“Argue the Contrary for the Purpose of Getting a PhD”

This chapter discusses two related aspects of teaching Operation Coldstore. One is how the unfolding of the controversy in the public sphere constitutes an important form of history education. It gives a role to the historian, as Christopher Lasch argues, as a social critic independent of institutions of power (Mattson, 2003). The chapter explores the possibilities, and limits, of teaching Operation Coldstore in schools, taking into account the state’s control of education, aims of the history curriculum and attitudes of teachers. A public debate on Operation Coldstore and historical events like it serves several social and educational functions. In October 2014, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong intervened personally to support the official narrative of Operation Coldstore, saying, “These are matters of historical record, they are not seriously disputed, and although once in a while Historian finds somebody argue the contrary for the purpose of getting a PhD”—an unkind reference to Thum.