That date marked my debut as a Speaker at a public forum, or if you like, my transition from student activism to civil society activism. Never in my wildest dreams have I dreamt of addressing a forum. December 10 last year was my first time at public speaking at Hong Lim Park too. The aftermath of that fateful session is well known amongst you for the media brouhaha and police investigations stirred up by our alleged 'demonstration'. Was I intimidated then? Am I wary now? Well, what you think is what you will get...
What about this year's April 28 rally at Yio Chu Kang? If you recall, I was nowhere in the picture. I admit that as much as idealism burns in me, it's hard-nosed pragmatism (read: qualifications) that will get me anywhere beyond school. So there I was swotting away in the library while observing in earnest the on-goings at Think Centre from the media. It was my personal regret that I could not be part of the Think Team's (that's what we are called at Think Centre) historic making of the first political rally outside of election time. But hey, life isn't about regrets. It's about seizing chances that come by and striking while the iron is hot, as the sayings go. That's why I became a part of Think Team, accepting the role of Deputy Communications, which in turn fuelled me with the confidence to speak at the forum.
The Citizenship Education forum came hot on the heels of the death penalty awareness initiative and the Think Centre Asia's launch of the anti-landmines campaign. Courting the controversial issue, Think Centre wanted to create more public awareness on the death penalty and at the same time help a citizen through the full process of his legal rights. Public opinion was overwhelmingly against our view but we persevered. The perseverance continued with our campaign against landmines for our country and for countries of the region to search for a foreign policy that is based on "shared humanity". In this new age of information technology, there can be no excuses for citizens or civil society groups to carry on as if landmines are issues for the gurus of the military and foreign services. At least, history will claim that there were peace lovers in our era.
Enough of the detractions let me return to the C.E forum, which, thanks to cynics and unthinking pretenders out there, was not well-attended. They all say: what's this browbeating over human rights huh? So what about the U.D.H.R (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) in our lives? Singaporeans don't care two hoots because it's not bread and butter issues, right? And honestly I was thinking within the box, like most materialistically first-class but philosophically third-rate Singaporeans do. When first approached to speak at this forum, I was in trepidation because I wasn't sure I had a role to play and also questioned the nature of abstract rights.
My conflicting thoughts were reconciled the moment I realised that citizenship education wasn't that abstract and impractical. It's actually about you and I. About the roles, the responsibilities, the values and the thinking that we hold, being translated into actions that reflect the exercise of our rights.
Invariably, the exercise of rights reflects upon the amount of rights accorded by the establishment. Simply put in example, it's a student's knowledge of his role as a student, his responsibilities towards the teacher and fellow students, his values and thinking as fashioned by the school ethos, that will condition his actions with regards to questioning the teacher's word. It's not about challenging the authority of the respected teacher, but one of validating the rationale of the teacher's action or inaction. Ditto for the administrators and the monolithic system they moulded.
It dawned upon me that our education system bore the characteristics of most Oriental societies – deference to authority and blind obedience. Unconventionality, often the harbinger of creativity, was never tolerated. When was the last time you stood up in class to question the teacher's account instead of cursing under your breath? I never did.
At the C.E forum, I had the uncanny honour of being the first speaker of the panel comprising of a seasoned human rights activist, a trail-blazing civil society activist and an up-and-coming opposition politician. In the space of 15 minutes, I gave a no-holds barred account of my unpleasant experiences as a student maverick, a complying son, and a budding civil society activist.
I lambasted the authoritarian style of our education system for stifling the freedoms of expression of the students. I lamented the paternalistic pattern of familial upbringing for censoring the unconventionalities of the young. And more importantly, I admonished the apathetic, gullible and unthinking Generation M wallowing in the decrepit of materialism, individualism and hedonism.
The way ahead, in my humblest opinion, was a mindset change in the comfort zones of the home, the school and the highest office of the land. There cannot be think-within-the-box categorizations or sweeping dichotomies such as pro-government/ anti-government, pro-P.A.P/ pro-Opposition etc. Why can't there be tolerant niches for the Mainstream, the Alternative, and the Side-stream? (Watch for my final instalment on my assessment of pathetic civil society politics.)
James (Gomez), latest political media darling, picked up from where I left off by sharing his run-ins with the establishment because of his alternative and unconventional visions. Lamenting the lack of knowledge of rights and responsibilities for all Singaporeans, he scorned the surfeit of fast-talking, chest-thumping but non-action individuals championing the need to respect and exercise our rights. To him, concrete action, such as a rally, web campaigns and public forums, was the way to go. So much so that the reporters in the room pounced on his words and tried to extract greater measure of his political ambitions. To which his mastery of the tongue and razor-sharp mind, merely dropped more bait and suspense to the media on his political path.
Steve (Chia), today's youngest opposition figure, revealed unabashedly the lack of political mileage in fighting for rights and responsibilities vis-à-vis bread and butter issues of the electorate. Pointing out the numerous human rights violations by the ruling party, he drove home the message that power had to be shared between the government, opposition parties and civil society. To be able to exercise our rights and responsibilities without fear of retribution was something amiss in our affluent society today. Questions fielded by him touched mainly on the opposition's election strategy expectedly.
Samy(dorai), Think Centre's head honcho, finally came on and expounded at length on the importance of knowing our rights and responsibilities in achieving a democratic pluralist society. Citizens were not equipped with the necessary knowledge and avenues to securing these rights and responsibilities, be it at home, at school or at work. He spelt out Think Centre's role in educating the public on virtues of rights and responsibilities as well as promoting societal values contingent to a society respecting human rights. He wrapped up the forum by urging those of us daring to make a difference to be brave and come together to create a free political society en route to enhancing the lives of our future generations. In short, venture onto the inroads Think Centre has cleared, and shall continue to clear, in the dark, dense undergrowth of political creepers and vines.
Perhaps what struck me most at the forum was the exchange I had with some graduate students. They asked why the Think Centre had not been aggressive enough to reach out to the tertiary institutions to spread the political education message. More could actually have been done to make our website more interactive and to recruit pockets of like-minded youths out there. To which I recounted the multitudes of politically reticent, politically naïve and politically stereotypical undergraduates willing to go no further than faceless cyberspace forums and passionate canteen-table talk (watch for my next instalment on my damning assessment of the school scene). Unsurprisingly, answers to the graduate students' queries were all self-contained when I politely asked if they would care to join Think Centre to help our cause. No prizes for guessing their answers.
The writer will return next week with his rejoinder on his sojourn in the university -- hotbed of youth exuberance but deathbed of student politics.
