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Tag: Gallery

  • Daniel Goh: Syonan Gallery Controversy A Good Exercise In Appreciating History

    Daniel Goh: Syonan Gallery Controversy A Good Exercise In Appreciating History

    Excellent resolution to the controversy. Both the inappropriate “Syonan” and the pretentious “Gallery” dropped. I think we would have been poorer without this controversy, so all’s well that ends well. I am reminded of what Shanice Lishan Foh said in the comments of my previous post on the misnaming, “hey this make us all think about our history”. I can’t agree more.

    Shanice Lishan Foh: Finally more people are looking at the Old Ford factory! How many years have gone by and we have forgotten about this place ?

    Tell your kids :
    We were name Syonan-to during the Japanese occupation because the Japanese name us like trophies… those 3 years 8 months were painful….

    The British surrendered to Japanese forces on 15th February 1942 at the Old Ford factory…..we were helpless…

    Are we going to let someone name us differently again ? NO !!
    We will defend our country and homes ourselves !
    Majulah Singapore !

    *it is thought-provoking…
    I read many comments… I was at 1st thinking why such an insensitive name ? Someone is going to be hurt real bad…
    and then someone said about the crooked letter ” O ” in the syonan signage , hey this make us all think about our history….

     

    Source: Daniel Goh 吴佩松

  • Goh Meng Seng: Don’t Glorify Japanese Invasion And Occupation

    Goh Meng Seng: Don’t Glorify Japanese Invasion And Occupation

    Yaccoob said the name Syonan wasn’t used to glorify Japanese Invasion and Occupation. Does he really understand what Syonan means in the full context in the first place?

    There is a slight mis-translation in lingo context. Most English translation puts it as “Light of the South” but this is not the wholesome context. In Chinese and Japanese context, “Light” means “Pride”… for example, if a person had won the Olympic Medal and he comes from a school, then the school will say “我校之光”, simple English translation means “the light of my school” but in essence, in this context, it basically means he is “the pride of my school”! Look at it in the wholesome context, he has brought SHINE to our school.

    Thus, Syonan is basically a term used by the Japan to mean This the the Glorious Pride of Japanese Empire! So how can Yaccoob comes to the conclusion that by using this name for the Memorial, he is not GLORIFYING the Japanese Invasion and Occupation?

    Secondly, I get even more FUMED by the photo below:
    It says “Syonan Gallery : War and its LEGACIES”

    Now, WHOSE LEGACIES are we talking about here? Syonan, the Japanese Glorious Legacies? Atrocities like raping, torture, sufferings, massacred and killings… all these are “LEGACIES”? Isn’t this glorifying the Japanese Glorious Victorious Invasion and Occupation?

     

    Source: Goh Meng Seng