Limpeh's response to the Toa Payoh Graffiti incident

I'm sure you've all seen the photos making their rounds on social media - the words "Fuck the PAP Wake up SG" has been spray painted onto the roof of a block 85A on Toa Payoh Lorong 4. Check this post out comparing the way it has been reported. This is a rather rare incident in Singapore, given how Singaporeans usually turn to the internet to vent their anger rather than on walls like that. This photo below has been shared on social media so many times long after the wall has been cleaned, provoking a range of reactions. Please allow me to offer my response to this incident.

Now firstly, I would strongly condemn such actions for a simple reason: if caught, this vandal will face an extremely harsh punishment which would include a jail sentence and caning. Need I mention Michael Fay? I know you're frustrated at the PAP but it is hardly worth risking this kind of punishment to make any kind of statement. This vandal is seriously jeopardizing his/her future - maybe life is tough right now, maybe s/he cannot get a job or a good job, but how is going to jail going to make things any better? Whilst I can understand the frustration that this vandal feels, this is really not the way to express your feelings - you need to find a safer way to make your point risking arrest.

Secondly, even if this vandal isn't caught, s/he is going to spend the next few weeks/months always looking over his/her shoulder, wondering if the police will ever caught him/her. That's a frightfully unpleasant way to live your life - imagine the paranoia, wondering whom you can trust amongst your friends and family, wondering who suspects you, wondering if anyone saw you do it (it is a helluva brazen act - how did s/he get up there in the first place?), feeling that fear every time you spot a policeman in the street. Perhaps this seemed like a good idea at the time to the vandal, but I am not sure s/he is prepared to deal with this stress of always looking over your shoulder for the foreseeable future.

平生不做虧心事，半夜敲門不吃驚

Furthermore, I don't think this message will actually get Singaporeans to "wake up" - we're talking about the 60.14% who voted for the PAP at the last election. If the huge influx of foreigners has not shattered their trust in the PAP, how is a piece of graffiti like that going to make any difference? Whilst this may be a way for a frustration person to let off some steam, it is not going to make the 60.14% change their minds on the issue. The PAP supporters can simply turn around and say, "see? You want to let the opposition take over? Then soon every block in every HDB estate covered in graffiti if you let the opposition supporters go crazy like that - this is why you must continue to vote for the PAP, things are not perfect under the PAP but at least they will take care of things like law and order."

You have to understand the mindset of this 60.14% of Singaporeans - they thrive on law and order. You only have to nip over the border to Malaysia and feel the huge difference between Malaysia and Singapore (no offence to my Malaysian readers, but you know it is true) - in Singapore, everything is so neat and tidy, everything is so efficient and orderly. Many Singaporeans (particularly older Singaporeans) do thank the PAP for creating this little utopia where everything works, people obey the law and they feel safe - and credit where credit is due, the PAP is indeed responsible for many of the good things that Singaporeans like about their country. So seeing graffiti like that in a public place would simply freak out the 60.14% of Singaporeans who voted for the PAP. Many of those amongst the 60.14% may not be fans of the individual politicians in the PAP, but they like what the PAP represent and part of this vision involves a clean country where you do not have the F-word spray painted onto your apartment block.

The 60.14% have a choice - they chose the PAP.

If you want to use artistic expression to make a point, then it is important to get your audience to like your work in the first instance, before you get the opportunity to convey your point. This was something American comedian and activist Margaret Cho has talked about - she said that she may not always be addressing an audience who share her point of view, but until she manages to make them laugh, she knows she has no chance of trying to engage her audience the more challenging issues on her agenda. Some of you will remember Singapore's Sticker Lady who had a quirky and memorable street art campaign cut short by her arrest - now her art was witty and memorable. The graffiti at Toa Payoh Block 85A was devoid of any kind of artistic merit - it certainly couldn't be compared to Sticker Lady or Banksy.

If you do want to address the 60.14% and make them wake up, then you have to think about how they will receive your message - this is marketing 101. It is not rocket science. You need to reach out to them on their wavelength, speak to them in their language, explain it to them in a way that they can understand. Using such language via the means of graffiti may appeal to some young and rebellious Singaporeans, but it will definitely fall on deaf ears when it comes to your 60.14% target audience. They would certainly be horrified by the photos of block 85A today. This piece of graffiti is simply a frustrated person venting his/her anger, but if I were to grade this as a marketing/PR on political engagement exercise, it is a total fail. Yes we do need to combat political apathy in Singapore, but this is not the way.

Remember these? Singapore's Sticker Lady.

Perhaps I am somewhat harsh on the vandal - many years ago, when I was a teenager in Singapore, sure I felt the same kinds of frustration about Singapore and the PAP. But then again, I chose the path of least resistance - instead of trying to change the mindset of the 60.14%, I chose to leave Singapore instead because I pick my battles. I pick battles that I know I can win, I focused on things within my control rather than try to engage the 60.14% who are unlikely to change their minds. Many have considered me a coward for choosing to leave rather than to try to change things for the better in Singapore, but then again, you have to consider the fact that 60.14% of voters in Singapore have spoken and have chosen the PAP's system - it may totally suck to be in the 39.86% who did not vote for the PAP, but in a democracy, you have to respect the outcome of the elections even if you don't like the results.

I live in London and we are going to have our local council elections in late May and one candidate Paul Church has been working hard to canvass for my vote - he has come knocking on my door twice and the first time I told him I have never voted for the Conservatives and would never vote for them as I hate Margaret Thatcher so much, she was so racist and homophobic. The second time we talked more in depth and I have to admit, whilst I still have my reservations about the Conservative party (I have always voted Liberal), I would rather have him get elected as he would be a positive force within the Conservative party - let's face it, I live in a safe Conservative seat (Westminster) and no other party has any hope in hell of getting in. I could either engage someone reasonable within the system or be forever on the fringes of politics - I chose the former as it is a sensible compromise. After I've spoken to Paul Church about a number of issues that are important to me, I do feel that he is a credible candidate I could possibly vote for.

Paul Church had worked hard to canvass for my vote.

Life is about making the best of the options we are given, rather than dreaming about some ideal situation which may never happen - I suppose an option for Singaporeans today is to try to engage the PAP and work within the system. Regardless of whether you like them or not, they are always going to be in power and if you want your voice to be heard, perhaps your best option is to find someone within the PAP who is decent, reasonable and engaging. It doesn't mean voting for the PAP (hell no, do NOT ever vote for the PAP), it merely means talking to them and engaging them, rather than turning to graffiti to make your point outside the system. At the end of the day, it is political apathy that is the enemy and young people shouldn't feel that graffiti is the only way they can make their voices heard.

That's it from me on this topic - let me know your thoughts on the issue by leaving a comment below. What is your reaction after having seen the graffiti? Do you think we'll see more incidents like that in Singapore? Thanks for reading.