost every country of the region being represented. wise, the composition of the Board of Trustees of the Institute The rest include scholars from as. far afield as Europe, Canada, and its principal governing body - was to be broadly based, to the United States, as well as from Japan, Australia, and New include representatives from the academic, commercial, public, Zea land. and professional domains- again without any nationality quali The finances of the Institute have been similarly regularized in fications or particular governmental affiliations. Two of the that arrangements have been made for an annual grant from the longest serving members and chairmen of the Board of Trustees Singapore Government to take care of the infrastructure and t he were Mr David Marshall, Singapore's first Chief Minister, and supportive services of the Institute, thereby giving the Institute Mr A.P. Rajah, a prominent jurist and former Speaker of the the necessary stability and permanence. At the same time, the Singapore Legislative Assembly, and later of Parliament. Institute raises funds from outside sources to allow it the neces Another consideration that was uppermost in the minds of sary freedom to undertake research considered desirable, and to the Trustees when they were thinking in terms of who should be hire suitable research fellows and associates. the permanent Director of the Institute, was that t he person Considerable effort has gone into bu ilding up one of the best selected should maintain the professional independence and library collections in the region on Southeast Asia, and also scholarly integrity ofthe Institute. Accordingly, on being appointed developing an effective system of sem inars and discussions in 3 which scholars, officials, public figures, and politicians have felt under the chairmanship of Mr Ling Lee Hua, met regularly to no inhibitions in participating freely. The Institute's publications in discuss plans to raise more money for the Institute's Endowment turn have served the purpose of disseminating the thoughts of a Fund. The Audit Committee recommended the se lection of au variety of specialists such that the Institute is accepted widely in ditors. It also reviewed the scope and result of the audit, and t he centres of scholarship, and in government and important business adequacy of the Institute's accounting, financial, and operating circles. controls. With regard to research, beginning with purely ad hoc studies, A list of the members of the Board of Trustees and its various the Institute has now reached the stage where programmes of committees is provided in Appendices I and II. study can be planned to allow for more systematic and in cremental work. The report below describes more fully some of REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL these developments as well as the Institute's other activities during the year under review. The Regional Advisory Council was established in 1982 and its members are : Professor Edgardo Angara, President, University of the Philippines, Manila (Professor of Law); Royal Professor Ungku BOARD OF TRUSTEES Aziz, Vice-Chancellor, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur (Profes The Board of Trustees comprises twenty-two members, includ sor of Economics); Professor Harsja Bachtiar, Head, Office of ing appointees from the National University of Singapore and the Educational and Cultural Research and Development, Department Singapore Government, as well as representatives from a broad of Education and Culture, and former Dean, Facu lty of Letters, range of professional and civic organizations and groups. The University of Indonesia, Jakarta (Professor of Sociology and Chairman is Mr Justice P. Coomaraswamy and the Deputy Chair Social History); Professor Lim Pin, Vice-Chancellor, National Uni man, Mr Lee Hee Seng. versity of Singapore (Professor of Medicine); Professor Kasem As is to be expected in a Board of this size, there are the usual Suwanagul, Rector, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, and for changes in composition as members resign and are replaced. This mer Minister for University Affairs, Thailand (Professor of Poli year was no exception, in that Dr Philip N. Pillai resigned on tics) ; and Professor Wang Gungwu, Vice-Chancellor, University of leaving the National University of Singapore in January 1986 and Hong Kong, and former Director of the Research School of Pacific was replaced by Dr Tan Chwee Huat, Dean of the University's Studies, Australian National University, Canberra (Professor of Far Faculty of Accountancy and Business Administration. The Institute Eastern History). wishes Dr Pillai all the best in his new job and at the same time The Council has neither administrative responsibilities nor an welcomes Dr Tan and looks forward to his support. executive role, as the intention is not to burden the individual As in previous years, several committees functioned in close members with detail or policy. Instead, the Council meets once a liaison with the Board, assisting it and the Institute in a variety of year for informal discussions to suggest avenues for further ways in the formulation and implementation of the Board's improving the work of the Institute, especially in terms of more policies. The Executive Committee, under the chairmanship of the productive collaboration with universities both within and outside Institute's Director, oversaw the day-to-day operations of the the region. The experience and expertise of these senior Institute, whilst the Investment Committee, under the chairman academics have been of special value to the Institute, and are all ship of Mr Justice P. Coomaraswamy, managed the investment of the more welcome, particularly in terms of ideas and suggestions the Institute's Endowment Fund. The Fund-Raising Committee, for improved links and communications between universities in 4 the region and the Institute, and with regard to international in Singapore, and Editor, Ms Pauline Khng, attended the regional projects involving researchers from several institutions. meeting of the International Association of Scholarly Publishers in New Delhi. Mrs Ong also continued to serve on the Scholarly Publishers Council and Book Exporters Council of the Singapore Book Publishers Association. Mrs Patricia Lim Pui Huen, the STAFF Librarian, completed her second year as Review Editor of the With the expansion of existing projects and implementation of Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Malaysian Branch, and as new programmes, such as Social Issues in Southeast Asia Chairman of the Library Association of Singapore's Task Force for (SISEA), a number of additions were made to the Institute's staff Librarians in the Information Age (TALIA). She also represented during the year. These included: Dr Subbiah Gunasekaran, Dr the Institute on the Joint Library Associations of Malaysia and Trinidad S. Osteria, and Messrs Derek Martin da Cunha, T.K. Singapore's (PPM / LAS) Standing Committee on Bibliographical Doshi,