Singapore Literature in Focus

We are a group of students studying in NUS, taking the module SSA1207. This is our project which we hope will inspire you to discover and appreciate Singapore literature.

[sglit2013-blog]

leaving

Four months to Brisbane and the knots

feel remarkably tight

You can't box and airfreight

all your longings

when the air is still,

like the well in a frog

in a well.

The brisk bane of bills, parts

of your apartment falling apart,

the office in your head

you can't shut off,

riddles from a son

you can't get rid of -

how they span attention

in a conspiracy of noise

But today

the excuses have wrung their hands dry,

There are forms to fill,

forms to inform,

forms to conform,

a chloroform face to greet

the Devil in details -

like passport photographs and income tax clerks -

when you depart through a door

awkward and half-closed

Felix Cheong - Writing Singapore 2009

The persona 'You' in this poem is likely a Singaporean leaving to emigrate to Brisbane, Australia. Many Singaporeans have indeed migrated to Down Under in hopes of a better future for themselves. This poem however highlights the fact that you can take a Singaporean out of Singapore but deep down, you can't take out the Singapore from a Singaporean.This is evident in that even though the 'quitter' is leaving Singapore for a new place to call home, there is this sense of "longings" - perhaps a desire to want to stay in Singapore but unable to for personal reasons?. Although the poet writes about leaving, he also hints about the troubling lifestyle of Singaporeans - "the office in your head/you can't shut off" implies that many Singaporeans unfortunately cannot separate their work and their life at home. This is a reality in many developing countries, particularly with the proliferation of personal mobile communication devices which makes it too easy to contact a person after hours. This merely highlights the fact that the Singaporean society is so focused on economic development, there seems to be little time left for anything else - even family comes second (as suggested by the poet writing about the "son" only AFTER writing about "the office").

Ultimately, the poet argues that even if one leaves Singapore, the door is not always completely shut, that it is "awkward and half closed": that no matter how far away one leaves Singapore, it forms part of one's identity, that the Singaporean identity cannot be disassociated from oneself. The last lines also hints of possible assimilation problem - that many countries cannot fully accept an immigrant.

[sglit2013-blog]

Singapore River

The operation  was massive;

designed to give new life

to the old lady.

We have cleaned out

her arteries, removed

detritus and silt,

created a by-pass

for the old blood.

Now you can hardly tell

her history.

We have become

so health-conscious

the heart

can sometimes be troublesome.

Lee Tzu Pheng - Words for the 25th Readings by Singapore Writers

(1990)

  As the name of the poem suggests, the poem revolves around the Singapore River. By likening the river to a network of arteries and using the imagery of clogged arteries, the poem suggests that prior to this, the River was dirty and unhealthy. the lines regarding operation is in reference to the clean-up project that lasted from 1977 to 1987. Prior to 1977, the Singapore River was heavily polluted. The clean up was instigated the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who set forth the ambitious target of a clean Singapore River within a decade.

However, the line "Now you can hardly tell/her history" has dual meaning. One interpretation would be in reference to the health of the river - driving home the point that the river is now successfully clean.

However, the alternative interpretation is one that suggests that the clean-up has cleaned up more than just the pollution. there is the implication that the scene along the Singapore River has changed. This is especially true since amenities were developed so that businesses such as food stalls could be relocated away from the Singapore River and so forth.

The last stanza attempts to highlight the fact that once again, things in Singapore have changed but at the cost of destruction of heritage, of losing a place associated with identity ("the heart can be troublesome").There is the implication that there is a huge price to pay for rapid urbanization - the loss of the 'heart'.

[sglit2013-blog]

Wall

I was walled by a decency

I wished I knew how to ram

Breach the castled past to follow

Belated drives into worldly man.

But ram? Virtue left me

A lamb, green,

Vacantly aware of the world's arms

Not daring her salvation nor sin

I was taught her voice was insidious.

Whispers of wickedness degraded

The original strain floating over the rim.

