SINGAPORE: Before you fire up that bike-sharing app on your handphone, there is one thing you can to minimise injuries and make cycling more enjoyable: Adjust your bike’s seat height.
While shared bicycles don’t allow for much adjusting – unlike road and mountain ones that can be customised to suit the cyclist’s body – this is one tweak you can make to your rented bike, said Dr Dinesh Sirisena, consultant in sports medicine at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, a member of the National Healthcare Group.
Getting the seat height right can go a long way in preventing “excessive pressure on the knees, hips, shoulders and other areas of the body. Over time, this may cause chronic pain symptoms in these areas,” said Dr Dinesh.
Before you fire up that bike-sharing app on your handphone, there are a few things to do to minimise injuries and make cycling more enjoyable.
Some cyclists may lower the seat too much as it makes them feel more confident when cycling. However, when the seat is positioned too low, the knees can be forced to bend excessively, and in some situations, the cyclist may rotate his knees externally and away from the body, said Dr Dinesh.
“With time, cycling in this squat-like position can cause tightness in the iliotibial band (ITB, a ligament that runs down the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin) and quadriceps muscles, and may eventually lead to knee pain,” he said. Typically, the pain can occur over the front of the knee and can be associated with swelling.
On the other hand, if the seat is too high, the cyclist may over-stretch his legs and lead to calf strain or an inefficient cycling form, said Dr Dinesh.
“In both situations, there can be excessive hollowing (seat too low) or over-arching (seat too high) of the lower back to compensate, leading to pain symptoms. If this posture is not corrected, the cyclist can develop chronic pain in the lower back, shoulders and neck over time,” said Dr Dinesh.
“A general rule of thumb is this: When seated, ensure that the knees are bent at a 25-degree angle when the pedal is at the lowest point of the pedal stroke,” said Dr Dinesh.
Here, he shares other checks and tips you can follow before pedaling off.
(Photo: Kenneth Lim)
BIKE ALIGNMENT
Check that the front wheel is aligned with the bicycle’s frame and back wheel when the handlebar is straight. “This will give you better control of the bicycle,” said Dr Dinesh.
SAFETY FEATURES
Make sure the front and back reflectors are intact, said Dr Dinesh. It is also a good idea to ensure that the light at the front tyre is not broken. Not many people pay attention to these features but they can increase your visibility in dimly lit conditions.
TYRE AND BRAKE CHECKS
Ensure the tyres are not bald. “There’s no need to check the tyre’s pressure as these shared bikes use solid tyres,” said Dr Dinesh. “But check that no chunks come off.” Then, come down to the pedals and rotate them by hand to see if the movement is smooth.
You’ll also want to give the brake levers on the handlebar a squeeze to see if they work. And be aware which brake lever controls which brake. “The right lever controls the rear brake. Always use the rear brake to slow down the bicycle to prevent the bicycle from flipping over,” said Dr Dinesh.
“These checks are particularly important with shared bicycles as the previous user may not have used the bicycle properly and you cannot be sure about the bike’s maintenance,” he said.
WEAR A HELMET
“As someone who has had tumbles on the bike, I cannot emphasise enough the benefits of wearing a helmet,” said Dr Dinesh.
He acknowledged that helmets are not convenient to carry around, especially if you’re not a regular user of shared bikes. “An option to consider is a foldable helmet,” he said.
(Photo: Morpher)
USE THE BASKET FOR YOUR BELONGINGS
It is safer to place your belongings or shopping in the bicycle’s front basket than hang them on the handlebar, said Dr Dinesh. “The basket is secured to the bicycle so it is stable,” he explained. “But make sure that nothing is poking through the basket as that can get caught in the front wheel.”
From a slain dictator’s covert hideout to a forgotten subway station, secret bunkers have been lying for decades underneath the bustling city of Seoul.
Recently, some of these spaces were unveiled to the public for the first time under a special one-month tour programme. Although city-run tours of the “ghost station” in Sinseol-dong and the air-raid shelter underneath Gyeonghuigung Palace are to end this weekend, one underneath Yeouido, turned into a museum, will remain open for visitors.
