SINGAPORE: 132 personal mobility devices (PMDs) have been seized by the authorities so far this year, with 42 of them in April alone – the highest number per month this year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said, as it intensifies its clamp-down on errant cyclists and PMD users.
Thirty-three devices were seized in January; 24 in February and 33 in March, an LTA spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia on Friday (May 12).
“The Land Transport Authority has been intensifying enforcement efforts to deter unsafe and reckless riding behaviour by cyclists and personal mobility device users on public paths,” the spokesperson said.
Since a dedicated active mobility enforcement team was set up in May 2016, LTA said it has conducted more than 1,688 enforcement deployments across Singapore. It also issued more than 1,886 advisories to riders caught riding in an unsafe manner on footpaths and cycling paths.
Channel NewsAsia followed one of LTA’s Active Mobility Enforcement teams on Friday and watched as officers seized seven PMDs and a power-assisted bicycle (PAB) in an hour.
“This bicycle – you’re not supposed to be using it on a normal footway,” the LTA officer told a bike owner, a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. The two officers checked the man’s ID, inspected the PAB, noting its maximum speed and a throttle on the right handle. They seized the bike, but not before handing him a brochure with the do’s and don’ts of using such a vehicle.
Those found illegally modifying or selling non-compliant bicycles, PMDs or PABs can be fined up to S$5,000.
An LTA officer speaking with the owner of a personal mobility device early on Friday morning (May 12). (Photo: Kenneth Lim)
In January, a bill was passed in Parliament to impose stiffer penalties for errant PMD users, in part due to a string of accidents and incidents involving such devices in recent years. Electric bicycles were banned from footpaths while PMDs like skateboards, kick-scooters, e-scooters and hoverboards may not be used on roads.
According to a 2016 news release, active mobility officers will also be equipped with foldable bicycles to facilitate their patrols, and speed guns to deter speeding.
Looking for sustainable Mother’s Day gifts? Well, you’ve hit the mother lode! Show mum a little love with our round-up of thoughtful ethically-made gifts for every type of mum.
For minimalist mums. This unique necklace adds a touch of style with three ceramic beads carefully hand-painted with blue floral patterns, every piece is uniquely different. This necklace is crafted with 14K light gold-plated rondure beads, double chains and findings. Your purchase will go towards helping disadvantaged female artisans in Cambodia.
Psst. Use promo code SHOPFORGOOD to receive 10% off online purchases from 1-15 May.
For sporty mums and active wear addicts. Look good on and off the yoga mat with these chic graphic printed leggings made of recycled polyester and plastic bottles! As if you need another reason to jump on the active wear (i.e. modern mums’ street style) bandwagon. They’re also built for maximum mobility without sacrificing on comfort.
For mums who love tea. Sustainably sourced from the beautiful hills of Sri Lanka, each TeaMood is lovingly blended and hand-packed by the deaf partners employed by Hush TeaBar – a silent tea bar that promotes mindfulness while increasing awareness for the deaf. Our favourite has got to be Delectably Robust that features rooibos, apple, ginger, cinnamon, lemongrass, coconut, pink pepper and cornflower blossoms. Each TeaMood comes in an artisan-designed and planet-friendly tea-tube.
You can also check out their Hush@Community event on 3 June where you can indulge in a moment of silence while enjoying their TeaMoods.
For mums who love to entertain. Help mum up her dinner party game with Glambue’s eco-friendly and sustainably-made bamboo homeware products. Their range of trays, bowls and salad tossers come in a variety of eye-popping hues and are versatile yet durable, a welcome addition to any dinner table, it’s a perfect gift for the consummate hostess.
For timeless mums. Inspired by nature and handcrafted by artisans in Bali, S A Y A Designs creates a range of intricately-made eco-friendly hairpins from root wood salvaged from old rosewood, teak and tamarind plantations. The social enterprise will also plant up to ten endangered tree species in Indonesia’s rainforests for every purchase. Fund their kickstarted campaign here.