I thrilled and shuddered as it faded.

Bright holes that I scratched, unseen,

Revealed how much my circumference of the sky

Was mocked by the infinity of those

Who more freely moved outside the chimney of my eye.

I had waited long enough,

Dreaming, scratching and thinking apart

It is time to mount

Then quietly leap with the heart.

Robert Yeo

The Wall from which the poem derives its title from is more of a metaphorical, psychological barrier than an actual physical wall. By painting the imagery of a battering "ram" and juxtaposing it with the image of a "lamb", the poet is perhaps making a critique of the Singapore society which has been taught to follow and not go against the law. The poem suggests a certain naivety of the "lamb" in contrast to the "worldly man", thereby making a criticism that Singaporeans are perhaps too caught up in their own world to realize that there is a bigger world out there. 

He presents the idea of constraints by describing not the surrounding wall but the world outside the wall, using the words "sky", "infinity" and "...freely move..." - words associated with the idea of freedom. In the final stanza, we see the poet take the "leap with the heart", implying that by only by challenging the world around us do we truly become free instead of assuming that we are. 

[sglit2013-blog]

Up Close and Personal with the Merlion

The Merlion Hotel is a key exhibition piece of the Singapore Biennale 2011. Conceptualized by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi, it comprises a luxurious temporary hotel room built around Singapore’s iconic landmark, the Merlion and offers visitors the unique experience of getting up close and personal with the globally recognised symbol. During the day people could visit the hotel', and each evening guests would check in to spend the night.

The Merlion has been a trademark of Singapore with its very own ‘back story’ of a sighted mythical creature with the head of a lion and body of a fish. It was officially adopted as a symbol by the Singapore Tourism Board in 1966 and has since been an iconic representation of Singapore. The Merlion has no doubt been commercialised by the tourism industry, featuring on all sorts of souvenir and as landmarks at prominent places in Singapore. Thus the Merlion Hotel exhibition sought to show the Merlion through a new perspective by shifting visitors’ proximity to the sculpture.

The Merlion Hotel was officially launched by guest-of-honour Prof. Edwin Nadason Thumboo, who gave a stirring recital of his poem Ulysses by the Merlion. I found this incorporation of a piece Singaporean literature in a modern day world renowned art festival particularly interesting. Just as how the Merlion is a globally recognized icon of Singapore, Edwin Thumboo’s “Ulysses by the Merlion” is deemed by many as a landmark in Singaporean literary history. The installation around the Merlion not only gives visitors a unique encounter with the Merlion within the intimacy of a hotel room, it shows how an old landmark can be seen through a new perspective.

“Ulysses by the Merlion” is a nationalistic poem that pays homage to Singapore’s humble beginnings and how our forefathers came together despite their differences to create a culture that is uniquely ours. By reciting the poem and making the Merlion a center-piece at an international renowned art festival, we can see the relevance of Singapore literature in our country today and the efforts made to preserve it.

ULYSSES BY THE MERLION

(for Maurice Baker)

By Edwin Thumboo

  I have sailed many waters,

Skirted islands of fire,

Contended with Circe

Who loved the squeal of pigs;

Passed Scylla and Charybdis

To seven years with Calypso,

Heaved in battle against the gods.

Beneath it all

I kept faith with Ithaca, travelled,

Travelled and travelled,

Suffering much, enjoying a little;

Met strange people singing

New myths; made myths myself.

  But this lion of the sea

Salt-maned, scaly, wondrous of tail,

Touched with power, insistent

On this brief promontory...

Puzzles.

  Nothing, nothing in my days

Foreshadowed this

Half-beast, half-fish,

This powerful creature of land and sea.

  Peoples settled here,

Brought to this island

The bounty of these seas,

Built towers topless as Ilium's.

They make, they serve,

They buy, they sell.

  Despite unequal ways,

Together they mutate,

Explore the edges of harmony,

Search for a centre;

Have changed their gods,

Kept some memory of their race

In prayer, laughter, the way

Their women dress and greet.

