Category: Singapuraku

Singapore Filmmakers Need To Be More Progressive On Their Interpretations Of Race

To Singaporeans complaining about whitewashing & cultural appropriation in Hollywood:

PLEASE LAH. The same thing’s been happening in our own little film industry, and no-one seems to have spoken up about it.

CASE ONE: Jack Neo’s “Ah Boyz to Men”: a film about National Service in which ALL the main characters were Chinese. When he had the chance to reboot the series with a Part 3, did he develop one of the Malay, Indian or Eurasian minor characters? Nope! He invited a Taiwanese guest star to steal the limelight. (Remember, this show got MINDEF money to create images of the SAF which no non-Chinese kid would identify with.)

CASE TWO: Gilbert Chan’s “23:59” and “Ghost Child／鬼仔”。 These are horror movies based on Malay folklore: spirits on Pulau Tekong (where you can’t bring pork) and the toyol. The casts are completely made up of Chinese people.

CASE THREE: Raymond Tan’s “Wayang Boy/戏曲小子”. This one’s interesting, because the main character is an Indian immigrant kid who speaks Mandarin, and Suhaimi Yusof plays a teacher in his school. And yet it’s set in a Singapore where there are no other Indians (his dad’s dead and his stepmother’s a Chinese woman who forces him to speak Chinese).

CASE FOUR: Nearly all the shows on Channel 8—still Mediacorp’s most-watched channel—do not feature Malay, Indian or Eurasian characters. In contrast, Suria and Vasantham shows feature Chinese sidekicks regularly.

The obvious rebuttal to this is that it’s harder to cast non-Chinese when you’re working in Mandarin, which is the language that seems to do best for film and TV here (another kettle of fish there…).

And yet some shows have done it successfully. Chai Yee Wei’s “That Girl in Pinafore”. Jack Neo’s “Long Long Time Ago”. These films don’t shy away from racial prejudice either—they expose it. On Channel 8 there was also “School Days/七彩学堂”, which was a Chinese version of “Mind Your Language”, but with less stereotyping.

(Oh, and tons of young non-Chinese Singaporeans today can speak Mandarin. They just may not have told you.)

By the way, Jack Neo’s making “Ah Boyz to Men 4” and Gilbert Chan’s making “23:59 Part 2”. Can anyone buzz them and tell them to be a little more progressive? Thanks.

Source: Ng Yi-Sheng

May 30, 2017
Alfian Sa’at: Time For Singapore To Stop Relying On Racial Stereotyping For Amusement

I keep hearing stories of minority actors being told that they are not acting ‘Malay’ enough or ‘Indian’ enough, and what it often means is that they are supposed to play terrible racial caricatures. It means a Malay character who is ‘relak aaaaah’ and speaks slowly and an Indian character whose thick accent and head-shaking are supposed to be a source of amusement.

Often these actors describe their deep discomfort at accepting roles where they become complicit in perpetuating stereotypes. It’s a very difficult situation because ethnically-specific roles for minority actors are so scarce to begin with. And as actors they need any work they can get and they shouldn’t be put in this position where their own principles have to conflict with their livelihood–just on account of their race and terribly ignorant or misinformed writers and directors.

I’m highlighting this not because I want to ‘bash’ majority privilege or even to call out Jack Neo. I really feel that we can do so much better than to rely on racist stereotypes for amusement. (RIP ‘Mind Your Language’ 1977-1986). I hope that if any of you are anyone involved in the production of ‘Ah Boys to Men 4’, you can pass this on to the screenwriters or director so that we can nip something like this in the bud before it lands up on the big screen.

Source: Alfian Sa’at

May 30, 2017
Ahmad Stokin: Usah Bertelagah Tentang Isu Halal/Haram Di Bazaar Ramadan, Ada Isu-Isu Lebih Penting Untuk Masyrakat Tangani

Pd pandangan ambo masaalah “halal/haram” tu doh jadi masaalah individu. Dlm keadaan mcm ni kita bertelagah sesama sendiri pong tak guna ya tak. Pasai apo, silap nyo kito2 sendiri tak bersatu padu,tak bersatu hati. 30% kita tak setuju dongan cara masaalah ni di tangani, tapi 70% tak kesah langsong,Lagi pong dari pihak atas2 lagi tak pernah ada “aturan ketat” yg di kenakan dan sebahgian peniaga2 ni pong amek kesempatan nak cari untung jln mudah.

