Dear reader,
We’ve got bumper political coverage this week, as the news flow is steadily increasing ahead of the GE. Check it out now to keep abreast of developments.
- Joshua Raj Thomas’s selection is the clearest sign yet of the PAP’s desperation
- Politicians from Alvin Tan to Pritam Singh leverage LKY for their own benefit
- The many visions of Tay Kheng Soon
- Why grassroots leader Chia Boon Teck’s victim blaming is problematic for the PAP
- Will AI chatbots replace mental health therapists?
- How Temasek researchers are succeeding at decarbonising rice cultivation
- The electric-powered Hydroglyder, and its historical antecedents
- How immersive exhibitions alter the relationship between artworks and spectators
- Forrest Li’s candidacy to head the Football Association of Singapore
And more, in our weekly digest. Read it now.
Essay: “On solidarity: a review of a dinner party”. Activists are in the news, particularly following the altercation between K Shanmugam, law and home affairs minister, and the two young women. But given the state’s dominance in society, the media often portrays them as cardboard villains, with rarely any depth. (Unless of course, like Louis Ng, the PAP co-opts them.)
The mainstream media is so in lockstep with the ruling party that it even erases the voices of activists. For instance, two articles yesterday by CNA and ST about Shanmugam wanting to “move on” from the incident—how gracious of him, btw—showcased his perspective, highlighted his well-crafted, single-perspective video, but conveniently failed to mention that the two women had published their own, alternative version of events. (This morning, I wrote to ask the two journalists if they might consider an addendum, and have yet to hear back.)
This omission strikes at the core of journalistic ethics and practices—surely we need to acknowledge multiple perspectives, especially from the accused? Moreover, at a societal level, it serves only to strengthen these huge existing power disparities. Shanmugam’s voice does not need further amplification over his “opponents”.
Given these structural impediments to understanding our fellow Singaporeans, it’s important that we ask—Who are our activists? What do they do? What are their issues of concern? What are their struggles, as they try to make it in this world?
Today, Kristian-Marc James Paul, activist and occasional Jom contributor, offers us a seat at the table in his atmospheric reportage from an activist dinner party he’d attended. And not just any dinner, but one hosted by Constance Singam, writer and former president of AWARE, the women’s rights group, and arguably one of the most recognisable activists in Singapore.
From a literary perspective, this is a truly inventive piece. It’s divided into a series of acts, each an entry point to an issue, with a whole host of characters—such as the lawyer, the academic, the ex-politician—engaged in dinner discussions. These, alongside Kristian-Marc’s own meditations, are all intertwined with ease.
Do read it when you have a moment this weekend. Sit back and appreciate all the work that’s come before, and all that still lies ahead. I’ll leave you with a short passage of his that resonates with recent events.
“Act Two: The Confrontation. There was trepidation at this suggestion. The fear of state-sanctioned reproach is very real and valid. The state and its multiple levers of control are forever lingering in the back of activists’ minds. Always, you feel its phantom presence.”
Jom bertindak,
Sudhir
Editor-in-chief, Jom
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