They hold the bright, the beautiful,

Good ancestral dreams

Within new visions,

So shining, urgent,

Full of what is now.

  Perhaps having dealt in things,

Surfeited on them,

Their spirits yearn again for images,

Adding to the dragon, phoenix,

Garuda, naga those horses of the sun,

This lion of the sea,

This image of themselves.

[sglit2013-blog]

Forever Singlish

We don't care:: we like to speak it leh;

When we end with lor, hor, lah,

People say our English kana-sai

Why do they care? Hard core kaypoh -

Bo dai chi cho.

It got rhythm - like when you say

When pass urine in the lift? Chau si!

Aiyah: Chau Ah Lian; Chau Ah Beng; Chau Buaya;

Chau Ah Kua; Chau Mamak; Chau Kayu; Chau Goondu 0

Who else?

It got reason - like when the secretary say

You hold on arh - he's on the line;

So you wait for him to finish - wah piang, talk

So long, boey tahan, some more I kena

Scolding from boss for wasting time.

We say sorrysorrysorry to make sure we are:

So pai say, we have to repeat two, three times;

Then say excuse! when we overtake or cut in -

Only once. Short cuts must be short and sweet,

If sometimes we cannot cheat, so chia lat

No lubang; so teruk. Kiasu cannot lose,

Kiasi cannot die; machiam machiam words

We also try. Proper English? So lecheh,

So correct, so actsy for what? Wah lau,

Already got your meaning before you finish!

Vegetable, Animal, Mineral, Abstract:

It makes all this rojak, chickenfeed.

Hands all over the place; poke here, touch there,

Growing only like a samseng kia,

People cannot control, also cannot compete.

No class Singlish here to stay,

No big shot can have his way

With how people talk, what people say.

Rules are rules: our bo chap mouth refuse

To listen, follow or to choose!

Leong Liew Geok - Women Without Men (2000)

This poem is essentially a declaration on the right to use Singlish, a language that is a "rojak" (mix) of Malay, Hokkien and English. Singlish is frowned upon by the authorities who fear that it would erode the quality of Standard English spoken in Singapore. There is thus the tone of playful defiance, in contrast to Sa'at's poem, "You are not my country".

As the poet writes, there is this connotation that Singlish users have "no class", that the language is too crass, crude, There is this implication that the language is not used by high society, particularly since the word "class" is used.

Yet, it is precisely because it is of "no class" that explains its wide usage and popularity - the language transcends class. Many, like the author have linked the use of Singlish to their identity as a Singaporean. It is considered an organic language, one developed by the people, for the people.

Enjoy a clip of US Students Learning Singlish.

[sglit2013-blog]

there is no future in notalgia

& certainly no nostalgia in the future of the past

now, the corner cigarette seller is gone, is perhaps dead

no, definitely dead, he would not otherwise have gone.

he is replaced by a stamp-machine,

the old cook by a pressure-cooker,

the old trishaw-rider's stand by a fire hydrant,

the washer-woman by a spin-dryer

& it goes on

in various variations & permutations,

there is no future in nostalgia

Arthur Yap

The poet laments the loss of his landscape as the country undergoes rapid development. There is this underlying fear of being replaced by automation (cook by a pressure cooker etc.) and hence, he brings up the idea that no one is irreplaceable. Despite the words of the poem proclaiming that there is no place in the future for nostalgia, the tone of the poem itself is done in a nostalgic style which leaves us the question on whether nostalgia can truly be gone from our hearts.

[sglit2013-blog]

Work in Progress

  Why this upheaval

constant as our coastlines

eaten by tides

  the way streets and lands

are chewed and spat

between the pages of directories

  till the crumbling past

is no more than a concrete heap

ready for another retro-fit?

  We are a country of dust

where nothing is saved

but face.