Ghost station
A pair of purple doors hides a secret platform that has been sealed off to the public for over four decades underneath Sinseol-dong Station.
One floor below the busy Sinseol-dong station, this ghost station has been regularly awakened by passing trains, though, as those finishing the day’s work run on its rails in the darkness on their way to the garage.
The platform was constructed in 1974, but the route plan changed and it has never been used by passengers.
On the wall at one end of the platform hangs a sign “11-3 Sinseol-dong,” so dusty and worn that it is hard to make out, reflecting the time passed since it was put up.
Sinseol-dong station’s secret platform did not arouse much public interest until location scouts for film and music videos became interested in its unique atmosphere and setting. The Korean film “Cold Eyes” and music videos by some of K-pop’s most popular groups, such as EXO and Twice, were shot here prompting viewers to call the hidden platform “ghost station.”
During the tour programme that runs through Nov. 26, the dark tunnel was opened to the public for the first time in 44 years. Registrations for the tour programme quickly filled up in October.
A Seoul City official said no decision had been made on its future use, including whether or not to hold the tours again next year.
In the financial district of Yeouido, a secret bunker is hidden below the Yeouido Bus Transfer Center, and is now being used as a public museum.
Nothing was known about the underground shelter before it was discovered in 2005, when the city was constructing the bus transfer centre there.
The 871-square-meter area was flooded when it was first found and it had sofa sets, a toilet and a shower booth inside.
The city looked into aerial photographs of the surface area taken in the past and finally concluded that the bunker was likely to have been constructed in 1977.
They also believe it was created as a secret hideout for the dictator at the time, Park Chung-hee, as it is located right below where the stage was placed for the Armed Forces Day event in 1977.
The city gathered ideas from citizens and turned the area into an art exhibition space, but left everything where they found it, except for installing safety and air conditioning facilities.
A box that was found full of keys is displayed there along with modern art pieces now.
The Seoul Museum of Art, which launched on Oct. 19, is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and entrance is free.
Air-raid shelter underneath palace
Just below the historic Gyeonghuigung in Jongno is a secret air-raid shelter that is sealed off from the outside world by a thick, bluish iron gate.
This door, which stands out in the grassy surroundings, leads to a hidden space that dates back to South Korea’s Japanese colonial period from 1910-1945.
Located below what used to be the site of the king and queen’s bedroom, the underground shelter is thought to have been built in 1944 as an annex to the communication base station at that time. It appears to have been protecting the network facilities against possible air-raids during the warring period. Its outer concrete wall appears to be about 3 meters thick and the ceiling, 8.5 meters thick.
The site is left in its original state with its old, cracked walls and holes. It was discovered in the 1980s during excavation which was part of preparations for the restoration of Gyeonghuigung. The two-story area is divided into 10 rooms and a hallway, with the rooms ceilings open as to provide a view inside of the rooms on the second floor. On the attic-like second floor is a gate reduced to rubble, which is assumed to have connected the shelter with the palace.
Seoul City has installed special sound effects of the emergency siren and one resembling an air raid, to re-enact how it might have felt to use the shelter, and to add to the eerie and cold atmosphere.
The shelter is now managed by Seoul Museum of History. During the tour programme, 960 citizens visited. Previously the area was opened only for educational purposes for middle and high school students from 2014 to 2016.
The National Assembly on Friday passed a special law on the reinvestigations of the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry and a scandal involving deadly humidifier disinfectants.
Under the new law, a nine-person special committee will be set up within 30 days to investigate the ferry sinking again for a maximum of two years. A Sewol special committee inquired into the ferry sinking from Jan. 1, 2015 to Sept. 30, 2016.
The bill was put to a plenary vote on Friday morning, following an agreement reached between the ruling Democratic Party and minor opposition People’s Party on an amendment to the bill on “societal disasters” as they narrowed their differences on a special case clause.
