22
The Forbidden City
The wire fences came down and the concrete barricades lifted away. The World Bank/IMF annual meeting in Singapore is finally over. As the dust settled, Singapore reaffirmed her international image as the ‘Forbidden City’.
“Singapore has one of the best rankings in the world on control of corruption, but it ranks in the middle of the pack on voice and accountability, below much poorer countries such as Brazil and Botswana,” the World Bank said in its latest report on governance, published on Friday (15 Sep 06). It said “voice and accountability” refer to the extent to which a country’s citizens are able to participate in selecting their government, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of association and a free media. (source: Reuters UK)
Singapore has poured in alot of resources in this event to market itself as a ‘World Class’ city-state. The local press heaped praises on Singapore Inc, getting soundbites from delegates praising Singapore on the organisation, efficiency and warm hospitality. But log on the Net and look up news using the keywords “Singapore”, “World Bank” and “IMF” – the picture is different. Singapore is again painted as a totalitarian state and most of the attention fell on the strict policies against public protests and the banning of 27 accredited activists from entering the country. In comparison, there was not much coverage on the issues discussed or the outcome of the meeting, and the event closed without fanfare. Perhaps, everyone in Singapore was so enthusiastic about doing a good job for Singapore – that those put in charge of security did perform their task with utmost zeal. The Suntec convention area was turned into a fortress within a fortress that forbade activists from disrupting the proceedings. However it was a Pyrric victory as the success of the mission came at the expense of the ‘bigger picture’.
Singapore had wanted to re-brand it’s international image – from that of a ‘modern’ city-state that’s known for it’s efficient and effective (albeit prosaic) administration to one that boast cosmopolitan values, vibrance and creativity. The World Bank/IMF meeting was an opportunity to showcase Singapore to the world. But the bad press threw it back to the era when Singapore became an international news item for the wrong reason. And it didn’t help that mismanaged media relations made Singapore look like a stooge for the ang-mohs. Although the government denied it, the situation appeared that the Singapore government relented just because Paul Wolfowitz fucked Singapore for the banning of the activists. Singapore came out to say that it actually lited the ban BEFORE the ang-mohs told the government off. But the damage was already done. And these were not the only public relations disasters she suffered) I’d only give Singapore a 6.66% score in accomplishing its ultimate objective.
And no thanks to an opportunist, who managed to bring out the ‘Police State’ in Singapore.
Last weekend, the Chee Soon Juan seized the opportunity to create noise knowing well that the international media was in town. He tried to stage a rally at the Speaker’s Corner and then march over to the Parliament House before stopping at Suntec City to denounce the Singapore government. But in the end, he found himself sleeping at the park for two nights because he was surrounded by Policemen that barred him from carrying out his march.
Speaker’s Corner @ Hong Lim Park
Significant Police presence
The centre of attention
(Leaving the distraction behind, I crossed the street and marched to the Otaku’s weekend market at China Square Central.)
You might have wondered why didn’t the police just arrest that clown and put him in detention? That’d end the stand-off and there’s no need to waste so much manpower just to stare at a handful of people. But by arresting him, that’d only be making him a ‘martyr’ (which Chee very well knew – the media people were lurking around like vultures for the drama to happen). Chee Soon Juan’s gang was outnumbered by at least 6:1. When Chee slept there’s at least five policemen standing vigil by his cardboard side (such a royal treatment!) and wherever he walked there’s an entourage of policemen following him, one of them filming his each and every action. So all they could do is to confine his party to a spot where he’s free to say what he want.
One plucks eyebrows, the other makes people twitch their eyebrows
In Singapore, we can not speak (or publish) as freely as we like. And if you wanna criticise the government, better do your homework and get the facts right in case you are sued for libel or defamation – and don’t get personal. If you want to make a public oration, you’d better have a permit from the Police. Of course, there’s tokenism to free speech in the form of a Speaker’s Corner at Hong Lim Park. You can make public speeches there, as long as you register with the police at the nearby police post. Even closed door forums need a licence.
