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| The young and enthusiastic Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Youth cheer when the news is announced that the opposition has won in either Aljunied GRC or Hougang SMC at Quality Hotel, Balestier Road, election night, 7 May 2011. Activist SINGA CREW is a strong supporter of the SDP and he became politicised ten years ago after reading one of Dr Chee Soon Juan's books. However, he suggests Singapore activists must move away from traditional street protests to more subtle and post-modern forms of culture-jamming activities and online activism. |
“We have a lot of foreigners in Singapore who honestly believe in the PAP constructed illusion. I want those foreign visitors to know the truth. The foreigners are not doing native Singaporeans any favours if they come here with this mentality” – Singa Crew
“The various Opposition parties are taking the conventional approach to activism but that won’t work in Singapore. There is hope if the current batch of activists evolve and we see a new breed of activists, much like the hacker collective known as Anonymous” – Singa Crew
By Dr Kieran James (University of Southern Queensland),
Interview at: Vietnam Eatery, Joo Chiat Road, Singapore, 4 October 2011 (as amended by SC on 15 March 2012)
Please note that SINGA CREW prefers to remain anonymous and did not wish to be photographed
Introduction by Kieran James: I met SINGA CREW for the first time when he walked in somewhat breathless into the reception area of my hotel in Joo Chiat Road just after 2pm on Tuesday 4 October 2011. Although we had communicated online and I had contributed a poem to his edited book Singapore Sucks! we had never met before and I did not even know whether to expect a Chinese, Malay, Indian or (to use the official Singaporean terminology) an “Other”. We went down the road to the Vietnam Eatery for this extensive three-hour interview and after this retreated into a pub on Joo Chiat Road for a late afternoon jug of Tiger beer. After our drinks we departed and I watched him walk in the other direction and merge into the crowd, a nameless and anonymous but very interesting character who is fully committed to rising up and inspiring a new generation of Singaporean political activists and culture-jammers to challenge PAP hegemony in the country. We wish him well. Although SINGA CREW uses a pseudonym he differs from the online political commentator Bryan Ti as with the former there is no doubt which side of the political fence he claims allegiance to.
Kieran James: By the way Roderick Chia says “hello”.
Singa Crew: Ah, I know him, my greetings to him.
SC: There isn’t really one single event that politicised me. My awakening from ignorance to a conscious decision to oppose the status quo has been an interesting one. I remember buying a book from Dr. Chee Soon Juan at the Orchard MRT station. That was in the year 2000. I was so afraid then that I hid the book under my shirt as I made my way home!
When I got home I started reading about ISA [Internal Security Act] and activists back in the 1980s who were arrested and tortured. I was in my mid-twenties then. That was when I read about the torture and stuff; I became afraid of PAP. I started to learn more about the PAP and human rights abuses here right on my doorstep in Singapore as a form of self-defence. I had to know if they were still torturing people in some dungeon somewhere.
In that same year, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery, travelling to some really liberal cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London. I met and learned from an eclectic bunch of people. There were those who struggled for religious tolerance, for misunderstood religions like Wicca to enjoy the same legitimacy and mainstream status as Christianity in America. Some took to the parks and fed the homeless and I went with them. And the ex-military personnel who taught me martial arts also taught me about their Second Amendment rights. I will always be grateful to my overseas friends and mentors who taught me there’s more to life than blind adherence to the status quo.
KJ: Did you become involved in opposition party activities here in Singapore around this time?
SC: I was not involved in party activities, I attended some forums organized by the SDP [Singapore Democratic Party] but that’s it.
KJ: Tell me why you decided to compile and edit the book Singapore Sucks! which has just been published by the Malaysian publisher Gerakbudaya Enterprise in Petaling Jaya?
SC: A writer once described Singapore as “Disneyland with the death penalty”. But many Singaporeans, like myself, who have to put up with the draconian rules for decades now, we are not feeling the Disney at all just the penalties. Therefore, we get very annoyed with the mainstream media – especially the government-owned dailies circulating in Singapore– for their unhealthy fixation on the “Disney” side of Singapore. There is a limit to how high you can suspend your disbelief. So the time came when I said “enough is enough” and pitched the idea to write Singapore Sucks! to some people I know.
KJ: What will happen to Singapore politics, in your opinion, over the next 10-15 years?
SC: If activists in Singapore do not expand their repertoire beyond conventional methods of public protests or petition signings then nothing will change in Singapore. It will remain stagnant. I believe in culture-jamming tactics. That has more meaning for the 21st Century especially in Singaporean society where most of the people are just too shy for public protests. Perhaps it will be better if there is more chaos at the ground level and more activists springing up everywhere and not just clustered under one political party.
KJ: Would you use the word “activist” to describe yourself?