For mums who are beauty junkies. Infused with soothing chamomile, rosella, milk thistle and ylang ylang, this hardworking cleansing oil was formulated by a mother for mothers. It removes makeup and impurities without drying or stripping the skin. Each bottle comes with an organic bamboo and cotton wash cloth and turns a simple cleanse into a truly relaxing beauty ritual. Rania Hasna donates 10 per cent of their proceeds to saving and rebuilding lives through Human Appeal International. They’re also committed to saving the earth and you’ll get a SGD 2 rebate if you recycle three of their old bottles or packaging.
For nostalgic mums. Your mum is guaranteed to love this modern oval-link charm bracelet in 24K gold that is offset by a delicate traditional Peranakan-patterned charm by EDEN + ELIE. It features a monogram tag and bracelet lengths are also customisable. This Singapore-based jewellery brand works with artisans to produce wearable designs with a contemporary aesthetic. https://edenandelie.com/pages/about-usTheir jewellery is hand-crafted locally using ethically sourced delica seed beads.
For mums who could use some pampering. Who doesn’t love a spa day? Give mum the ultimate indulgence with Nail Social’s luxe service that includes the full works. Think foot scrubs, masks and a massage using natural ingredients like Rhassoul clay and essential oils, followed by a mani-pedi. The Nail Social trains and employs disadvantaged women and single mums. Book your appointment here.
For mums who love the classics. You can’t go wrong with flowers for Mother’s Day. We love the custom floral arrangements from Hello Flowers, a social enterprise that works with social service agencies in Singapore to provide training and employment to those in need. Better still, spend the afternoon with mum learning to arrange a garden-style hand-tied bouquet and creating your own embroidery hoop.
Use promo code ILYMOM17 to receive 10% off all bouquets and jar arrangements.
Mother’s Day is the perfect time to show her how much you care and what better way to say it than with these great socially conscious gifts she’ll love.
This article was originally published on Asia For Good. For more on social enterprises and socially conscious living, visit http://www.asiaforgood.com/www.asiaforgood.com
JAKARTA – The leader of a powerful Indonesian Islamist organisation that led the push to jail Jakarta’s Christian governor has laid out plans for a new, racially charged campaign targeting economic inequality and foreign investment.
In a rare interview, Bachtiar Nasir said the wealth of Indonesia’s ethnic Chinese minority was a problem and advocated an affirmative action programme for native Indonesians, comments that could stoke tensions already running high in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
“It seems they do not become more generous, more fair,” the cleric said, referring to Chinese Indonesians, in the interview in an Islamic centre in South Jakarta. “That’s the biggest problem.”
Ethnic Chinese make up less than 5 per cent of Indonesia’s population, but they control many of its large conglomerates and much of its wealth.
Nasir also said also that foreign investment, especially investment from China, has not helped Indonesians in general.
Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, is a major destination for foreign investment in the mining and retail sectors. Jakarta is also trying to lure investors for a $450 billion infrastructure drive to revive economic growth.
“Our next job is economic sovereignty, economic inequality,” said Nasir, an influential figure who chairs the National Movement to Safeguard the Fatwas of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (GNPF-MUI). “The state should ensure that it does not sell Indonesia to foreigners, especially China.”
His group organised protests by hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Jakarta late last year over a comment about the Quran made by the capital’s governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic-Chinese Christian.
Purnama was found guilty this week of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison, raising concerns that belligerent hardline Islamists are a growing threat to racial and religious harmony in this secular state.
Nasir, 49, used to have a late-night religious show on one of Indonesia’s biggest TV networks. His contract was ended under government pressure after his role in the first anti-Purnama rally was revealed.
He spoke calmly during the interview, identifying other religiously motivated objectives such as restricting alcohol to tourist areas, curbing prostitution and criminalising adultery and sodomy. He insisted he believes in a pluralist Indonesia.
