Kok Heng Leun
Singapore
“When we talk about earning trust, it is not just about sitting there and say, "Hey, show me you can be trusted". It means one needs to reach out to connect in order to express trust.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. I have some supplementary questions. I ask this question in light of all the interest in history debate, and I have heard from historians that they would like to have more access. So, are there actually barriers for researchers to access this information?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, before I speak, I would like to say this on behalf of all my Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) colleagues. We were talking about it. We would also like to express our thanks to the House, to the Government and to all our fellow Parliamentarians for your patience, for your generosity.”
“I thank the Minister for the Report. My condolences to the family. I have one clarification and one question. The first clarification is the part about the conducting officer asking them if they had seven hours of rest. The troop apparently did not respond to that. Did the COI talk about why they did not respond to that?”
“Okay. Teachers have a job to fulfil to the best of their capabilities and that is true. But they are human, too. So, do not treat teachers like you are a customer, that they are salespersons at your beck and call.”
“I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the answer. Mine is a follow-up to the question. Is there a desirable student-to-teacher ratio that the Ministry is trying to achieve?”
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“Madam, I would like to ask this question, in Mandarin, if possible. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I am grateful that a newbie like me get to hear the complex tasks of MFA. I have a question. International relations are getting more and more complex. There are many conflicts of interests. Has MFA considered using cultural exchange as a buffer zone? In negotiation, cultural exchanges could, in fact, improve diplomatic relations. If it is, indeed, a strategy, has MFA considered setting up the post of cultural attache in every Singapore embassy and consulate? Because I find that cultural exchanges often require a cultural attache to promote this kind of activities.”
“It is a follow-up to that question. Because of such data that can be accessed, I wonder if there are any safeguards so that such access would not be abused.”
“" What he said was that in the West, you would not notice any changes even after 40 or 50 years. But, in Singapore, because it is constantly building and constructing, when initially he was amazed by it, but now he feels differently. So, now, Christophe is beginning to be interested in discovering what would make this place a home. He started by participating in arts, and in discovering heritage places. So, what keeps us grounded, helps us take stock, reminds us we are human, we are people living in one place? Our literature, our music, our painting, our theatre, our cultural sites like Bukit Brown and many other tangible and intangible heritage. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am mindful of time. I would like to end with a quotation by Rebecca Solnit which states, "Democracy is built upon trust amongst strangers." So, let us begin trusting one another. Let us not fear alternative viewpoints or cave in to strident voices without listening to others. For centuries, the arts have provided a safe space for us to ask questions, understand one another better, and dream of a better communal future that embraces diversity. Sometimes, we do not have the answer immediately, but asking the right question is a step closer. It just takes time. Instead of saying there is no time, let us make time for it. And instead of saying no space, let us make space for it. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with that, I support the Budget.”
“Educators cannot facilitate creative and critical learning if schools do not allow themselves to be laboratories of learning and laboratories of knowledge. Nowadays, we go to school and learn so that we can get prepared for our careers. In Chinese, we call it the pursuit of 学业。学了就 业, that is, "Learn and you get a job". But the job market changes. The skills you learn might not be of use some time later. I prefer another term, the pursuit of "学问" – "学" is to learn, "问" is to ask. In "The Book of I-Ching", or also known as "The Book of Change", "君子学以聚之，问以辩之" – learn and accumulate knowledge, and ask so as to be critical about what you learned. We are so afraid we will offend others by what we ask and what we say, when, actually, we need to learn how not to be so easily offended. We need to be able to have a constructive voice that seeks to improve our shared environment and future. If the space for discourse is not going to be opened up, we will never become a nation of mature thinkers and innovators. We will continue to coexist, but never be truly inclusive. In our rapid-pace development, we need to spend so much time catching up, that if we do not find time to slow down, we may just lose our sense of being. So, what keeps us sane and grounded? What is our centre? Yesterday, Zaobao, 新汇点, or Crossroads, a weekly page about new migrants and foreigners living and working in Singapore, interviewed a permanent resident, Christophe, a French native. He said in the interview that after getting used to living in Singapore, he started to feel a sense of nostalgia. A new resident here, feeling a sense of nostalgia. In this interview, written in Mandarin, he said: “在西方国家，即使过了四五十年都没有察觉多少变化。可是新加坡一直不断在建设，原本惊叹的心情，现在已出现变化.”
