Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel

“This sequel to Cheong Yip Seng's first book OB Markers is worth reading. That book was carefully written not to cause too much offence, but it did and Cheong paid a price for it. With the lapse of time, Cheong is more frank. Singaporeans need that frankness, not out of prurient interest, but in order to know aspects of their own history and how Singapore has come to be where it is today. Cheong also writes about his years as a consultant to the South China Morning Post. He provides a useful Singaporean perspective of Hong Kong society and the necessities circumscribing its freedom, which are not too different from those of Singapore.”
—George Yeo, Former Singapore Foreign Minister

“Cheong Yip Seng was a highly-placed and trusted newspaperman who had close interactions with Singapore's early leaders, including Lee Kuan Yew. From this unique vantage point, he has written a fascinating account of his life, his work in The Straits Times and — which makes this an important book — his version of the Singapore story.”
—Han Fook Kwang, Former Editor of The Straits Times, Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

“Cheong's book covers part of what may seem like familiar terrain to those in Singapore's journalistic fraternity, but he manages to unearth fresh insights from lesser-known slices of the past. The stories he shares are a call to action. Stressing how no place, whether Hong Kong or Singapore, will be insulated from the unremitting geopolitical upheavals of our time, the newspaper veteran reminds us that the media's rendering of the world can shape society for better or for worse.”
—Zuraidah Ibrahim, Executive Managing Editor of the South China Morning Post

“In Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel, Cheong Yip Seng masterfully chronicles Singapore's dramatic beginnings with the keen insight of a media veteran. Having had the privilege of his counsel during my tenure as editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post, I can attest to Yip Seng's unparalleled expertise in editorial management, honed over 50 years in the industry. His vivid storytelling, reminiscent of the best — and as he rightly says, including Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, whom he revered as a master storyteller — is fused with hard-won wisdom and sharp observations. This memoir offers a frank and succinct fly-on-the-wall account, weaving personal insights and meticulous research to capture the remarkable rise of Singapore. Yip Seng himself stands as a first-rate storyteller, illuminating the island nation's journey with clarity and depth.”
—Wang Xiangwei, Former Editor-in-Chief of the South China Morning Post, Associate Professor of Practice at the Department of Journalism, Baptist, University in Hong Kong

Cheong Yip Seng is a veteran journalist. He was editor-in-chief of The Straits Times from 1987 to 2006; and editorial adviser to the South China Morning Post from 2012 to 2020. He published OB Markers: My Straits Times Story in 2013.