ORAL HISTORY PROGRAMME (Recording projects)

Encik Wan Hussin Zoohri asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Culture (a) how many recording projects the Oral History Programme Section has completed and what future projects it will be undertaking: and (b) whether the recordings that have been made are available in the four official languages.

The Senior Minister of State for Culture (Mr Chai Chong Yii) (for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Culture): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Oral History Unit is a part of the Department of Archives and Oral History.

The aim of the Oral History Programme is to record the experiences of key persons involved in events of historical, political and social significance, particularly during the post-war years. These recordings will contain first-hand information on important events.

The Unit is conducting and recording interviews on its first two projects:

(i) Pioneers of Singapore; and

(ii) Political Developments in Singapore, 1945-1965. The interviewees for the Pioneers of Singapore project are successful businessmen who have contributed to the economic and social development of Singapore. Eighteen persons have been interviewed for the Pioneers of Singapore project and 17 for Political Developments in Singapore 1945-1965.

The Oral History Committee considers that satisfactory progress has been made on these projects, although several Ministers consider the pace lackadaisical. I propose to push the pace before the minds of the principal participants lose clarity of recall. The Unit intends to start work on another project. The Japanese Occupation, when more professional staff have been recruited.

The Department of Archives and Oral History will catalogue and index all tapes and transcripts. These materials will be part of the national archival collections and may be referred to by researchers, civil servants, teachers, students, broadcasters and members of the public, subject to conditions, if any, laid down by the interviewees. The materials can, of course, be used in educational programmes and publications.

When the first two projects have been completed, the Department will produce a comprehensive catalogue with synopses of the transcripts to facilitate usage of the materials. Selected transcripts of historical importance can be considered for publication, subject to the approval of the interviewees.

Interviews are conducted in the language chosen by the interviewees. Tapes of these interviews will be left in the original language for authenticity. For working purposes, transcripts of the tapes will be in English.