The Pod at the National Library in Bugis served as a fittingly elevated backdrop last Sunday for the 7th Syed Hussein Alatas Memorial Lecture, organized by the NUS Department of Malay Studies (Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences). The afternoon commenced on a resonant cultural note with a beautifully recited syair and pantun by Dr. Azhar Ibrahim, setting a contemplative stage for the heavy intellectual discourse to follow.
Professor Edmund Terence Gomez from the University of Malaya’s Faculty of Business and Economics delivered a compelling keynote on “Organised corruption, state-business relations and the political economy of development.” Over the course of a rigorous two-hour lecture and Q&A session, Prof. Gomez unpacked the complex web of political patronage and economic development, holding the attention of a highly diverse, multiracial audience.
The event drew several notable figures, including former Singapore Members of Parliament Yatiman Yusof, Zainul Abidin Rasheed, and Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim. Adding a deeply personal dimension to the memorial was the presence of Professor Farid Alatas among the audience. As the son of the late Syed Hussein Alatas, his attendance underscored the enduring generational legacy of his father’s pioneering sociological work on corruption and colonial capitalism.
With a stellar turnout and overwhelmingly positive feedback, the lecture successfully honored one of the region’s greatest thinkers. Superbroadcast is incredibly proud to have been part of the team bringing this vital academic showcase to life