  Felix Cheong - I watch the stars go out (1999)

Felix Cheong is criticizing the fast pace of urban development in Singapore, under the guise of economic development. He calls for the conservation of buildings which are of historical importance lest they become “crumbling past” and “no more than a concrete heap”. He criticizes the need to build and rebuild (“retro-fit”). There is this sense of resignation towards the end that nothing can be done to counter this constant drive for change with the last stanza as he identifies Singapore as “a country of dust”. Indeed, if we keep demolishing our history, then sooner or later we would have no physical history to remind ourselves of the past.

However, by entitling the poem as a work in progress however, the poet hints that perhaps there may still be hope for a change yet, that people will realise the need for conservation instead of the constant need for upgrading.

[sglit2013-blog]

Train

At every moment we are

changed, yet we

clutch at bars

engraved with our fingerprints

from Boon Lay to Pasir Ris

keeping our stiffened bodies

adamantly still, along

the train’s singular direction

Cyril Wong - Unmarked Treasures (2012)

The poem is not just merely about a train ride, but rather a subtle commentary about Singaporeans who are left floundering in a country where changes happen almost overnight. The imagery of “clutch(ing) at bars/engraved with our fingerprints” implies that Singaporeans could possibly need a slower pace in life, one where they can feel like they can appreciate their surroundings and call themselves at home rather than move at a breakneck speed (“every moment we are changed”). The poet also paints Singaporeans as a people who are more reserved and there is a subtle unwritten hint that perhaps it is time to loosen up and relax.

[sglit2013-blog]

Grandpa Comes Home

by David Leo in "Ah...the fragrance of Durians and other stories" (1993)

I was ten when Grandpa left to live in an old folks' home.

In the short story Grandpa Comes Home, David Leo paints a Singaporean family who struggles with the care-taking of “Kong Kong”, the elderly grandfather - torn between wanting to ensure the comfort and safety of the old man as well as the need to stay together as a family. The author highlights the challenges and conflicts that arose as a result - and this scene is likely to play out more often as Singapore continues to grey in the years to come. By telling the story through the eyes of “Beng” who was ten, there is a sense of naive hope that courses throughout the story. By utilizing the second person narrative, we as the audience are limited by the character's view and hence, like an onion only get to understand the story better as pieces of the story come together.

A typical Singaporean would feel upset that “Mama” would try to push her father-in-law into staying at an old folks home (which is painted as drab, “where no one liked to go”), since this goes against the supposed Asian value of filial piety. However, as the story reveals itself, we realize the struggles this family faces. We are forced to confront the fact that they are not well to do as they stay in a “two bedroom HDB”. Hence, they are constrained physically as well as financially.

However, as is the problem with the second person narrative, the true story is held back which in turn raises questions about the family and whether the old folks are provided the love, care and support that they require to accompany them into their twilight years in eldercare places. This is a pertinent issue that we need to discuss and look into because Life may just imitate Art in time to come.

[sglit2013-blog]

CAUSEWAY ONE:

WAITING FOR IMIGRESEN

friday nights, the queue snakes from woodlands,

a python which feasts in two weeks

it is in no hurry

crossing these Straits have never been easy

not when the Japanese fought the tide,

swimming among husks,

not in 1963 - bonds built bombed by konfrontasi

not even now as a train rolls with difficulty

from the tanjong pagar station,

            doubtful of its own identity

if only we would stop talking to ourselves,

hold our forked tongues and

with our bellies and ears to the ground,

understand that even though the causeway

was moulded from unyielding stone,

            just beyond it, all is water

            under the bridge

August 1998

Darren Shiau - Peninsular (2000)

In the opening, the poem describes the weekly scene of the jammed Causeway. The Causeway is more than just a physical bridge that unites Singapore and Malaysia, unites families post-Independence. It is also acts as a psychological barrier that separates two countries that formerly used to be one. Further, the Causeway played a significant role during world war two when the Japanese came from the north (from Malaysia) instead of from the south (as predicted by the British). This and other historical references highlights the fact that the history of Singapore and Malaysia cannot be as easily separated - the two countries share a common history. The imagery of the snake can be hinted to be both positive and negative connotation but I feel that the poet is trying to drive home the point that Singaporeans should not perceive our neighbours with animosity (“hold our forked tongues”) but rather, be accepting of our neighbours who have already welcomed us with open arms. This implies that despite after being forced to separate, we have now come full circle and have been accepted back to a certain extent.