“" How does one innovate if one does not ask hard questions? How does one innovate if one has to keep seeking permission to be playful, the permission to transgress, the permission to make mistakes? When artists create in Singapore, we are told the rule is: create art to foster social harmony and community bonding. If you do not do that, you are breaking the rules. But what if we want to create art that encourages critical thinking? What if we want to create art that asks difficult questions? Can this art be seen as positive, one that promotes social cohesion? Why not? I should reiterate that having open discourse does not mean having no responsibility. One needs to be accountable for one's words and actions. At the end of the day, the laws are still in place. But having a good debate and a deep exploration of our shared issues will only benefit everyone. It can start young. Why are we preparing our young only for study and good academic results but not for important and difficult life questions? In fact, young people want to talk about life's complexities. They want to know that what they learn in school can help them find their place in life, in society. As adults, we all know that life is not just about work and career. It is about responsibility for oneself, for others, for family, for society, and for the environment. Yet, we discourage the young from confronting difficult questions. We take away opportunities for them to learn critically, to be intelligent, creative and innovative. Art should be very much a part of our education in school. Hence, I would like to request our Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) to invest more in creative and critical teaching.”
“To be resilient, we must first be able to tell our own story. When we know who we are, when we have the confidence to express ourselves, we will know how to manage changes within our means. The ability to tell our story is the first step towards empowerment. We will then realise that there is no one grand narrative but many micro narratives which collectively define who we are as a nation and as a people. That is the potency of art. It examines our relationship with the environment we live in. It examines our relationship with people we live with. It examines our relationship with ourselves. Why is art important in the future of Singapore? Art is part of our daily lives. Art is integral to our society. Art can contribute to the resilience and maturity of the populace. So, why are we not talking about art and innovation? Why are we not talking about art and the creative industry? Where is art? Perhaps, there is some apprehension. Living together in a tight space means difficult questions should not be raised for fear that some people might not be ready enough to be engaged. And art raises difficult questions. Our culture rewards results and success, but art promotes process and the value of failure. And it is precisely these intrinsic aspects of art that can help empower us to create a diversified, creative and sustainable future for Singapore. And art can prepare us to engage critically, with wisdom and empathy, like the story of the woman. The arts break rules. Artists break rules, not legal rules, but the rules of the creative process. Children do it all the time. They want to paint a green sky and a yellow sea. But as they grow older, they were told, "No, no, no the sky must be blue and the sea cannot be yellow. Where got such things?”
“No artist, trust me, wants to read a negative critique of his or her work. But if we see the critic as someone who cares about the arts, our mindset will change. The critic is no longer an opponent but a collaborator. We are all in it together. Yet, we are different from one another. How do we manage difference? How do we learn not to be offended by difference? How do we respond if we were to be offended by difference? What if one person were to impose his ideas on another person? What if one group were to force their opinions and belief systems on others? I say this because, in many ways, the state has failed in mediation techniques. It is reactive, unable to effectively manage difference to find a common ground. For example, a few letters complaining about an artwork or a book may lead to that work or book being removed. But what about the many other people who do not have a problem and, in fact, appreciate the artwork or the book? How does this logic work? Where is the mediation? Should we encourage audiences to write in when they are not offended to balance those who write in who are? Being fair means being fair to all, not just those who write the angriest letters, shout the loudest slogans or garner the most signatures. That is not collaboration. This is not giving and taking. Collaboration is about being grounded yet open. It is about letting go of presumptions and judgements in order to create meaningful dialogue. Collaboration is also a way of demonstrating our resilience. One hears that word quite often these days. We must be resilient in case of economic downturns, in case of outbreaks of diseases, in case of terrorist attacks. And I do not disagree. But resilience is not just about being strong. It is about the ability to adapt and to accept change.”
“Innovation also happens in the arts through collaboration. Composers, writers, film-makers and other artists have always collaborated with other disciplines, such as science, technology and education. Such collaborations are vital to the lifeblood of these industries. Let me illustrate with another story and, again, I am aware of time. This was an experiment that was conducted in 250 BC. Two equal length sticks were placed upright in the ground 500 miles apart. Then, at the exact moment, a person at each location would measure the length of the shadow. If the earth were flat, both shadows would be of the same length. But they discovered that the lengths were different, which means that people started to think that maybe the earth was round. And that was 250 BC. But it took another 1,000 years before we all agreed the earth was round. A triangulation must occur for us to make sense of this story. Two people collaborated, setting up the experiment and measuring the shadows. It took two of them, from two different viewpoints, to visualise the earth as round. It also took time – roughly a thousand years, a millennium – to finally arrive at a conclusion. It was through a collaboration on such a fundamental issue – whether the earth is flat or round that we are able to gain a more accurate view of ourselves. So, what does "collaboration" mean? Simply, it means two things – giving and taking. Giving is sharing, offering, so that one can contribute to, and feel invested in the process of nation-building. Taking is listening, engaging and the ability to accept criticism. Where criticism is concerned, it is always easier to give than to receive. And as artists, our works get reviewed and critiqued all the time.”
