Editor’s Note

The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society is a learned society devoted to gathering and disseminating information relating to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Although its roots lie in the imperialist era, the Society has long since shaken off its colonial past, and enjoys the support of leading figures in each of the three countries where it is active.

In March 2015, the passing of one of our long-time patrons, Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, marked the end of a relationship that had lasted for many decades. The Society is grateful for Mr Lee’s support. We are fortunate to be able to announce that our new Singapore patron will be Chan Sek Keong, Esq., who was Singapore’s Attorney-General of Singapore from 1992–2006, and Chief Justice from 2006–2012.

The Society would also like to express its appreciation to two long-serving members of the MBRAS Council, P.M. Dato Haji Sharifuddin and Dato’ R.R. Sethu, both of whom stepped down recently.

The present issue of the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society includes a set of articles written by students who observed the mourning period for Lee Kuan Yew and drew on their training in anthropology to reflect on the significance of these rituals for the people of Singapore. Professor Bernard Bate of Yale-NUS initiated the project but unexpectedly passed away in April 2016, before the material had been finalized. The task of editing the papers was then taken over by Professors John Kelly of the University of Chicago and Martha Kaplan of Vassar College, who were visitors at Yale-NUS while the project was underway and assisted the students with their work.