The People’s Party proposed that the special panel should refer to past records including transcriptions for cases already concluded by the previous special committee and given final court ruling. The ruling party, which initially had concerns that this might make it hard for the new panel to look into cases where no indictments were made, eventually gave its consent.
The legislation was passed 162-46, with 8 abstentions. The two above-mentioned parties combined control 160 seats in the 299-member unicameral parliament.
The nine members of the special committee will comprise of four recommended by the ruling party, four recommended by opposition parties (three by the Liberty Korea Party and one by the People’s Party) and one recommended by the National Assembly Speaker.
The panel can begin investigations once it has six members after the law is promulgated.
If the committee makes a request for a probe by the special prosecution and the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee doesn’t vote on it for 90 days, it will be automatically submitted to the plenary session of the National Assembly.
The law was fast tracked on Dec. 23 last year.
The use of toxic humidifier sterilizers killed dozens of people and resulted in over 5,000 damage reports.
The Sewol ferry sank on April 16, 2014, in waters off the country’s southwestern coast, claiming the lives of 304 people, mostly teenagers on a field trip.
ISLAMABAD – The United States said it was “deeply concerned” Friday (Nov 24) after Pakistan freed one of the suspected masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks despite months of pressure from Washington over militancy.
The statement came as firebrand cleric Hafiz Saeed, who heads the UN-listed terrorist group Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD) and has a US$10 million (S$13.5mil) US bounty on his head, led prayers and met with supporters in Lahore Friday after his midnight release.
JUD, which has operated freely across Pakistan and is popular for its charity work, is considered by the US and India to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), the militant group blamed for the attack on India’s financial capital.
“LET is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens,” US State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said.
“The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes.”
The US$10 million bounty for Saeed first offered in 2012 still stands, Ms Nauert added.
The court’s decision to release Saeed after Islamabad failed to provide evidence against him came after US President Donald Trump in August angrily accused Pakistan of harbouring “agents of chaos” and called for a militant crackdown.
The horror of the Mumbai carnage played out on live television around the world as commandos battled the heavily armed gunmen, who arrived by sea on the evening of Nov 26, 2008.
It took the authorities three days to regain full control of the city, and the attacks, which killed more than 160 people, nearly brought nuclear-armed arch-enemies India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
Saeed, already designated a global terrorist by the US at the time, was later listed as one by the UN also over his alleged role in the attacks.
India expressed its fury at his freedom Thursday, with foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar accusing Pakistan of attempting to “mainstream proscribed terrorists”.
New Delhi has long seethed at Pakistan’s failure either to hand over or prosecute those accused of planning the attacks, while Islamabad has alleged that India failed to give it crucial evidence.
It is the third time that the cleric has been released by courts after Islamabad briefly detained him twice in the aftermath of the attacks in November 2008.
Saeed for decades has publicly espoused ending India’s rule of the disputed Himalayan Kashmir region, with India accusing him of sending armed militants to the valley.
India and Pakistan, who rule parts of the disputed region, have fought two of their three wars over the territory, with scores of militant groups, including LET, engaged in a decades-old armed insurgency against the Indian rule.
BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has reshuffled his Cabinet, a statement published in the Royal Gazette said on Friday (Nov 24), the fifth change in his administration since he took power in 2014.
Prayut, a former army chief, seized power in a bloodless May 2014 coup following months of street protests that led to the ousting of then Prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her civilian government.
Prayut switched or appointed 18 ministers, deputy ministers and deputy prime ministers, according to a list published in the Royal Gazette, which was endorsed by Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
The highest-level changes include the country’s ministers of commerce, agriculture, energy, labour, and tourism.
It was not immediately clear what impact the reshuffle would have.
The reshuffle was to improve some ministerial positions for the benefit of the country’s administration, the statement said. The move follows the resignation of a labour minister.
The Cabinet has 36 members, and the latest changes cut members from the army to nine, including Prayut, from 12.
Laws passed by the government generally come into force after publication in the Royal Gazette, a public journal.
Prayut last reshuffled his cabinet in December 2016 following one in August 2015 which was carried out to focus on Thailand’s troubled economy.