Former President Suharto blocked Chinese Indonesians from many public posts and denied them cultural expression, forcing them to drop their Chinese names. Marginalised politically and socially, many turned to business and became wealthy.
The ethnic wealth gap has long fed resentment among poorer “pribumi”, Indonesia’s mostly ethnic-Malay indigenous people. During riots that led to the fall of Suharto in 1998, ethnic-Chinese and Chinese-owned businesses were targeted, and about 1,000 people were killed in the violence.
There has been no blood-letting on that scale since then, but tensions have remained. President Joko Widodo was the subject of a smear campaign on the campaign trail in 2014 that falsely claimed he was a Chinese descendant and a Christian.
Bonnie Triyana, a historian who has chronicled Chinese Indonesian experiences, said Nasir was “scapegoating” the Chinese.
“It’s very dangerous for our nation. It’s playing with fire,” said Triyana, who is an indigenous Indonesian. “They are spreading bad information to convince people that their role is to save the nation.”
In the interview, Nasir said “ethnic sentiment cannot be denied” when it comes to inequality, and the economic power of Chinese Indonesians needs to be addressed.
“The key is justice, and taking sides,” he said. “Justice can be applied if there is a preferential option for indigenous Indonesians from a regulation aspect and in terms of access to capital.”
Neighbouring Malaysia, also a Muslim-majority nation with a wealthy Chinese minority, has long followed affirmative action policies that grant native Malays privileges, including job reservations in the civil service and discounts on property.
Johan Budi, a spokesman for Indonesian President Widodo – responding to Bachtiar’s comments – said in a statement to Reuters that income inequality is high on the government agenda and Indonesian Chinese get no special treatment.
“It is not true this allegation that President Jokowi gives wider space to ethnic Chinese in Indonesia,” Budi said, referring to Widodo by his nickname. He said Widodo’s focus is on the poor, including “indigenous people”.
According to the Credit Suisse Research Institute’s 2016 Global Wealth Report, the top 1 per cent wealthiest Indonesians owned 49.3 per cent of national wealth, making it among the most unequal nations in the world.
A Saudi-trained cleric, Nasir formed the GNPF-MUI last year to target Purnama, the now-convicted Jakarta governor.
Although Nasir is not as visible as the firebrand radical cleric Habib Rizieq who led last year’s protests, his group carries significant clout because it brings under one umbrella Islamist organisations that have national reach and strong links with mosques and religious schools.
GNPF-MUI includes Salafist intellectuals like Nasir, Rizieq’s Islamic Defenders Front and their urban poor constituency, along with middle class and politically connected Islamic groups.
Nasir said GNPF-MUI is a “religions movement”, not political. However, he is widely seen as allied to opposition leader Prabowo Subianto, who lost to Widodo in the 2014 election and could be a candidate for the presidency in 2019.
Greg Fealy, an expert on Indonesian Islamic groups from the Australian National University, said GNPF-MUI is developing a national agenda following the Jakarta governor’s conviction.
“They are trying to harness that movement to link the Islamist agenda with inequality. It is, in effect, targeting Chinese non-Muslims,” he said. “This is all part of a pitched battle in the run-up to 2019.”
A one-for-one treat awaits! From 15 to 17 May, 3 to 7pm only, buy one and get another FREE on any Venti-sized beverage across all Starbucks Singapore stores.
SINGAPORE: 132 personal mobility devices (PMDs) have been seized by the authorities so far this year, with 42 of them in April alone – the highest number per month this year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said, as it intensifies its clamp-down on errant cyclists and PMD users.
Thirty-three devices were seized in January; 24 in February and 33 in March, an LTA spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia on Friday (May 12).
“The Land Transport Authority has been intensifying enforcement efforts to deter unsafe and reckless riding behaviour by cyclists and personal mobility device users on public paths,” the spokesperson said.
