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Book Reviews on "Singapore's Shame" |
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Book Review @ National Solidarity Party (NSP) Forum21 November 1999 by Yaw Shin Leong Singapore Island is small, but its intensity of ironies is nothing less than profound.One of the major mockeries is that, while there is this Herculean urge to strive towards a creative and thinking society, yet this urge is baffled by the climate of unnecessarily constructed fear. The paradox hence remains. How is it possible to achieve a state of active citizenship and nationhood… in the presence of oppressive OB makers? This undoubtedly leads us into a shameful state of self-censorship. We have also arrived at a stage of elevated social-economic development; it is therefore our responsibilities to question the present rationality and logic behind these entire notions of fear and self-censorship. James Gomez is one of the few rare academic specimens who dares to stand out from his Singaporean peers. Rather than disguising his major themes and their implications in his book under the thick cloak of academic research, he goes directly into the problems, realities and solutions of self-censorship. By doing so, he escapes from the self-censorship enigma that he has so acutely illuminated for the readers. In a point-blank and candid fashion, Gomez identifies the actualities of the social-political situation of Singapore. This highly remarkable book attempts to tackle the mystery of why people here react in this fearful manner. Yet the beauty is not just about being able to highlight this mystery, more significantly it is about how the author actually conceptualizes space in the political field. At this juncture, society in Singapore works within the existing constraints of a dichotomy horizon, which revolves around the "Either you join a political party" or "If not, hands off politics" approach. Gomez brings us into a higher plane of political operation; he advocates not just setting ourselves free from these self-inflicted chains but giving ourselves the flexibility to flow like water… flowing through cracks and openings in the unnecessary brick wall of apathy and fear. One may either agree or disagree with what Gomez has written. However his viewpoints are admirably insightful, not solely because of its daring composition. As such, reading it is vital as it increases our understanding of the existing social-political culture in Singapore. To give an example, the public entertainment act requires individuals, groups or establishments to seek approval for licenses prior to the organization of any public events. However, complicated by the usual late responses and under the mercies of approvals, the very notion of civil society and active citizenship is hampered. This is indeed Singapore's shame. This book mirrors perfectly the concerns of the opposition camp. Not surprisingly it has our strong recommendations. |
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