The junta has promised a general election in November 2018 to return Thailand to democracy.
BANGKOK – Thailand’s military faced mounting pressure on Friday (Nov 24) to explain the murky death of a teenage army cadet, whose case has seized national attention after his parents discovered his organs were mysteriously removed from his body.
The army said first-year cadet Pakapong Tanyakan died of heart failure late October at his army training school outside Bangkok.
But his family was sceptical and ordered a second autopsy – only to find their son’s brain, heart, bladder and stomach were missing.
The shocking discovery sparked public outcry and accusations of a cover-up by a military trailed by allegations of beatings and other abuse against young recruits that can turn fatal.
The army has continued to deny foul play in Mr Pakapong’s case, saying doctors removed his organs for further inspection and were not required to inform his family.
But thousands in the junta-run nation have signed an online petition calling for the resignation of the cadet’s commanders.
On Friday a government spokesman said four military officers had been transferred while an investigation is ongoing.
“To help cope with all sides’ uneasiness, the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters has transferred officers who are involved with this case so that they will not interfere with the evidence or witnesses,” Lieutenant-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd told AFP.
He added that junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha was “deeply sorry” to hear about the cadet’s death.
The case has unleashed an outpouring of grievances online, with netizens calling for an end to corporal punishment in the military.
“My son wanted to be a soldier but after seeing this news, he lost his confidence,” Bumbim Kanyaplak posted on Facebook.
Mr Pakapong’s family told reporters their son had described physical abuse throughout his time at the school, including a hazing exercise that led him to faint in August.
He also described being punched in the stomach in a diary entry in May.
Thailand’s military, which has run the country since a 2014 coup, runs an annual draft that brings 100,000 men into the armed forces every year.
There have been at least three reported cases of conscripts dying during training this year.
Speaking to the press earlier this week, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan admitted that physical punishment is a part of military training, saying he had gone through the ordeal himself.
“But I didn’t die,” he added.
Mr Prawit apologised for the remarks on Friday, saying they were insensitive to the cadet’s family.
SINGAPORE: On popular home-sharing site Airbnb, a search for homes in Singapore returns more than 300 listings – many flaunting pictures of perfectly manicured bedrooms and unbroken sea views.
The chances are, a good number of them are breaking the law.
Between 2014 and 2016, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) investigated more than 1,000 private residential properties for breaching the minimum stay duration. This equates to an average of about 330 properties a year.
In contrast, URA has already investigated about 600 properties from January to September this year, almost double the number investigated for each of the past few years.
The minimum rental period for private homes in Singapore is three months, meaning typical short-term lettings on platforms like Airbnb are prohibited. This protects the “living environment of neighbouring residents”, URA said.
“When residents suspect such misuse in their estates, they would provide feedback to URA,” a spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia. “The increase in public feedback could be partly due to heightened public awareness of the regulations in place.”
The spokesperson said a majority of these offences take place in condominiums.
“URA is informed of potential infringements either through feedback received by neighbouring residents who have been affected by the unauthorised use or by a condominium’s managing agent or management corporation,” the spokesperson added.
“All feedback will be investigated and URA works closely with the managing agents and management corporations on the investigations.”
“WAIT-AND-SEE” APPROACH
An Airbnb host, who gave her name as Tina Tan, said she has been “questioned by condo management about the comings and goings of guests”.
“However, since we are the owners and are not breaking any rules, the questions have not escalated,” added the business development executive, who is in her 30s.
Ms Tan said she takes precautions to ensure her guests do not disturb her neighbours. This includes addressing any complaints relayed through the management.
“We are very careful in who we accept as guests and we also make it very clear that there should be no parties and no disturbances to the neighbours,” she added.
“At the end of the day, if we received strong opposition from management or neighbours, we would shut (the listing) down.”
A recent search on Airbnb for homes in Singapore throws up more than 300 results.
While Ms Tan said the authorities have not come knocking on her door, she remains cautious.
“We are taking a wait-and-see attitude,” she noted. “If the risks start to outweigh the benefits, or if we receive a warning from the authorities, we will de-list it.”
