Tan Tee Seng is one of the 22 alleged Marxists who were arrested during Operation Spectrum on 21 May 1987. To commemorate the upcoming anniversary of this dark chapter of Singapore’s history, we encourage all readers to learn more about his personal experience through this interview.
How did you first get to know of the Geylang Catholic Centre?
After I left Singapore Polytechnic Student Union in 1978, I was looking for a youth organisation to continue participating in community and social activity—a channel for my youthful energy. For a short while, I joined the Whampoa Youth Group, but it was boring because we were reduced to implementing activities decided by the Citizens' Consultative Committee. I was looking for more meaningful engagements. I do not quite remember who suggested that I should check out Geylang Catholic Centre (GCC). On my first visit, the GCC was already like a small community centre. Despite being the smallest, some workers (mainly young Malaysian workers working in cottage industries around the area) were using the centre for a number of leisure activities such as reading newspapers, watching television and playing games like carom and table tennis. I found it easy to integrate into the friendly environment.
What was your first impression of Father Arotcarena?
Father Arot was my first contact with a Catholic priest. He was a very jovial and intellectual person. He knew that some of the graduates from Singapore Polytechnic and I were not Catholic but he embraced all participants. He did not try to evangelise, but we did spend many hours talking about our different views on religion. He was also a very open-minded man and could accept disagreements. For example, I remember one discussion on religious rites I had with him; as it was my first contact with Catholicism, I found the religious rites culturally alien and we spent many hours talking about the differences in our perspectives and cultural backgrounds. I learnt to appreciate his perspective, while not agreeing with him entirely. He gave a lot of autonomy to us in organising activities at the centre and was often present to grace the events.
Along with other young people, you organised English classes at the Geylang Catholic Centre (and later at Chai Chee Centre) on a regular basis. Can you describe how these classes were like?
Most of the young foreign workers came from Chinese education backgrounds. They knew that learning the English Language was very useful for them, since they have made Singapore their home. The language was also useful for them to upgrade themselves because many of them realised that they were working in sunset industries. The ability to use English when dealing with government officers also boosted their confidence. We were not offering them certified English lessons, but conversational English classes.
These English classes eventually came to a stop. In 1987 during Operation Spectrum, both you and your wife Low Yit Leng were arrested for an alleged Marxist conspiracy. What are the things that you remember most vividly about that experience?
That experience would need a book to explain. Teo Soh Lung and Francis Seow had written their accounts in their books, "Beyond the Blue Gate" and "To Catch a Tartar". I shared many similar experiences during incarceration. Internal Security Department had spoiled my wedding plans twice. We had first planned our wedding at the end of May 1987, but it had to be postponed because of our incarceration. Then again it prevented many of my friends from attending the postponed wedding ceremony in 1988, since they were rearrested for issuing a statement denying the government's allegation of a Marxist conspiracy and highlighted the duress, ill treatment and torture of some of the detainees of that dark episode.
Because of the Internal Security Act (ISA), you were not granted a trial, detained, and interrogated for 65 hours. Do you think ISA has a place in our society? Do you think that this law will be abolished in Singapore in the near future?
We adopted ISA from the British, but ISA is not a British law. It is a British colonial law used to suppress the independence movement of that time. The law, supposedly for security, had been absolutely abused for political purposes over the decades. In 2011, it was revealed in Parliament that since 1959, more than 2,600 people were incarcerated under the Act. I estimated more than 2,000 years were lost in prison under the Act. These were the lives of some of the most eminent talents of our country. For example, Dr Chia Thye Poh who was imprisoned 32 years was a Member of Parliament. He was also a lecturer at Nanyang University. Dr Lim Hock Siew and Dr Poh Soo Kai were imprisoned for 20 years and 17 years respectively. They were among the founding members of PAP and outstanding medical practitioners. Said Zahari was the editor of Utusan Melayu and was also the Malay speechwriter for Lee Kuan Yew. He was imprisoned for 20 years. Lee Tee Tong was a Member of Parliament elect when he was arrested and imprisoned for 16 years. This barbaric law has no place in a modern civilised society. We are a democratic society. Whether we will abolish this law depends on what type of leaders we elect into the parliament. We have a collective responsibility in this.
What is your ideal Singapore? How do you envision it to be in another 50 years’ time?
Economically we have been doing well. We have developed from a colonial trading post into a state. I hope we will continue to evolve into a nation. The national pledge we make every morning in school is a good starting point. "So as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation". However, I must add that without equality and justice, there will be no progress to talk about.
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Priest in Geylang is one of Ethos Books’ titles related to Operation Spectrum. It is available for purchase at our online store.