[sglit2013-blog]

The Taximan's Story

Ah, madam, young people today, what trouble they are...

  Catherine Lim’s The Taximan’s Story has a distinct Singaporean feel despite the lack of Singlish creole used, due to the sentence structure the character uses: non-standard English. The archetypal local Singaporean taxi driver is featured in the story: one who is opinionated on just about anything and will ramble on if you let him. The short story is more of a monologue since only the taxi driver is heard but we as the readers understand that there is the invisible other character. Although we are not explicitly told, one can ascertain that the story is set within a taxi in Singapore.

The character’s ethnicity is not made explicitly clear until later (when he identifies one of his daughter as “Lay Choo”) because the author is trying to direct attention to class disparities rather than focussing on issues about ethnicity. We can only infer his socioeconomic status, likely working class because of the occupation he holds. Nonetheless, it is rather clear that the taxi driver is a male Singaporean Chinese because he agrees with “Family Planning in Singapore”, calling the government’s Stop at Two campaign “much better” - a mindset that is likely not shared by Singaporean Malays. Further, he subscribes to Confucian ideal of filial piety - the eldest daughter who “stay at home, help the mother” is considered good, despite not being in school. The youngest daughter, Lay Choo is different and hence, lies the source of conflict between the daughter and the taxi driver father. One could also see this as the struggle between the individual and the patriachal State.

[sglit2013-blog]

Off Centre by Haresh Sharma

SALOMA: ...they laugh because we are mental patient, off centre...

VINOD: Off centre? Where did you pick that up from?

SALOMA: [points to the audience] They.

VINOD: [to audience] Did you use that word? [to Saloma] No, see, they say no.

SALOMA: OK, not them, but their brother, their sister, their children, father, mother, friend. Maybe they never say, but they also never scold people who say.

VINOD: Saloma, we are not off centre. We are very centre. We are the core. We are right on target, on the dot, the arrow that slices the apple.

Haresh Sharma’s play, Off Centre touches on the issue of mental illness. The characters Saloma and Vinod are regarded ‘off centre’ as they are ex-mental patients, struggling with social stigma, marginalisation and mistreatment. Sharma confronts the audience directly as seen in the excerpt above where Saloma refers to the audience as ‘normal’ people or ‘centre’, drawing a fine line between the ‘normal’ people and the mentally ill. Vinod’s friends also treated him differently when he went to enrol back into school.

The plot follows a non-traditional, non-linear timeline which I felt was important in this play as it provides the audience with flashbacks of the past eg. the factors leading to Vinod’s breakdown in the army and also the high expectations set by his parents and also himself. Today, some parents still put too much pressure on their kids to achieve and succeed in the ever-competitive society. Too much stress will eventually lead to a mental breakdown.

Additional characters in the play are also important in developing the main characters, Saloma and Vinod, and their experiences with mental illness.

MAK: He is mad. He go to Woodbridge.

SALOMA: I also go Woodbridge-

MAK:-You are not mad-

SALOMA: -And try to kill myself-

MAK: -You are not mad-

SALOMA: -And my hand tremble-

MAK: -YOU ARE NOT MAD!!! YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER! You are mine. You are me...

Saloma’s mother is overprotective of her daughter and refused to believe that her daughter is mad. Despite the fact that her daughter has schizophrenia, she did not want Saloma to take the medicine. Family members of the mentally ill tend to experience social stigma too. These social stigmas that people associate with the mentally ill are one of the main reason why they refused to seek treatment. Even ex-mental patients are treated differently in society as job application forms ask for one’s past mental illness history. As a result, Saloma never got several jobs that she applied for. Vinod too got fired from his job when his boss found out that he was an ex-patient.