On an Airbnb forum, host Andrew said last month that he was “invited to tea at URA, except none was served”.
“As far as I’m aware, as long as you stop and desist, I’m not aware of any follow-up enforcement action,” he wrote. “Once the complaining stops, URA moves on.”
In the majority of cases, URA said, offenders have complied after being served with enforcement notices, taking away the need for further action.
“In considering the appropriate enforcement action to be taken, URA will take into account the specific circumstances of each case,” the spokesperson added.
“If the offenders are recalcitrant or fail to comply with our requirements following enforcement actions, they are liable to be charged in court.”
Under the Planning Act, it is an offence to convert the use of a property for short-term accommodation without URA’s approval. Offenders may be fined up to S$200,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 12 months.
GUESTS WORRIED, EXPERT REACTS
This has sparked concern among Airbnb guests on the forum.
One of them, Janina from India, asked if she could be fined as an occupant. “I don’t want to get in trouble with Singapore law,” she said.
Vu from Vietnam said he booked four nights at an Airbnb in Singapore, but was unsure if he would be questioned by immigration officers. “Can I show the booking?” he asked. “Will they accept it?”
Hotels and service apartments cater to short-term visitors in Singapore. (Photo: Calvin Oh)
When it comes to enforcement, owners are “primarily responsible” because they have caused or allowed the offence to occur, URA said.
“While the occupants are not directly responsible for the unauthorised use of the property, they may also be subject to investigation,” the spokesperson added. “If found to be complicit, enforcement actions can be taken against them.”
Despite that, tourists here need not worry about ruined holidays, said Dr Michael Chiam, a senior tourism lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
“So far, we have not heard of any tourists being inconvenienced by the investigation,” he noted. “I guess the authority is also very tactful when it comes to carrying out their duty and dealing with the tourists.”
As for the hosts, Dr Chiam said most Singaporeans are “law-abiding citizens” who will not break the law.
“But there are some who take the risk,” he added. “They might feel that it helps to promote tourism through sharing authentic experiences with visitors.”
AIRBNB WANTS LEEWAY
Airbnb’s head of public policy for Southeast Asia Mich Goh said Singapore has a “thriving host community” that uses the platform to meet people from across the globe.
The increase in properties investigated, she noted, points to the need for a “clear framework for short-term rentals” that respects local needs.
There is some progress. In February, the Government said it was looking at creating a new class of private homes that would be approved specifically for short-term rentals.
Four months later, it cut the minimum rental period for private homes from six to three months.
However, a public consultation on short-term stays started more than two years ago has produced little else, with URA saying that it intends to conduct another public consultation on the reviewing of guidelines.
One of three pantries in Airbnb’s Singapore office.
To that end, Ms Goh acknowledged that neighbour disturbances remain a key consideration in Singapore.
Therefore, residents can contact Airbnb directly through its neighbour tool if they have complaints about hosts or guests in their building, she said.
Then there is the friendly buildings programme, which lets building managements know when its residents are hosting guests and how much they will earn from it.
Building management can also request for a cut of its residents’ profits before allowing Airbnb bookings. “This means that home sharing is transparent, suits a building’s terms and provides extra income for both hosts and the building,” Ms Goh added.
Host Ms Tan said private home owners should be able to use their property as an alternative way of getting income.
According to Ms Goh, Airbnb hosts in Singapore earn an average of S$5,000 a year from bookings.
“We would prefer long-term rentals as it is less hassle,” Ms Tan added. “But after putting the apartment on the market for several months with no takers, we decided to try Airbnb to help us cover costs.”
TO LEGALISE OR NOT
Still, the fact remains that short-term rentals are illegal in Singapore.
Ms Shirley Tee, course manager of Nanyang Polytechnic’s Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management, said these regulations are in place to ensure the use of assets like property does not cause disorder.
“Regulations, like the economy, do need to evolve periodically to stay relevant, especially so in the face of application of technology in an increasingly complicated and interconnected world,” she added.