I don’t think the PAP government is paranoid that it will be unseated by a ‘populist’ People’s Power movement (if there’s ever one) or feel threatened by a rabble rouser that isn’t much different from a street-side eyebrow plucker. It’s mainly speeches laced with racial/religious overtone that put the Internal Security spooks on the edge. That’s like lighting a cigarette at a petrol station, or striking a match in a pyrotechnics storage area. I am a firm believer that freedom comes with responsibilities – but many tend to take freedom for granted and let others do clean up when their act gets out of hand. (Perhaps I share the same mentality with the PAP government that assumes that most people are stupid and cannot think for themselves. But to be fair, I’ve met more stupid people than clever people. The worse of them lot are those stupid people who think that they are clever such as the writer of this text.) Unfettered speech is very much like the unshunted wires of detonator stuffed up a block of C4.
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING, BUT YOU ARE FREE TO DO AS YOU PLEASE AS LONG AS THE PUBLIC DON’T COMPLAIN
BUT,in spite of what the international media thinks about Singapore, the state is definitely more open and liberal than it was a decade ago. And the government has become more tolerant towards criticism and satire. With the advent of the Internet, more dissident voices could be heard and that also contributed to the growth of civil society groups. There’s also no lack of homegrown literature and publications that questioned Authority. There’s even a freely circulated publication in Singapore that constantly throws barbed comments at the local political culture. And I’m not refering to the government owned Today paper.
Barbed Editorial and Watching the Watchman
Enjoy the Silence
And these came from the pages of a lifestyle magazine that promotes the consumerist culture.
Making some noise
As if ‘activism’ and ‘political awareness’ had become a new fashion label. Then again, it’s always fashionable to bash the government. Singaporeans love to complain about the spoon in their mouth. (Maybe because the hand that feeds is also the hand that slaps?)
Rubbing the right way
Singapore strait laced? You need to know where to look and you can find ads selling services that satisfy your persuasion while reading about how illiberal the Singapore government is.
Local Talents
There’s a number of local productions on show while the World Bank/IMF diginitaries were in town. One of them is a movie directed by the founder of the satirical TalkingCock -”Singapore Dreaming“. The other is Dick Lee musical – “Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress“. There’s quite a lot of irony. In a nutshell, the story is about this American chick who’s sent to Beijing to paint the portrait of the Empress Dowager Ci Xi. While trying to paint her portrait, she unravelled the myth behind the ‘Dragon Lady’ and learnt about her love life as she lived through one of the darkest period of Chinese history when Allied forces colonised China. The American chick, while travelling on a train to Beijing, befriended this American guy whom she later fell in love with. But he turned out to be a British intelligence officer who’s posing as a journalist. Through the chick’s correspondence, he learnt a great deal about the affairs behind the walls of the Forbidden City. He then began to destabilise the Chinese society by demonising the Empress with the propaganda he wrote, making it vulnerable to the gunships that’s trying to open up the Chinese market to world (opium) trade. And the take away lines from the British intelligence officer: “We remember the stories we fear…It’s all about stories” (check out the behind-the-scenes from the perspective of a supporting cast). And if the smarty-pant scholars had watched this musical, they would have known how to better manage the media.
If the NGOs had wanted to make a point about the exploitation of third world countries by the rich and powerful nations, they could volunteer themselves as extras on the set and bring their point across to the corporate guests watching the show. Street-style activism and combative politics is an anachronism of the 60s. The Battle of Seattle is a tired reminder of the schizophrenic 90s. If only these heady idealists learn how to engage the asymmetrically rich and powerful. Either take a leaf from al Qaeda and bring the system down without reservation, or become a rich and powerful bastard so that you can negotiate on the same footing.
It’s not that the Singapore government does not give the citizens freedom, but it’s Singaporeans who do not know how to take the freedom for themselves. They are just not imaginative enough to work their way around the system. All they know is to sit around and bleat like sheep. One tried and tested method, humour and satire, may be the way to go.
It’s not perfect living – Hossan Leong, TalkingCock in Parliament. Hosted by Colin Goh – the founder of TalkingCock and one of the directors of Singapore Dreaming
Afterall, all courts need their jesters.
With the recent Coup de’tat in Thailand (that’s another story, but I feel that there’s wisdom in what GEN Sonthi did), it’s not difficult for people from the developed world to think that Southeast Asia is the still in the backwaters of civilisation. But the coup in 2006 is different from that in 1992, much like the Singapore government and political culture in 2006 is very different from that in 1994. It’s not perfect living, but it works.