Local references such as the void deck, which is an important shared space in the play where Vinod and Saloma met and spoke without the stare of normal people, allows the audience to relate. The use of local languages, such as Malay and Singlish, brings the subject more closer to home and highlights the fact the mentally ill are amongst us here in Singapore and are no different. They desire for - love, freedom, safety, the right to work and live their lives, acceptance of loves ones and society - just like everyone else. Despite so, they still struggle with discrimination and stigma.

MAK: Everybody say I am strong. See her husband die so young. Her daughter become mad. But she still so strong. Mak jaga Saloma. Mak jaga bapak Saloma. Siapa jaga mak. Siapa?

Translation: “Who will look after me?” The question asked in Malay had an agonising tone, which I feel might not be as impactful if it was said in English.

Sharma did not portray a rosy picture of ‘happily ever after’ in the play with Vinod committing suicide to produce a larger impact on the audience. I believe that his goal is to give the audience a wake up call on our actions/inactions that may possibly lead to a loss of life. Vinod needed support from his family which he never got. When Razali, the security guard at Vinod’s block, was absent during the robbery, Vinod felt that he could not trust Razali or anyone to protect him anymore. On the other hand, Saloma’s transformation in the play are mainly due to the three characters - her mum, Emily and Vinod. She became more determined to cure her mental illness and have the courage to integrate back into the society. This shows that peer acceptance and family support are important in one’s mental well-being.

[sglit2013-blog]

Suchen Christine Lim’s “A Bit of Earth” is not located in Singapore at all. Yet it can be considered a part of Singapore literature, due to its shared history of Malaya (and the fact that there was no “Singapore” country before 1965). The novel tells of the life of Wong Tuck Heng, a young boy who escaped from China on death warrant. He ended up settling in Malaya, at first living among his clan people who had also migrated there, and later on becoming a wealthy businessman struggling to define his identity.

The first part of the novel told a story of the lives of Chinese immigrants in Malaya. Daunted by the foreign territory and unable to speak the local dialects, most stick together and live among their clansmen. Clan rivalries are rife, and sometimes violent.

Upon saving the head of the clansmen’s life, Tuck Heng was taken in as an adopted son, which made him the grandson of the wealthy Peranakan Baba Wee. As years go by, Tuck Heng worked hard and used his wit to rise as a wealthy businessman. His standing among the Chinese in Malaya is unsurpassed.

He had, however, one issue. His cousins are, by his standards, seen as more successful. They are able to speak British-accented English (compared with his heavily Chinese-accented, limited English) and are regarded highly by the Westerners. His want for respect from the Westerners made him, in the end, cut his queue, to look more western-like. This is highly ironical considering how he was once against his son doing anything that will make him less “Chinese”.

In the present Singapore, however, locals who keep mimicking Western customs or speak Western-accented English are sometimes mocked or derided. Girls seeking partnerships with Westerners are labeled “Sarong Party Girls”. On the other hand, some Singaporeans do not take kindly to mainland Chinese either. One wonders where the Singapore identity lies between the two.

Wong Tuck Heng faced difficulty adjusting to westernization. Perhaps foreigners in Singapore are not having it easy either. The book seems to tell us that those who are flexible will be more successful and will be steered clear out of trouble.

“A Bit of Earth” is a book that tells us of the historical past of some of our fore fathers, founders of Singapore, perhaps. As a nation founded by migrants, Singapore continues to struggle in forging its identity, which also continues to change.

[sglit2013-blog]

Stella Kon’s “Emily of Emerald Hill”

The old mansion "Oberon"

Stella Kon’s “Emily of Emerald Hill” is a play that has been presented more than a hundred times by more than half a dozen artists. It tells the story of Emily, a simple girl who rose up to become a powerful matriarch of a Peranakan family she married into, through her wit and some may say, sometimes cunning. In the process of her rise, however, she lost a son and became estranged from her husband.