Ms Tan lamented Singapore’s “inconsistent approach” to Airbnb, referring to how the country hosts the company’s Asia Pacific headquarters and its increasing emphasis on an innovation-driven economy.
“If Singapore is really serious about outlawing Airbnb, it should enforce a three-month minimum booking for Singapore (homes) on the site, rather than going after thousands of individual hosts,” she said.
Blocks of a private residential condominium (left) and executive condominium in Singapore. (Photo: Reuters)
Analysts have argued that while Airbnb rentals here are low and its impact on the hotel and housing sectors is limited, any new legislation should be introduced sooner rather than later.
Nevertheless, Ms Goh urged hosts and guests to check local laws and regulations before listing or booking a property on Airbnb.
“Every city is unique and has its own set of priorities and challenges, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach,” she said.
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) recently found itself sucked into a vortex of vitriol and it had nothing to do with trains or buses.
It had to do with, of all things, art.
LTA had put up plaques describing the art work to accompany local artist Jing Quek’s collages installed at Tampines West and Tampines East MRT stations as part of its Art in Transit programme.
Welcome to Jingapore featured images of people, places and objects found near the stations. Among the many words on the plaques, the one that screamed the loudest for many Singaporeans was “Jingapore”, which many saw as a misspelling of “Singapore”.
Bewildered commuters posted pictures of the plaques saying that they were “disrespectful”, “shameful”, and made Singapore “look bad”, among other things.
LTA later explained the wordplay behind Jingapore: A combination of his name Jing and Singapore, an attempt by the artist to “portray Singapore through his eyes”.
Admittedly, it’s probably instinctive to see a word like “Jingapore” and do a double take.
What’s disappointing is for so many people not to have stopped to consider that it may not have been a mistake.
Instead of passing judgement immediately, it would have been heartening to see people attempt to decipher why it was spelt that way, even if they had not made the immediate connection between the title of the work and the artist’s name.
THE SKY IS YELLOW
How many people saw and commented on the “misspelling” without actually seeing Quek’s name and his work?
Have years of rote learning made us an unimaginative and rigid people and quick to point out mistakes simply because our own mistakes were readily pointed out by our parents, teachers or fellow classmates?
Many of us grew up in school being told there is a right and wrong answer, it’s black and white with very little grey and there’s really no point in trying to comprehend the grey.
Have years of rote learning made us unimaginative and rigid? (Photo: Pixabay/weisanjiang)
When children coloured the sky something other than blue in picture books, they were often told they were wrong. Very few parents or teachers might have stopped to ask why the child coloured it yellow. Could they have envisioned the sky flooded by sunlight that rendered the blue insignificant?
To accept that the sky is not blue is a call that education experts have been making for years now, but how many of us have actually accepted it?
How many children’s imaginations have we constrained and constricted with this world view?
Yes, the world often operates in black and white and many things are so.
But there are many other things that aren’t black and white – the arts being one of them.
Human emotions and opinions are rarely black and white too.
This is one reason many artists declare that an understanding of literature and the arts helps us be better people, in addition to being more imaginative and innovative – something that we are struggling with today.
In a recent interview “On the Record” with me, playwright, Haresh Sharma explained the problem best when talking about his 1993 play, Off Centre.
His concern was with larger institutions in Singapore.
The play was commissioned by the Ministry of Health (MOH) with the aim of casting the spotlight on the challenges mental patients face when trying to re-integrate into society.
When the script was submitted, the ministry asked for technical changes to be made. A ministry spokesperson said the play “presented a prejudiced view of mental disorder, its treatability and the therapists, besides ridiculing God, religion and National Service”.
Years later, as Sharma sat across from me, he was as vociferous in defending the work as he was 24 years ago.
According to Sharma, MOH took issue with the fact that the male protagonist in the play, Vinod, has a breakdown while serving National Service and that at the end of the play, he commits suicide.
“It’s very black and white for them. They essentially said, ‘because he had a breakdown in the army, you are saying the army is bad’ or ‘he committed suicide, so you’re saying mental disorder cannot be treated,’” he said.
