|
 Ten
years on, James has since gained an MA in Politics
from the University of Essex and is currently
in the news once again for his book, 'Self-Censorship:
Singapore's Shame,' which was launched in November
1999. "It was time for someone to pin-point
the phenomena, but no one really addressed the
nature of it." The book is selling well,
and two of his earliest orders came from government
ministries eager to read this controversial sounding
publication. It has reached a broad spectrum of
Singapore society, and James has even received
fan mail!
"Totally Singaporean," James Gomez describes
himself as a "political love-child"
who gained an awareness at an early age from his
father Thomas, who was very active in the Singapore
Merchant and Mercantile Workers Union, and to
whom James dedicates his book. He has fond memories
of his formative years at St Anthony Boy's School
where he sang in the school choir. He still plays
the guitar, and has been known to do a mean number
or two at Bernie's on the East Coast.
With his disarming charm and lively dress sense,
Gomez is not necessarily how on might expect a
political commentator and academic to be, but
he shies away from being labelled as such, preferring
to describe himself as a "political educator."
He is pursuing his doctorate at SOAS, the School
of Oriental and African Studies, in London - a
project that is currently on hold. "Many
people expect that my PhD should be the most important
thing in my life, but with so many things that
I want to achieve, I have had to take time out
from those studies."
James is currently on a month long tour of Australia
and New Zealand where is promoting his book. Taking
in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra and Auckland,
Gomez is speaking at Universities and liaising
with Singaporean Students' Societies. Later in
the year, he expects to do something similar in
Malaysia, and he is already working on his second
book 'Memoirs of a Student Activist - the other
Singapore Story'.
Has he had much trouble persuading stores to stock
his book? "Quite a few advanced sales were
arranged via the Internet, on the website: www.politics21.mainpage.net
and through the Think Centre, which is an independent
political research initiative here in Singapore.
I am extremely grateful to Select Bookstore in
Tanglin Shopping Centre, for its initial support.
It is known for its range of interesting and thought
provoking titles."
There is a certain irony that some shops have
censored themselves in choosing not to stock his
book, but most mainstream stores have Gomez's
debut offering on their shelves, and he has been
welcomed for radio and television interviews as
well as being featured in the national press.
"The phrase 'self-censorship' is evoked more
frequently now," smiles James, "and
people are more aware that this is not necessarily
being imposed from above, but is a conformity
from within. I want people to understand that
politics is not confined to what happens in parliament
or within government; everyday life is politics
too."
With his straightforward and no-nonsense approach,
is Gomez considering entering the political arena?
"Who knows? As I said, there are so many
things I want to do, I'd like to see Think Centre
continue to flourish, and more forums for open
discussion. If Singapore is to become a regional
hub for the arts and writing, self-censorship
should be addressed." Gomez sees Singapore
Writers' week later in the year as an ideal opportunity
for discussion and with his book having paved
the way it will be interesting to see what happens.
Gomez is on the lookout for collaborative opportunities
with the various communities in Singapore and
beyond, and is an accomplised speaker and commmentator
on a range of Asian issues. He can be reached
at jamesgomez@hotmail.com
Self-Censorship, by James Gomez, is published
by Think Centre and is available at Select, MPH,
Borders, Kinokuniya and WHSmith at the airport
among others. The website is www.politics21.mainpage.net.
Note:
The
Website has since changed to http://www.thinkcentre.org.
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