September 2006
Ong, Bark!
Big feature story in ST’s Life on Aug 10: The Phases Of Singapore Theatre – There are now more companies and more productions, but Singapore theatre is still stuck on old chestnuts like anti-government policy rants and cultural clashes. Can the scene grow beyond that?” That would be like me saying – there are now more new faces in the government but we are still stuck on the same OLD chestnuts calling the shots, can the mandate move on and let some other party take over? Stupid for me to say that, right? They don’t move on cos they matter! Enough said.
I lurve Hong Xinyi’s put-down of Eleanor Wong’s splendid play The Campaign To Confer The Public Service Star On JBJ in her review ‘It’s tedious being funny’ (ST, Aug 11). What she doesn’t know is that it’s doubly tedious being a shameless careerist and happy-hostage to those who can see the bigger picture of where one’s at. “In the first half of the play,” she wrote, “ we are introduced to… the Association of Students for Self-Expression (ASS). Many tedious jokes punning on the unfortunate acronym follow.” One can hardly blame Hong for being acutely sensitized to the term ASS. What a motherload connection! With so much credibility slipping from her ‘master-ful’ pen, I’m sure even her masters will request she does a reverse pandering to the next play that satirizes Singapore! Green light for cue now.
Sure enough on Aug 16, a ‘fierce’ debate ensued. Two ST writers – Ong Sor Fern and Ong Soh Chin (not related but could well be corporate sisters-in-arms) – argued about the merits of the play, one for and the other against. Guess who was for? Not that the for was all that for-for! What better way to confuse the public on a play that diabolically, through the transcendent form of art, ‘confers’ the public service star on JB Jeyaratnam, a man known in the political circle here as our Minister Mentor’s nemesis. Where else can you witness a public gathering of 700 applauding the opposition leader when it was announced to the house that he’s seated in the theatre on Aug 10?!! Scary.
The two Ongs’ debate is fabulous, shooting themselves in the foot for sacrificing ST’s credibility in the process, cos the art-intelligentsia know exactly WHAT to think. The debate isn’t so much a critique but another veiled authoritarian directive to indicate where Big Brother’s stand on the play is. The scene with the police inspector is marvelously telling of Singapore’s opaque system, much-touted as transparent even by international standards. To the world – transparent, back home – nudge-nudge, that’s the essence of the scene. Don’t we know in our hearts, dear!
Clear case of national media’s thought manipulation: “Briton receives stiff 24 years for killing two” was the big front-page headline on Jun 30. Stiff? In a separate case – “Mohammad Zam was charged with culpable homicide for which he could be jailed for life if convicted for killing his wife” (ST, July 17). Why not give that Zam fella the stiff sentence of 24 years? Oh, he deserves the super-stiff sentence, I see. So, it was an official agreement that the Briton could only be extradited here for trial on condition that he does not get the death penalty. A deal’s a deal. But why call the sentence stiff when it’s anything but? Who cares? Exactly. I’m not complaining, Who is? I love the apathy!
In the Home section of the ST July 22, the two big headlines on the first page were: “Man fined twice for offence to get Land & Transport Authority’s apology” and “Why judge reduced her jail term to probation”. Why hah? Let me guess, There’s been too much whispered talk lately that the law is more lenient towards foreigners, especially after the Briton’s sentence? So neh-neh-neh-neh-neh, don’t say we don’t give chance to locals okay! My siow friend says everything in the papers sure got agenda one. If you think otherwise, it’s because you’d rather not end up feeling jerked around, that’s all. We well understand.
US filmmaker Spike Lee was quoted in ST, Aug 11: “What happened in New Orleans was a criminal act…somebody needs to go to jail.” That’s easy, send the suspects here to Singapore. We are mighty judicial in sentencing and punishing, all in the name of global peace too.
Do you know there was a Shine festival for youths in Singapore two months ago in July? Lots of leadership and creative expansion programs in the fest and I also spotted in the festival’s pamphlet a forum titled ‘Mentoring: Be Yourself, Make A Difference’. Honey, once again, can I gesticulate big-big here and ask – what do you think I’m doing in the X’Ho-Files?
On Jul 12, Catherine Lim mused in Today: “Singapore is mega and supra/Technology’s bright upstart/Maybe it’s time to go for/Less head and more heart.” Does the sweet, earnest poetess know she’s been used like a campaign-dog to lick old wounds? In any case, you want heart? You got it. This is Singapore. We’ve got whatever it takes! Redundant musing is surely a sign of subjugated pawns ass-tailing a campaign-rut. Same goes for Ongs that bark.
Lap-dog, fetch! -- X’ Ho