“But my question is: You mean (you) can’t have a breakdown in the army? Why don’t you say: He had a breakdown. Period. Let’s help him. Why must you say he had a breakdown in the army, and therefore, we should not support this play because it makes the army look bad?”
“What about the suicide?” I asked him.
He said:
It’s like saying Romeo and Juliet should not be studied because ‘got suicide’.
By the way, the female protagonist in the play, Saloma, who also suffers from a mental illness does not commit suicide. Some would say Off Centre is merely presenting the various outcomes, not necessarily saying that mental disorders are not treatable, as the authorities might have interpreted it.
Sharma’s The Necessary State ended up losing S$30,000 in sponsorship and staged the full version of the play on its own.
Playwright Haresh Sharma, on one of several purposes of art: “There is also art that brings up uncomfortable questions that you might not be willing to hear and talk about, or you might see conflicts that you are not totally at ease with.”
TREAT OUR MYOPIA WITH CRITICAL THINKING
Today, Off Centre is used as an academic text at the tertiary level and as part of the Ministry of Education’s GCE O-Levels literature syllabus.
Have things changed and minds opened?
“I don’t know. The more I deal with these institutions, the more I realise I don’t want to say the MOH had a problem with it and MOE didn’t. I would say that maybe one or two people within that ministry had a problem with it and they had the power to make the decision. It just seems that way to me,” said Sharma.
Organisations and individuals should have more dialogue with each other before coming to such decisions. Let’s not take the easy way out by playing it safe out of a fear of causing offence. Some might say the LTA’s decision to take down the This is Jingapore plaques is reflective of this fear as well. Unfortunately, such actions could further impede our ability to mature as a society.
Sharma says even today, he notices among his audience and government agencies, a lack of comprehension and the inability to debate multiple interpretations and viewpoints.
He said:
We need to empower ourselves and society in general with a keener sense of critical thinking, ability to evaluate, analyse works of fiction, and not take things too black and white, or too literally.
IT’S A “LIFE” THING
The arts can help us develop critical thinking and can have a positive impact even beyond art, at least according to Sharma.
“So if you watch something, it is text, subtext. That’s life. When you are dealing with people, sometimes people say things but they mean something else. Don’t you want to have that ability to have empathy, or have understanding on how people are feeling, rather than just take everything at face value and not be able to go deeper? This is not just a theatre or arts thing. It’s really a ‘life’ thing,” he declared.
I would argue it would have a positive impact on the quality of public discourse on important issues that affect our society – the ability to hear someone out, understand the merits of others’ arguments, realise that even if you disagree with them, they are entitled to their viewpoint and that there is no need to take disagreement personally.
To have empathy, or have understanding on how people are feeling, is not limited to arts or theatre, but is part of living in a society. (Photo: Singapore Art Museum)
An appreciation of literature could similarly help us according to poet and cultural critic, Kirpal Singh who said in another “On the Record” interview: “Literature begins by saying: ‘What do you think of this character?’ In a way, you’re forced to think and discuss. My worry is that a lot of us have been nurtured in a very formulaic society with answers that are usually imparted rather than self-developed and self-explored. Very often in school, teachers say, ‘I don’t really want to know what you feel. I want to know the right answer.’ This is a problem. It smacks of arrogance to say that this is the answer because we’re finding out, in very simplistic terms, what was the answer yesterday is no longer the answer today whether it’s in life, or our jobs, or in business.”
So let us not be arrogant and say Jingapore doesn’t make sense simply because we believe there is only one “right answer”.
IT’S IN HOW WE DO IT
There is no lack of art and culture in Singapore today. The government has invested heavily in making Singapore an arts hub. In fact, the LTA’s Art in Transit programme is one of many initiatives designed to further this broader vision. There are even campaigns such as READ! Singapore to encourage reading among the general population.
The Ministry of Education announced this year that the number of schools offering upper secondary literature increased from 85 per cent in 2015 to 90 per cent.
On paper, Singapore is not a cultural desert.
