Tag: Singapore

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
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
At 20, She Is Breadwinner For 13 Family Members

Crowdfunding for waitress struggling to feed large family on monthly pay of $1,500.

The small living room is filled with children screaming, fighting and running about.

In the midst of this chaos, three young women sit exasperated but familiar with the situation, as they try to manage the six hyperactive children.

Among the women is Miss Nurul Asyiqin Buang, 20, the breadwinner for 13 of her family members.

Miss Nurul gave up her engineering studies at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College East when she was 17. She had to start working as her father’s chronic illnesses made him unable to work.

She told The New Paper: “I felt like it was my responsibility. No one asked me to do it.”

All the family receives monthly, in terms of regular income, is the $1,500 Miss Nurul earns from working as a waitress.

The money feeds her father, stepmother, three brothers, two sisters, four half-siblings, niece, nephew and her. Her oldest brother is missing from home.

The family lives in a two-room rental flat in Tampines, with up to eight of them sleeping in the sole bedroom.

Miss Nurul’s plight caught the attention of the founder of Facebook group Ian Free Milk Blessing, who approached crowdfunding site GIVE.asia to start a campaign for her. It has raised about $2,900 since May 15.

Earlier this month, before receiving a food donation from the Facebook group founder, the family had not had meat for 45 days.

They were mainly living off vegetables and dry rations provided by a social worker.

While the family receives financial aid from a few voluntary welfare organisations and help agencies, the aid does not last for long.

From North East Community Development Council (CDC), they received a one-off $700 worth of NTUC FairPrice Foundation – CDC Milk Fund vouchers.

But the family spends up to $1,250 on formula milk every month.

A Ministry of Social and Family Development spokesman said the family has been under its assistance for the past 5½ years.

They also receive cash assistance from ComCare, along with help for utilities and rental bills. Still, the family struggles.

Miss Nurul’s father, Mr Buang Taib, 55, now works part-time as a security guard while battling various illnesses, including stage 4 lung cancer and diabetes.

STROKE

The family convinced him to cut down on work after he suffered a stroke during a shift and collapsed.

He has been provided with a Medical Fee Assistance Card and Medifund assistance.

Miss Nurul’s biological mother left them when her youngest sister was just three months old, and her stepmother devotes her time to taking care of her husband and the rest of the family.

Miss Nurul’s 16-year-old sister often skips school to take care of her siblings.

She also works as a cashier at a restaurant, earning $6 an hour.

She hopes to continue studying in an ITE or polytechnic.

She longs for better times.

“It is a bit stressed now. I want it to be the ‘us’ before. We used to be a happy family, going out more.

“Now, we rarely go out. Still, I am grateful to (Miss Nurul). She is always there for me,” she said.

Her brother, Muhammad Hanif Buang, 19, is a third-year nursing student at Nanyang Polytechnic.

Despite the family’s situation, Miss Nurul considers herself happy.

“We are a happy family. At times, I feel sad for (my family) because they do not get to eat what they want.

“What I hope is to help my family. I want to lessen their burden.”

Source: http://www.tnp.sg/

May 29, 2017