SC: Yes, I would call myself an activist although many activists in Singapore will disagree with me because I don’t attend protests, sign petitions or speak at public forums. Writing Singapore Sucks! is a form of activism in my opinion, and I feel that the activists should not limit themselves to a set of old-school methods to promote their various causes.
There is hope if the current batch of activists evolve and we see a new breed of activists, much like the hacker collective known as Anonymous. The modern police state is wise to the traditional tactics commonly employed by activist groups. You need to be subtle and get under the radar.
KJ: Would you ever consider standing for election?
SC: No, I would not stand for election. I am honestly not looking forward to any future General Elections.
KJ: Why do you say this?
SC: Because PAP is bringing in more and more foreign talents who will be naturalized into Singaporean society. We know these “new citizens” [KJ: SC indicates quotation marks by the usual hand signals] will most probably vote for PAP. For every Singaporean citizen we can convince to vote for opposition, PAP can bring in an extra one thousand. It’s a numbers game. There will be a sense of gratitude to those who gave them citizenship in a first-world country.
KJ: It may not be 100% PAP support from the new citizens. I know two young Indian foreign students here, one has gone back already, and they are cynical about PAP.
SC: For every new citizen who will not vote for the PAP, there are probably a thousand more who will. The floodgates are open and I don’t see any way to shut it. Not with only six opposition members in Parliament.
KJ: What do you think of internet political activism?
SC: Internet activism is a form of leaderless resistance. Bloggers and online commentators lack command links and operate without the constraints that hierarchies impose. Since there is no visible hierarchy, like in a political party or NGO, internet activists are not susceptible to the sort of "infiltrate and destroy" tactics commonly employed by government agents. And, given the current climate in Singapore, internet activism is more effective than street protests because you can get more participants, and not just from around here but from outside of Singapore as well. Trying to shut down the internet would be like trying to punch fog, but if you take to the streets in the dozens they just have to send in the police.
KJ: Please tell us about your own experiences in culture-jamming?
SC: My first culture-jamming project was when I printed a set of postcards about Singapore. The Singapore Tourist Board uses postcards to promote tourism by showing off glamorous images of Singapore. The postcards I printed showed activists being arrested by police. I had them printed in England and distributed them to show the world the other side of Singapore that they [the PAP] try to hide. Singapore Sucks! is my second project. I have other ideas but they cost funds to implement.
KJ: What do the opposition parties need to do to go from 25% to 50.1% and what type of people makes up that next 25% that opposition must win over?
SC: They need to win over the older generation. Younger generation like myself mostly support the opposition. The opposition needs to win over the HDB uncles and aunties.
SC: I hope to excite my fellow Singaporeans into thinking. About Singapore. About the problems plaguing our country.
KJ: Tell us about your use of the pseudonym SINGA CREW? I like it with its American gangsta rap connotations.
SC: I’m trying to build a reputation for my pseudonym. A pseudonym can be as a powerful as a real name, even more than a real name. [KJ: Yes, we remember the early punk rock legends such as Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, and Joe Strummer more readily today than we remember those other musicians from that same movement who did not use pseudonyms.] If you use your real name, the PAP can use personal attacks against you. With a pseudonym they can’t do that and your message remains pristine and unadulterated from the petty politics which the PAP seems to favour.
I also believe firmly that anonymity and freedom of speech go hand in hand. If you truly believe in freedom of speech, then you can’t say “Oh, but certain things can only be said when you use your real name”. Freedom of speech is not a buffet where you get to pick and choose. Either you believe in it unequivocally or you don’t.
KJ: Do you mind me asking whether you have any other jobs, part-time or full-time?
SC: I am just a menial labourer. I have cleaned toilets in hotels and washed dishes in restaurants.
KJ: What do you think of those Christians here who rely on Bible verses such as St Paul’s letter to the Romans chapter 13 verse 1, “let everyone be subject to the governing authorities”, as a basis for not opposing the PAP system?
SC: I have met Christians who have mixed religion with PAP propaganda. I have heard it said that the PAP leaders are guided by the divine wisdom of the Holy Spirit or some nonsense like that. That shows how messed up we are.
KJ: Have you got any plans for a follow-up book on Singapore?
SC: Yes, I plan to write another book on Singapore, a collection of untold stories of the victims of suicide in Singapore. The catch-phrase of the book will be: You Die Your Business, Don’t Blame the Government – that is rule number one governing suicide in Singapore. There was this girl who committed suicide; the newspaper said it was due to her own personal problems. What they did not say is she suffered a lot of stress due to our cutthroat education system.
KJ: According to one of the WikiLeaks documents for Singapore the Singapore Government does not want too many people to go to college in Singapore. What is the reason for this do you think?
