The government’s refusal to permit any pro-Palestinian demonstrations during Israel’s continuing war on Gaza has forced many in Singapore to find creative ways to build awareness, raise funds and expand spaces for solidarity. (Note: Jom currently refers to the conflict as “Israel’s war on Gaza”, and believes there is a plausible genocide occurring, though we’ve maintained interviewees’ own interpretations below.)

Yulianna Frederika
26, founder of Lepak Conversations

Lepak Conversations is an online community that facilitates interactions and public dialogue on critical Malay/Muslim issues in Singapore. In March 2024, Lepak Conversations organised a live Gaza Monologues reading followed by a panel discussion. The original panellists were actor Oon Shu An, Islamic speaker and community-builder Ustazah Shameem Sultanah, and Alvin Tan, minister of state. At the last minute, Tan pulled out and was replaced with Mr Janadas Devan, the government’s chief communications officer. 

What do you perceive is the role of an organisation like yours in building pro-Palestinian solidarity within Singapore? 
Lepak Conversations has always tried to make conversations about social issues more accessible. Since the Palestinian issue is often labelled “too complex”, our role is to break it down for the layperson. Allyship is one of our core values; [we believe] bringing together people with different levels of understanding is helpful in exchanging perspectives. This is crucial as the issue can seem “too far removed from Singapore”. Encouraging openness that brings forth diverse perspectives on pro-Palestinian solidarity helps us better understand how Singapore and its citizens have a role to play.

Singaporean activist Gilbert Goh, who runs LoveAid SG, mentioned in an interview with podcaster Plan B that his Chinese Christian friends perceive the situation in Gaza as a “Muslim problem”. As an organisation focused on Malay-Muslim issues, what are your thoughts? Do you think this viewpoint has changed or can change over time?
Gaza, and by extension, Palestine, is multi-religious just like Singapore. Though Muslims make up the majority of Gazans today, Christian and Jewish Palestinians are also affected by the war. Gaza’s oldest church, Church of Saint Porphyrius, was among the sites bombed. It is therefore imperative not to see it as a “Muslim problem”, because it simply isn’t. The war is indiscriminate.

The situation in Gaza has gotten so dire after the 7 October attacks that viewpoints are changing among Singaporeans. Those who were once apathetic now see it as a humanitarian crisis instead of a Muslim problem. Actor Oon Shu An, for example, publicly shares her journey [towards becoming an advocate for the Palestinian cause]. This is thanks to the Palestinian journalists who document the atrocities on social media, making the images of war accessible to everyone. As long as Singaporeans continue to look deeper into the long-standing violence in Palestine and past mainstream media headlines, they will find it hard to ignore Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. With the issue being taken up globally through the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, I believe [more] Singaporeans will continue to open their eyes to its severity.

What were some of your biggest takeaways from hosting the Gaza Monologues? What impact do you envision these efforts making towards local and global solidarity for Palestine? 
[One] takeaway [was] presenting creative ways to advocate for the Palestinian cause. The Gaza Monologues segment included readings of the original monologues written by Gazans under ASHTAR Theatre. Many attendees shared that they were deeply moved and were able to release their pent-up emotions. We also had the panel, “Being Palestinian Allies”, where we invited panellists with diverse perspectives to model how conversations about Palestine can be empathetic and sensitive, embracing emotions as part of the cause. This is important, as conventional ways of solidarity, like holding a rally at Hong Lim Park’s Speakers’ Corner, are not an option.

[But] one of the biggest takeaways was bringing people with different understandings of the issue together. We were intentional about inviting those who were on the fence, and were happy that some of them turned up and learnt a thing or two. We were also pleasantly surprised to see more children. We had a “Postcards for Gaza” segment where attendees wrote their thoughts and messages for Gaza. Seeing the children’s messages about wanting peace, safety and happiness for all reminded us that the issue isn’t all that complex. If children can understand it, anyone can. Encouragingly, some pro-Palestinian attendees engaged with the government representative on the panel.

There is an assumption that activists are generally in defiance of the state, but this openness suggests that there is room for Singaporeans and the state to negotiate with each other. For an issue seemingly as “sensitive” as this, it is crucial to continue building trust to achieve a shared ideal outcome. An inherently political issue requires a political solution and for that, negotiation with the state is necessary. After the event, people reached out for advice on how they could hold their own events and initiatives. The desire to continue creating spaces for pro-Palestinian solidarity within lawful means suggests that the state’s fears are unfounded. Pro-Palestinian Singaporeans are actually very mindful about protecting the nation’s social fabric. Doing so is not mutually exclusive from advocating for the safety and rights of Palestinians.