Since a dedicated active mobility enforcement team was set up in May 2016, LTA said it has conducted more than 1,688 enforcement deployments across Singapore. It also issued more than 1,886 advisories to riders caught riding in an unsafe manner on footpaths and cycling paths.
Channel NewsAsia followed one of LTA’s Active Mobility Enforcement teams on Friday and watched as officers seized seven PMDs and a power-assisted bicycle (PAB) in an hour.
“This bicycle – you’re not supposed to be using it on a normal footway,” the LTA officer told a bike owner, a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. The two officers checked the man’s ID, inspected the PAB, noting its maximum speed and a throttle on the right handle. They seized the bike, but not before handing him a brochure with the do’s and don’ts of using such a vehicle.
Those found illegally modifying or selling non-compliant bicycles, PMDs or PABs can be fined up to S$5,000.
An LTA officer speaking with the owner of a personal mobility device early on Friday morning (May 12). (Photo: Kenneth Lim)
In January, a bill was passed in Parliament to impose stiffer penalties for errant PMD users, in part due to a string of accidents and incidents involving such devices in recent years. Electric bicycles were banned from footpaths while PMDs like skateboards, kick-scooters, e-scooters and hoverboards may not be used on roads.
According to a 2016 news release, active mobility officers will also be equipped with foldable bicycles to facilitate their patrols, and speed guns to deter speeding.
Who doesn’t love discounts? We bet all Mothers would! For this Mother’s Day weekend, use promo code MAMA to get $5 off your taxi fare! Don’t forget there’s the Flat Fare option to choose as well!
There’s been a visible shift in the staycation era, with the inescapable influence of social media. Hashtags like #staycationsg and #staycay are abundant, and various articles about all types of hotels and the experience are written and shared. InstaScram finds two popular and centrally-located hotels that offer you vastly different experiences, and reveals the intriguing history behind them.
First up is Lloyd’s Inn, located along Lloyd Road, in a neighbourhood most well known amongst locals for being quite the food haven, and the district of our late Minister-Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s family home. At first glance, the pathway leading up to the boutique hotel leaves much to be desired. The hotel sign is subtle, with little fanfare. However, the moment you step through the covered walkway and down to its little lobby, you’ll find yourself immersed in a unique aesthetic that’s close to nature.
A Cinderella story that dates back to the 1990s, Lloyd’s Inn has been dominating numerous social media feeds since its rebranding exercise in 2014 by the multidisciplinary design studio FARM. With its monochromatic minimalist style, the hotel focuses on going back to the basics. Stripped bare of luxury hotel amenities such as a spa, on-site parking and even 24-hour service, Lloyd’s Inn essentially offers just a room. But it has managed to capture the attention of droves of young people and tourists.
There are 34 rooms in eight different configurations, with their much-sought after Sky Room boasting an in-room bathtub. All the rooms make full use of natural light, along with the minimalist textures, colours and materials, which provides you with an acceptable space to inject your own personality into it. Each traveller will make the room look different, and it is easy to see why this hotel is popular for parties and group staycations.
The Business Room, in particular, is a two-storey treat with televisions on both floors, offering the luxury of Netflix in bed or when you need a short respite from your work. A fully equipped work station takes up most of the space on the first floor, and the daylight emanating from the glass bathroom walls gives off a calming vibe, enhancing the warm tones of the room.
Just a stone’s throw away from Somerset MRT and Orchard Road, Lloyd’s Inn have tied up with Killney Kopitiam and Freshly Baked down the road for their guests’ free breakfast. But if you’re just looking for a quick pick-me-up, the hotel does offer a stocked pantry.
It has won multiple awards like Travellers’ Choice Awards and Best Minimalist Hotel 2016 and was also featured on Lonely Planet and High Snobiety Magazine. It is quite a wonder that just four years ago, the hotel was a budget hotel with rooms costing just $90 for one night’s stay.