SC: I will say there is no one reason for that. There is an amalgam of reasons. One reason is because the PAP Government believes foreign investment here is the key to our success. You don’t even really need high-school qualification to do factory work. They need many Singaporeans to labour in the factories. It would be detrimental to their plan if there were too many college graduates. Also the Government does not want more Singaporeans to be smart. Intelligence is not a virtue in Singapore. They especially do not want more humanities graduates. Probably because humanities graduates will be good at lateral thinking and all that PAP propaganda you read in the Straits Times will be rendered useless.
KJ: Have you got any other interesting stories to tell me based on your time spent overseas?
SC: Yes, I was distributing Chee Soon Juan’s books in London when a Singaporean girl came up to me and told me off. “Chee Soon Juan is a trouble-maker, Singapore is a democratic country!” She declared loudly. She then told the people who had gathered around us: “Come to our country and see how high our buildings are and you will see how democratic we are” [KJ: KJ and SC both laugh out loud at this point and we only narrowly avoid spitting beer all over our table]. It says a lot about the PAP when they have a supporter who thinks the height of the buildings is synonymous with the state of democracy! Even the most conservative Americans will not take this bullshit.
I also participated in some protests and saw for myself they are not necessarily evil or disruptive as the PAP tells us. In San Francisco a bunch of us were sitting around drinking hot soup, the police were there looking bored. It did not degenerate into a riot or anything. The bored-looking police officers made a big impression on me. If that took place in Singapore they would probably have sent in a SWAT team after us. Those experiences helped me become the person I am today.
KJ: Is there any other important thing you want me to write for my book?
SC: You really need to write about how activism in Singapore should evolve. Certain new concepts, such as culture-jamming, need to be explored...I hope to popularise Singapore Sucks! as a name, so when people think of Singapore they will think: “Singapore Sucks”. If you don’t think “Singapore Sucks” you will not think about changing the country for the better and the PAP will use it as an excuse never to change; the status quo will remain the same.
The book is for foreigners as well, to know the true Singapore. We have a lot of foreigners in Singapore who honestly believe in the PAP constructed illusion. I want those foreign visitors to know the truth. The foreigners are not doing native Singaporeans any favours if they come here with this mentality. When foreigners say to me “you are living in a great country” I feel like they are kicking me in the balls. It’s like telling an abused housewife to ignore the bullying because her husband earns a nice salary.
KJ: Foreigners will say Singapore is a very safe country; that is what some American PAP supporter here was telling me not long ago...
SC: For us Singaporeans living in HDB estates we don’t feel safe. Often I see unruly people gathering in the void decks and I certainly don’t feel safe then. Singapore is safe for certain foreigners probably because of our colonial heritage. The criminal elements know not to attack a white tourist or they will suffer swift retribution from the authorities. Native Singaporeans like myself don’t enjoy the same level of protection.
KJ: What changes do you think will happen here after the Minister Mentor Mr Harry Lee Kuan Yew passes away?
SC: LKY has always been "The Man". There can never be another LKY. But on the other hand, there are many contenders in the PAP and some might push us just that much harder and further to prove their mettle.
KJ: What do you think of National Service? Isn’t it ridiculous to think reservists could help defend the country in a modern invasion? I think the PAP is still thinking in terms of guys with guns advancing by foot down the peninsula as in World War II. The upper middle classes will fight to the death at the gates of their condominiums....
SC: Let us call a spade a spade. National Service is conscription and that’s just modern-day slavery. It is inhumane and not very effective. Due to the insecurities of the PAP leaders, they make sure the citizens of Singapore are disenfranchised and do not dare stand up for their own rights. So when you have a bunch of disenfranchised serfs – do you think they can really stand up to any foreign invasion? If we Singaporeans let one group of tyrants ride over us then I guess we would be just as comfortable letting another group of tyrants rule over us.
Also, any professional soldier will tell you he would rather have any one volunteer on his side than a dozen conscripted men. Our leaders, however, do not seem to understand this and seem to think national defence is just a numbers game.
SC: Yes. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate what I just said about the future of activism in Singapore. In dealing with the modern police state, activists must learn to think outside the box of traditional tactics. Otherwise, they are just making the PAP’s efforts at suppression uncomplicated.
Also, I no longer believe in the political myths of intellectual messiahs who will save us from ourselves. The 21st century is shaping up to be an age of leaderless resistance and ordinary, anonymous heroes.
Conclusion by Kieran James: The interview began at 2.30pm and concluded at 5.30pm. After this we headed up Joo Chiat Road for a jug of Tiger beer before going our separate ways. I was honoured to be in the presence of this hardened cultural and political warrior who has so many important and fresh ideas about and for his country. He could be that 30-something guy who sat next to you on the 147 bus this morning or even your quiet HDB neighbour...You will never really know.
For those of you who are interested, Singapore Sucks! is available at selected bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia. Information about the book can be found at www.singaporesucks.net
Read the Wikipedia article on "culture-jamming" at the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_jamming The Facebook fan page for the book is at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Singapore-Sucks-The-Book/112417752183097  |
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