“Emily of Emerald Hill” gives us a glimpse to the past lives of Chinese born in Singapore, a time that many of us do not know or have forgotten. In the play, customs and culture are preserved, making it a valuable record of Singapore cultural history.

In the play, we are introduced to the patriarchal structure of the Peranakan culture, where although the matriarch makes virtually all the decision, ultimately the man in the house is the one who has to be respected more. The matriarch makes decision only to the well-being of the husband and to serve him.

Emily, too, based all her decision-making in the best interest of her family members, especially herself, Keong (her husband) and her sons. In contrast to Western custom, for example, she decided which university her son Richard will attend. She was horrified to know when he quitted to work along horses, almost literally dropped everything and flew thousands of miles to talk him into quitting it and going back to university. She refused to listen to her son’s plea to understand him and his dreams, on the basis that she thinks it is not a good idea at all. Her dismissal eventually led to her son’s suicide. One may think that this sounds very typical “tiger mom”. Until today, too, top Western universities are highly regarded among Singaporeans.

Emerald Hill itself is now located near the Orchard area. Nowadays, it is a commercial and conservation area, lined with restaurants and bars with charming old shop houses look. Long gone are the days where it was a place of residences for rich Peranakan family.

“Emily of Emerald Hill” is an interesting monodrama that is nonetheless rich in characters. It is a microscopy of Singapore past lives that are fast disappearing.

[sglit2013-blog]

How to Fly the Singapore Flag

  last week of July

the Straits Times bore an article with a simple tag -

it told us: How to Fly the Singapore Flag

  it told us that

we could display it in August

but remove it by September

no other flag or emblem above, or to its right

no words or graphics upon it, and if it might

be torn or worn

hand it to the RC;

if not, wash it separately -

dry it indooors

i’ve seen it flown at construction sites,

on bamboo poles outside provision shops,

at farm-huts in Lim Chu Kang

and the neon brothels in Geylang

  i’ve seen it planted on a lonely crane, hanging

over Shenton Way

  and grasped in a toddler’s sweaty palms

waving it frantically as her mother held sway,

refusing to let it be coaxed away

- we cannot decide how a flag is to be flow;

we can only raise it, give it winds

           and let it make change, on its own

  Darren Shiau - Peninsular (2000)

  This poem is essentially talking about patriotism, criticizing the Singapore Government’s idea that the flying of the flag equates to loyalty to the country.

  In the second stanza, he lists some of the rules regarding the flag and this is a critique of the rigidity of the Singapore society, one bound by rules and regulations - that the flag can only be flown at certain times (“display it in August/but remove it by September”). By including the imagery of the defiant flag-waving toddler, the poet hence raises the question of pride and loyalty to the country - do we only take pride in Singapore for only a month, nothing more?

  Further, he questions the many rules then such as only institutions being allowed to fly the flag. In the third stanza, the poet presents this dilemma of patriotism by highlighting the instances where the flag was flown in flagrant disregard of the rules. Further, it is hinted in the last stanza that one does not necessarily have to fly the flag to be patriotic - patriotism lies within and not externally.

  This poem was written in 2000. In 2007, businesses were allowed to fly the flag outside their building premises all year round. However, this poem continues to stay relevant because it highlights the tension between the individual and the State regarding patriotism.

[sglit2013-blog]

Merlion Speaks

i am tired of being upright, erect on my tail,

posing for pictures, posed poems by ponderous

poets like Thumboo, Lee and even young Sa’at

an afterthought in the sixties

i know i have lost my relevance

why else am i no longer

watching over the estuary

my view obscured by the colossal Esplanade Bridge?

why else is there an image of

myself on a Southern Isle

taller, fiercer and with burning eyes

to watch over the sea

watch over me?

if i am to be nothing but a landmark and a reminder

of our sea-faring past

then let me sit like the Danish Mermaid;

but if i have to stand here forever,

stand like the statue of Liberty,

then for the country’s sake

            let me stand for something

Darren Shiau - Peninsular (2000)

  The Merlion has a lion head and a fish body and has been the subject of fascination and scorn by many. In this poem, the poet Darren Shiau has taken on the persona of the Merlion at Merlion Park to assert his views about this ‘mythical creature’. The half lion, half fish was first designed as a logo for the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board by Fraser Brunner, the curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium in 1966. It was built for the main purpose of generating tourism and to become ‘the nucleus of a successful souvenir industry’.