“I am sure that if I searched hard enough, I will be able to find statistics on the arts in Singapore – how our audiences have increased over the years, the number of art works that have multiplied since the 1990s. Yet, the very fact that I am standing here, asking about the importance of the arts in Singapore, suggests that there is some cause for concern. To further reinforce that concern is the fact that the arts are not mentioned in this year's Budget. The word "culture" is mentioned, but in reference to the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Surprisingly, the arts does not even get a mention in the section "Transforming our economy through enterprise and innovation". This, despite the fact that the arts powers innovation, which is important if we are to be future-ready in challenging times. Innovation is a primary objective of the arts and artists. The arts can be innovative in its creative process. We innovate, break old regimes and create new paradigms. The arts encourage play. To play means, first of all, you play within the rules of the tried-and-tested methods. And after a while, one must start playing creatively, go beyond the rules, tear apart those little parts and then you improvise. Then, only can one start to make new discoveries. Critical thinking balances innovation with responsibility. As we strive for change, we must also strive for sustainability. For example, how do we deal with economic growth, yet be aware of how it will impact the environment? The creative mind, coupled with critical thinking, can complement our usually pragmatic and logical approaches to problem solving. While we want to transform our economy through innovation, we also want the transformation to be equitable, viable and sustainable.”
“When I, as the facilitator, asked her why she did what she did, she said, "在这样一种情况底下，人需要一点点的空间，一点点的时间", that is, "In such a difficult situation, people need some space and some time." I share this anecdote to highlight the importance of time and space during a crisis or when you are facing change or a loss. Government schemes can help Singaporeans prepare for structural changes in our economy, and to move into new jobs and responsibilities. However, schemes will only help Singaporeans if we also look at how our body, hearts and spirits are affected in these moments of change, crisis and loss. I quote, "Small acts of repair. Calming the hands in a troubled world. Restoring damage to renewed use." This quote comes from a US-based theatre company called the Goat Island, which believes that theatre is a small act of repair, repairing the body and the hearts that have been bruised by the experience of crisis, change and loss. Human beings are not like little bolts which can be melted down and made into nuts if there were not enough nuts. To change a mindset is not about switching into a different mode. It requires the emotions and the spirits to be engaged. It needs time. And it needs space. The woman who participated in that performance told us later that that was how she helped her husband who was retrenched during that same financial crisis. The performance became a demonstration of what is possible. It became a place for learning and sharing of wisdom by the public. It also became a place for rehearsal. Here is my response to the Budget, and I would like to ask these two questions: where is Art in the future of Singapore? Why is Art important in the future of Singapore?”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is a privilege to stand before the Parliament and share my views about the Budget as an artist and a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) for the Arts. I am very aware of time, that I have only 20 minutes, and so I will be very mindful. First of all, I would like to begin by congratulating Minister Heng for delivering a Budget that seeks to place Singapore in good stead to face our future economic and social challenges. Let me first recount a performance that my company, Drama Box, staged in 2001. That was the year when there was the financial crisis, and some of you would have remembered it. The performance, in the form of forum theatre, was about a husband who was also a middle-aged PMET, who was retrenched and because of the retrenchment, was taking out his frustrations on his wife. Forum theatre is a form of theatre where the protagonist is facing a crisis and after the crisis is being played out, the audience is invited to replace the protagonist to try to find solutions to deal with the problem. In this particular story, both the husband and the wife are the protagonists. In one performance, many people replaced the role of the wife, speaking to the husband about the need to accept the change, all the Government schemes that were available, advising him and encouraging him. The husband understood all these, but he was still not placated. He was still very frustrated. Then, a woman came up. She sat the husband down, held his hand. The audience and myself were waiting for her to speak. But she did not. She just kept quiet. Finally, the husband asked her, "Why did you not speak?" She replied with a question to him: "你好吗?", that is, "Are you okay?" At that moment, I could hear the husband heaving a sigh of relief.”