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Against a Brick Wall Theatre Women Struggle - Adelina Ong Adelina Ong Against a Brick Wall Because we, as artists, can It is easy to work as an actress in Singapore. It becomes hard communicate these messages when you want to produce work that will address political so clearly in so many layers and social situations. As a woman and artist working in and perspectives Singapore, I find it difficult to say the things I want to say and move and clearly and directly, having in many cases to find some indi- galvanise a reaction rect way of pointing to the problem rather than addressing it (if the audience lets us), head on. There are several facets to this problem: govern- we should. No, we must. ment restrictions; journalists who jump to denounce It is important to continue attempts to address political or social problems through art speaking out loud, as useless navel-gazing; public apathy towards politics and in any way that we can. social situations that don't directly affect them; the misrep- resentation of women and lack of women playwrights in local writing. In 1976, Kuo Pao Kun - a cultural activist, dramatist and educator who is best remembered for his insightful critiques on the government from the perspective of everyman - was detained without trial under the Internal Security Act for alleged "political activities", stripped of his Singaporean citizenship in 1977 and imprisoned till 1980. In 1990, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion by the Drama Advisory Committee but his application for reinstatement of citizenship was rejected.1 In 1994, the National Art Council ceased funding any performance that was labelled "performance art" or "forum theatre" after performance artist Josef Ng snipped off his pubic hair in silent protest against the arrest of twelve men for alleged homosexual solicita- tion.2 Not too long ago, when war in Iraq first broke out, six people stood outside the American Embassy here in peaceful 42 protest against the war. They were quickly detained by the police for questioning. Two weeks later The Substation successfully organised a candlelight protest in which artists from many different disciplines gathered to put on pieces, 1. Kuo Pao Kun, Pushing the Limits in Singapore Theatre by Robert Yeo, Radio Singapore International, 19 Sept 2002. 2. A review of Josef Ng's performance by Lee Weng Choy, 1994. The Open Page read plays or poetry which they had written the government by violent means"6.) Chua to voice their objection to the war and our ended her article by saying, "Me, I'd rather government's support of it. This event was save money on candles, and donate it to attended by a wide range of people, Mercy Relief". Singaporeans, non-Singaporeans, artists and What she refuses to concede is that non-artists, activists and non-activists, in such gatherings of people, in support of a support of the following statement: "We voice that would not otherwise be raised in strongly oppose Saddam's brutal dictator- any of our state-controlled media, are ship. But we also oppose, on moral, legal and precious and powerful because having a strategic grounds, the US-led pre-emptive voice and making the means to be heard is war, and America's imperial defiance of the the first step towards building much-lacking UN. We fear the war will have disastrous actual feedback between this country's political, economic and humanitarian conse- people and their leaders. Not that I'm quences, and believe it poses one of the dismissing donating money to a worthy gravest threats to democracy, world stability cause. But donating money to a non-polit- and the regulation of weapons of mass ical cause alone without the expression of destruction."3 one's stand on political issues is accepting Two days later a commentary in the silence because one's voice easily becomes national newspaper, The Straits Times, written lost amongst the rest who support the war by ex-ISD (Internal Security Department) under the government's official stance, even now-journalist Chua Lee Hoong labelled the when one feels very strongly against it. And event "misguided political fervour", asserting if there is no debate, no public gathering of that "every country has its own iconic people to argue their case against the war, it moments in dealing with potentially destabi- becomes easy for the government to assume, lising dissent. Tiananmen was one of again, that it has made the right choice for China's... It brought relative political stability the people because it knows best. Of course, for at least twenty years. Singapore's moments plain talk without action is just as bad. But were Operation Coldstore in 1963, and... because we can do both, there should be Operation Spectrum in 1987. Thanks to nothing to stop us from donating to a those periodic inoculations against misguided worthy cause as well as voicing our opinions political fervour, present generations of on political issues we feel strongly about. Singaporeans as a whole are well immunised Because we, as artists, can communicate against political flights of fancy."4 (Operation these messages so clearly in so many layers Coldstore arrested twenty-two opposition and perspectives and move and galvanise a political leaders and trade union leaders at reaction (if the audience lets us), we should. the time on allegations of being "under the No, we must. It is important to continue control of the Communists".5 Operation speaking out loud, in any way that we can. Spectrum arrested fifteen people for being To use the word "politics" can be misleading part of "a Marxist conspiracy to overthrow because some people associate "politics" 3. Lee Weng Choy and Lucy Davis, An Active Civil Society is Central to the Anti-War Cause www.substation.org 9.4. 2003. 4. The Straits Times, 12.4.2003. 5. The Sunday Times, 3.4.1963. 6. Sinapan Samydorai, Singapore: The Internal Security Act and The Newspaper and Printing Act: Impact on Human Rights, Internal Security and Human Rights in Hong Kong, Seminar, 7.12.2003, Hong Kong, SAR, China, Justice and Peace Commission of Hong Kong. 43 Theatre Women Struggle - Adelina Ong solely with dirty power games played by poli- might be, and the fact that this complaining ticians. But this is not so. Politics is also member of the public would probably never about relationships - between the leaders watch Stop Kiss in the first place. and the people, influencing the way we live, The action taken was significant: it was and between people. And having active the poster that was considered "vulgar", but dialogue between leaders and the people is the play's audience that was censored. The important for a nation that pledges to build issue of censorship is too complex to be a "democratic society". adequately discussed in this article, and Censorship is a big problem in Singa- cannot be simplified to generalities like pore. Most people blame it on the govern- "abolish all censorship in favour of ratings ment. However, I'm more concerned with systems" as some in the local arts community public censorship. In 2002, I wanted to have recommended. The fact is that produce Stop Kiss, written by Diana Son, Singapore does indeed have a sizeable about two straight women who fell in love. I conservative population that believes there was driven to produce this play because I felt is a need for sensitivity and a need to protect that, although the censors had relaxed in children from certain lifestyles because they recent years and there were now a lot of gay might not be equipped with the maturity plays being produced, none of them had yet required for discernment. But is it justified dealt with homosexuality from a female to censor a play based on one person's perspective. Stop Kiss was important because complaint? More importantly, how does one the protagonists had always thought they weigh conservative societal values - which were straight, and falling in love with each can be justified in isolation - against the other was never about homosexuality until need to express and discuss alternative the society they lived in labelled and abused perspectives? them as lesbians. Stop Kiss passed through the censors without cuts, emerging with a This year, when I tried to rally people to PG rating, and we were very happy. But on attend The Substation's candlelight vigil the opening night, a member of the public protesting against the war in Iraq, one called the Public Entertainment Licensing person said to me, "Who cares about the war Unit (a branch of the Singapore Police in Iraq when it's so far away? I'm more Force) to complain that our publicity poster concerned about SARS." When I offered to (showing two women, appropriately covered, pass on my issue of Time so people could get in bed about to kiss) was "vulgar". Our play information on the war, they discarded it was immediately slapped with an RA (above only to pick it up later because they found eighteen only) rating even though there was an article on SARS inside. only one kiss in the whole play and abso- Perhaps some people are afraid to speak lutely no sex scene. This caused us a little up against the government; after all, opposi- trouble because we had to turn away some tion party members have to apply to the police people at the door, but I felt that the bigger for a permit to speak, even during election loss was that this incident would serve to time. But more and more, I get the sense that strengthen the government's opinion that people here just don't care about what we still are a conservative majority, unpre- happens to others as long as they still make pared for the real world that encompasses enough to feed and shelter their families.
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