Hence, the self-deprecating tone of the piece reflects the poet’s own feeling about the Merlion. The poet, like other poets before him such as "Lee" Tzu Pheng and Alfian "Sa’at" (with the exception of Edwin "Thumboo"), questions the significance of the Merlion. He bemoans that it has “lost [my] relevance” since the STB has since changed its logo in 1997. Further, the Merlion at Merlion Park is not the biggest and prominent Merlion - that honour falls on the “Southern Isle” (Sentosa) Merlion. Hence, it begs the question, of which Merlion should be the icon of Singapore (then again, should it even be an icon, considering its initial commercial intent?).

The last line “let me stand for something” is a pun at the word ‘stand’. The Merlion stands erect although it is theoretically impossible to do so because of its fish body. However, it doesn’t stand for anything. The Merlion is not an entity the people grew up with, as opposed to the “Danish Mermaid” (based on the Hans Christian Anderson tale, The Little Mermaid) and neither has it been imbued with any meaning like the “statue of Liberty” (which symbolises freedom and as a welcoming sign to new immigrants to America). The poet hence calls for a re-examination of this Singaporean “icon” and its legitimacy of being a national symbol.

[sglit2013-blog]

A Review of Trainspotting: A Year in Revue 2011

  Trainspotting is a wacky production put up by theatre group Sight Line Production that satirizes and pokes fun at almost every Singaporean headline sensation in the year of 2011. The comedy revue takes you on a journey on the public transport, in Singapore’s very own Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and sings social commentaries about issues such as the SMRT delays, Orchard Road floods (or ‘ponding’ as how the news refers to it) and the highly publicized Abercrombie & Fitch publicity coup featuring half-naked models lining the streets of Orchard Road that year. 

  This production was, very much for me a breath of fresh air and a modern and daring take on the present issues that are faced in Singapore. While it deals with issues with a unique frankness and Singaporean style of self-deprecation, it is hardly offending and as a Singaporean watching the musical and having experienced first-hand some of the issues mentioned, it is something that really resonates in me because of the relevance, accessibility and currency of the themes. In retrospect, it is the zany things to have hit our shores that make us so uniquely Singapore.

  In trying to write a review of the production I came to the realisation that the transcript for ‘Trainspotting’ was not available online, and only snippets of it were available in the form of YouTube videos and short sound recordings. This brings to light the issue of undocumented works that ought to be a part of Singapore literature. Theatre works such as ‘Trainspotting’ are relevant social commentaries on the Singaporean society, but because they are undocumented, thus cannot be viewed or appreciated by people who did not catch the musical live. While theatre works like this are worth documenting, they require a substantial amount of contextual knowledge because of the number of inside jokes and references made throughout the musical, thus making it one that only a true-blue Singaporean would understand completely.

  The style of this particular theatre work is also in line with the increasingly fast-paced nature of society; likened to train on a tight schedule that waits for no one. Like a train stopping by its desired destinations, the musical touches-and-go on different issues, such that everyone’s takeaway would be different depending on which issue resonates more with them.

  The musical/play pays homage the things that make our nation so very unique – like our fascination with curry and our “kiasu-ism”, while incorporating aspects of the international drama scene, parodying Broadway musicals such as ‘Wicked’, ‘The Lion King’, and making popular song sensations its very own by changing the lyrics. This is an indication of how interconnected the Singaporean culture has become with the international community, with increasing modernisation and globalisation, we seek inspiration from not just local sources, but also foreign places.