However, booksellers have told me that getting people to read fiction over self-improvement books is an uphill task.
“They would rather read about how to make a million dollars than read a work of fiction, but it is through fiction that you learn how to open your mind,” said one who declined to be named.
A society conditioned to value utility over everything else might consider fiction an utter waste or something you only engage in if you have the luxury of time.
This is partly why when some artists talk about literature and the arts, they pitch it as something that can help people be creative – a trait that is valued at the workplace or in business. Some artists feel it is sad that people can’t appreciate the arts for its own sake or that a lot of the art we are exposed to here is more entertaining than thought-provoking.
Kirpal Singh (centre) commented in an interview that, “if we don’t, from very young, stimulate the child’s imagination in ways which are different from the norm, we are never going to get creativity working very successfully.” (Photo: Kirpal Singh)
But let’s give ourselves time. After all, the world is not black and white, is it? The more people understand this, the more varied our exposure will be.
Another important issue is while literature and the arts are part of the school curriculum, how they are being delivered to students is vital. Are teachers open to having discussions and accepting various interpretations? Or does the classroom operate on “black and white”, “right or wrong”?
Ezra Pound said: “Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree.” Let us find it in ourselves to discover that meaning instead of declaring something right or wrong too quickly.
The artist behind This is Jingapore, Jing Quek said on his Facebook page when his art work was first publicised in the media: “In spite of all the headwinds art faces in Singapore, once in a while a major initiative like this slips through that allows art to leave an indelible mark on the landscape for the next decade.”
This was before the kerfuffle over Jingapore. Let’s hope it is truly his work that leaves an indelible mark and not just the kerfuffle.
Let us be positively bewildered because our imagination takes us to unimaginable places, not because we have decided that others are wrong simply because they’ve not gone by the book – or by our book.
Bharati Jagdish is presenter and senior producer for Digital News at Channel NewsAsia.
Singapore showed Europe it could do Christmas just as well, as Orchard Road unveiled its very first Christmas village, complete with fairy lights, fireworks and festive fare.
The attraction was launched with pyrotechnics, a light show and a rousing performance from local singer Alex Chia. And to top it off, fireworks crackled and lit up the night sky.
Green fireworks lighting the sky outside Wisma Atria at Orchard Road. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Located outside Ngee Ann City, the Christmas village will be open from Nov 25 to Christmas Day, from 11am to 10pm on Sundays to Thursdays and 11am to 11pm on Fridays and during the Christmas week.
Entrance is free.
The Christmas village features pop-up stores from 25 brands. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
For retail therapy, the village features pop-up stores from 25 brands, including Starbucks, Royal Selangor and Toast Box.
Three amusement rides, craft activities and a roaming balloon sculptor will add to the fanfare. Santa himself will also drop by for photos.
Kids will have the opportunity to meet Santa at the village for some photo-taking opportunities. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Kids are able to participate in art activities at the Christmas village. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
On top of the village, festive highlights at Orchard Road include a 20m-long passage made of reflective fabric and fairy lights in front of Forum The Shopping Mall, and a 4.5m-tall tree outside Ngee Ann City that counts down to Christmas Day.
This year will also be the first time that the Christmas lights are turned on earlier at 3pm, instead of 6.30pm as per previous years.
A 20m-long passage made of reflective fabric and fairy lights hang above the village. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
In another first, pop-up stores from brands like Tiffany & Co Fragrances and Haagen-Dazs will line Orchard Road, with the latter store featuring a snow room and do-it-yourself workshops.
These initiatives come as a Shibuya-style pedestrian crossing was announced for the junction between Cairnhill Road and Orchard Road aimed at making the streets more pedestrian-friendly.
The Christmas village will be open from Nov 25 to Christmas Day. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
“This year’s Christmas on A Great Street includes some new initiatives that will add to the allure of Orchard Road amid the challenging retail environment, as well as the rise of online shopping, ORBA chairman Mark Shaw said.
“We are confident that these initiatives will make Orchard Road even more vibrant and offer new experiences to those who visit our precinct over the Christmas festivities.”
