Former Malaysian PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad shares first impressions of Pukul Habis

 

Happy 60th Birthday Singapore

Singapore celebrates its 60th year of independence today.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad sends Singapore birthday greetings.

Singapore Army engagement session with Pukul Habis author

When your talk comes after the Singapore Army's physically demanding IPPT test, which almost all in the audience went through earlier that morning, and before lunch in an air-conditioned auditorium, you do wonder whether the audience would snooze through the session.

Any questions? Three hands shot up.

This was followed by a steady stream of questions from the soldiers all the way till the end of the Q&A.

A Singapore Army unit hosted me this week for an engagement session. It was my first such session with the army since my debut novel, Pukul Habis, was published over two-and-a-half years ago (!). 

Many in the audience were born after August 1991, when the real Pukul Habis episode which inspired the book's title, took place. 

I was encouraged by the thought-provoking and probing questions. It was nice to stand in front of an inquisitive and curious audience, whom I think were engaged by the talk's subject matter.

Yes, there were officers who are army regulars. Best of all, these were mostly Operationally-Ready National Servicemen (i.e. reservists), ordinary citizens who will fold away their army uniforms and return to their daily lives outside the army from tomorrow.

I enjoyed the session. Hope you did too.

Thank you for hosting.

First time I saw someone go home with Pukul Habis from Books Kinokuniya

Flashback to March 2023: First time I saw someone go home with the book from Books Kinokuniya Main Store at Ngee Ann City, Singapore. Certainly a special moment for a first-time author of war fiction. Whoever you are: I was too shy to ask if you wanted me to sign your book... 🙂

For me, writing is a lonely process. It's just me, the make-believe scenarios in my head and the keyboard chatter. I prefer writing without distractions and can go offline for hours.

Those writing guide memes are right: There's really no "right" moment for inspiration to strike. I just put down what I think will work as the first draft and keep at it. How much to say, which parts to remove, what to edit for clarity, with just the little voice in one's head as a guide.

Am not sure about other authors but it has always been a thrill for me to see people respond to the published work. Whether they like it or not. Whether they understand the hidden Easter eggs is another matter.

Thank you all!

5 July 2025 Update: Pukul Habis is back at Books Kinokuniya Singapore, Malaysia. Limited print run.

Pukul Habis available again at Books Kinokuniya Singapore, Malaysia

Pukul Habis is a fictional story of a Malaysia-Singapore war, written like narrative history largely from the Malaysian point of view by a Singapore author. This war story fascinated former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad. 

Tun's stylish penmanship echoes the former PM's views on Malaysia-Singapore ties. As seen in his Foreword, Tun denounces war and advocates peaceful solutions to resolving bilateral issues. Tun mentioned to the author that the story helped him realise the dreadful cost of war and its catastrophic consequences.

Tun wrote a Foreword for the second edition. So did Lieutenant-General (Retired) Winston Choo, the first Singapore Armed Forces Chief of Defence Force.

Tun and LG Choo both served during the real Pukul Habis episode in August 1991.

Both Foreword writers recommend Pukul Habis as required reading for people interested in Malaysia-Singapore defence issues.

Limited copies available from Books Kinokuniya in Singapore and Malaysia.

The "famous David Boey" shares thoughts on military security in Singapore

I was 22 when I first learned that my name had been mentioned at a security awareness talk by Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).

According to reliable accounts, the talk mentioned how yours truly was observed loitering outside Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (true). It was said that I would spend hours waiting for aircraft to return (also true). When warplanes approached PLAB on short finals, I would "pop up" (their words) and photograph aircraft as they swept past at low level :-). The MINDEF storyteller must have been quite talented because on hearing his description of how I popped up with camera in hand, the audience burst out laughing.  

In today's context, the activities that got me on their watch list would hardly raise eyebrows.

But this was in the early 1990s. There was no Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any of those intrusive social media channels. Being the first Singaporean appointed as Singapore Correspondent by Jane's Defence Weekly made me a person of interest.

Those in the audience who knew me from school were shocked. I was always the quiet nerd, the last person you would expect to be singled out for mention by the security services.

I was shocked too. Who wouldn't feel that way at age 22?

More than 30 years later, I wish to share some lessons from this episode.

First, the MINDEF anecdote suggested I had picked up a "tail". Someone was watching but I was blissfully unaware. From that day on, I learned the importance of being self-aware. It drilled home the usefulness of knowing how to clear my tail in the real world and later, as the internet evolved, also in the cyber world. I am no IT expert. I am, however, fortunate to know experten and can count on their counsel.

Second, it showed me that of the four main buckets from which one can learn things - open source, people, photo and technical - the people bucket has consistently proven to be my preferred mode. A warm body tipped me off about that security talk, which others verified. In hindsight, I would rate people as my No.1 source of news breaks during my reporting days many years back.

Third, I credit that particular department as my best publicity agent. Their security awareness talks made sure my exploits were well-known in Singapore's defence ecosystem over 30 years ago. If you were a MINDEF/SAF officer who served from the 1990s to early 2000s, you would probably have heard about me. While some officers avoided me as if I had some infectious disease, there were other, more confident individuals who had no qualms interacting with me. And I find the underground fan base most endearing. Ex-SAF personnel whom I met in my previous jobs (and my current one) know me as the "famous David Boey". The Streisand Effect is indeed real.

Having crossed the mid-50s, I am happy to report that my interest in defence matters has remained strong over the decades.

I hope people have come to accept my passion. I am therefore heartened whenever I see my social media timelines filled with military-related content from kindred spirits whose activities, if carried out 30+ years ago, would probably have made that particular department and DO Olympus rather busy indeed.

HMS Prince of Wales is first warship to berth at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore

Royal Navy warships visiting Singapore usually berth at Changi Naval Base or Sembawang Wharves. RN flagship, HMS Prince of Wales, became the first warship to berth at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore this morning. The aircraft carrier did so in full view of astonished office workers in Singapore’s central business district.

Am so pleased that my colleagues pushed the boundary, working closely with the British High Commission in Singapore to make this event possible in a year that marks 60 years of UK-Singapore ties.

Looking forward to night shots of Prince of Wales all lighted up at the cruise centre, which some ship spotters will inevitably capture.

Photo credit for aerial pix: British High Commission Singapore