Ada komen2 yg kito terbaca, yg meroyan tak tentu hala, tuduh 2 dan salahkan pihak2 tertentu. Soalan ambo salah siapo sebonarnyo ni.
Pendapat ambo, salah kito2 lah. Antaronyo mungkin pendidikan ugama kito yg “asas” pon kito tak ado ya tak. apo ke tidak nyo, kalau ada komen yg “eleh yg penting nawaitu” hehehe ambo tanyo apo sebonarnyo nawaitu ko tu dik?

Soalan ambo : Apo bezanyo gerai berkenaan dibazaar yg tak ado sitikepit halal dongan gerai/warong/kedai prata rojak meegoreng n briyani si muthusami yg selama ini org2 kita langgani bertahun2 lamanya??? (wajib jawap tau) kehkehkeh

Cara kita tangani masaalah ini dgn mudah ialah kalau kita tau satu2 gerai tu menjual barangan yg tak halal, kita bersatu hati STOP jangan langgani gerai tu, “Tak ada pelanggan KOMPOM tutup bisnis dia” kankankan. Jadi kunci nya tu saja “bersatu hati” lah kita.

P/s ambo lebeh suko kalau kita lebeh pikirkan, lebeh perihatin tentang issue “TUDUNG” kita. Apasal ramai yg tak peduli? Apasal perjuangan terbengkalai separuh jalan, doh bertahun tahun pon kan.

Ohhhh Pelisssss jgn ckp itu masaalah lain ok,itu tetap masaalah kita.

Selamat berbuka nanti maghrib (pd yg puasa lahhhhh) hehe

Source: Ahmad Stokin

May 30, 2017
Ariffin Sha: Malay/Muslims Must Stop Racist Remarks On Ramadan Bazaar Geylang Issue

The ‘Ramadan’ Bazaar isn’t some special zone reserved for only Muslims and/or Malays. Many patrons and stallholders are not Malay. Anyone, regardless of their race, is entitled to their own opinion of the things on offer there. Whether they think it is overpriced fluff or worth the hype has absolutely nothing to do with race.

I can’t help but notice a trend where minorities all too readily play the race card in situations where race is immaterial. We must dispel the notion that only the majority race is capable of racism. In situations like this, identity politics must be called out.

Source: Ariffin Sha

May 30, 2017
Help To Save Their Home

Madam Shireen is a 34 years old mother of 4 kids, 2 boys are her own, while the other 2 girls are left to her care due to their own broken family left behind by their own parents. She also has a mother whom she’s the only caregiver full time, and thus she’s unable to find work that’s too far away.

Her trouble arises when she’s unable to service her mortgage loan from the bank, which runs to arrears of $11k plus and she was issued with a Writ of Possession against her to vacant her one and only place call home.

Besides the housing loan, Madam Shireen still owes the Town Council about $500 plus, and PUB about $1000 plus.

Her husband walked out on the family last year, after being physically abusive towards her. She is currently on a Personal Protection Order against her husband, thus she can only fend for herself. She was left alone to work and support the family as a convenience store shift leader previously.

Madam Shireen had to stop working in 2012 when her mother had contracted high fever and was left in a coma. Her other siblings were not able to help and the role of the caregiver fell onto Madam Shireen’s shoulders. She still cares for her mother up till today, and constantly shuttles between her home and her mother’s place.

When they bought the flat previously, they have no clue that the loan was under bank loan and not HDB. Madam Shireen tried to seek assistance to refinance her home with HDB but was rejected due to eligibility.

It has come to a stage that her children are going to school without any pocket money, and she’s seeking help from Social Service Office, which they are still processing.

All Madam Shireen want is for her to tie through these tough times and she’s concurrently looking for home based job where she can earn some money for her to continue her life. She loves her children very much, and all she wants is to provide for them to have a shelter over their head. The children are innocent and they should not be suffering together with her. She’s feeling helpless and hopeless, and we hope to bring some light into her life by donating to her generously to help her tie through and no amount is too small. Please also help to share Madam Shireen’s story, as these are cases that’s fallen through the cracks in our society.

Sincerely,
Lauretta

Source: https://give.asia/movement/help_to_save_their_home

May 29, 2017