From the minimalist appeal of Lloyd’s Inn, we take you on another experience that’s on the other end of the spectrum. If you take a trip down to Fort Canning Park or The National Museum of Singapore, you might catch sight of the towering colonial building that radiates a certain regality.
Hotel Fort Canning is a study in history itself, laying claim to the heart of a centuries-old legacy. Opened in 2010 by The Legends Fort Canning Park, the hotel occupies a building that’s been around since 1926. It was built to accommodate the British Far East Command Headquarters, and has been under both the British and Japanese military administration during Singapore’s pre-independence days. Post-independence, various bodies occupied it, including the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Command and Staff College.
An award-winning hotel conferred with conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Hotel Fort Canning boasts the creature comforts of a modern boutique hotel, yet retains its colonial charm. For example, it preserves its majestic, multi-columned design and original walkways, by retrofitting the elevators outside the hotel to allow the original building structure to remain untouched. The hotel lobby itself boasts 4 archaeological pits, which showcase ancient local pottery from the 14th to the 19th century excavated within the area, further highlighting the depth of heritage to be found within its compounds.
Hotel Fort Canning has 86 rooms with six variants, including suites, which offers the vacationer a variety of options to pamper themselves in.
Its Deluxe Room offers all the comforts expected of a 5-star luxury hotel, like a spacious bathroom and top-notch service. The amenities provided also include a smart phone equipped with GPS that allows free local calls, which is practical for the tourist in Singapore to get by without mobile data.
Even if you’re a local looking for a staycation, Hotel Fort Canning’s superb location gives you quick access to many things. If you’re not a fan of taking a luxurious dip in its three mineral water swimming pools, you can just stroll out the lobby to experience Fort Canning Park independently, or join a Heritage Park Walk with a guide who will give you unique insights to the historic area. The best shopping districts, like Orchard Road, Plaza Singapura and Bugis are also a short walk away. The lush foliage on the hotel grounds also provide a stunning backdrop for thematic weddings and wedding photography, earning it many awards, including HerWorld’s Bride’s Best Venue!
InstaScram is giving away two packages of a 2D1N staycation at either the Business Room at Lloyd’s Inn or the Deluxe Room at Hotel Fort Canning, so check out our Facebook or Instagram @instascram_sg for more details!
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Heritage Festival signs off this week after another successful stint delivering nostalgia and tidbits from yesteryear.
But why let the fun stop there?
Hard as it may be to believe, stepping back in time does not have to be a yearly affair. Scratch the surface of glossy, glassy Singapore and you’ll find many ways to connect with numerous strands of bygone eras.
After all, Singapore is not just a city zooming into the future, it’s also a continuum stretching back 200 years. Yup, there’s a hunk of old stuff, old places and even old-school hobbies to enjoy on a daily basis here.
So, put away that smartphone. Get out your lomo, pack your 555 notebook and take a plunge down the retro rabbit hole.
GETTING DOWN WITH ART DECO
The Old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. (Photo: AFP)
Could there be a more handsome style of architecture than Art Deco? With its OCD-pandering symmetry, its bold use of anthropomorphic curves, decorative twists, geometric forms and clean lines, no other architectural movement perfectly captured the zeitgeist of an era quite like it did.
A bit of background, if you will: The 20th century was a period of unrivalled technological advancement and Art Deco, as a burgeoning aesthetic movement, sought to incorporate and express the speed and intensity – through swishes, swooping facades, curved walls, speed lines and stepped profiles – at which electricity, the motorcar, radio, trains, planes and ocean liners were fast transforming life in the period between the world wars.
At least now you’ll know why certain buildings look the way they do when you traipse around town.
And while Art Deco isn’t quite as common as it is in New York, Chicago or Miami Beach, there’s enough to go around.
Among the highlights: The rectilinear wonder that is the Asia Insurance Building off Raffles Place; the thick-set Old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station; the streamlined moderne sensibility of Old Kallang Airport; and the architectural curiosity that is Parkview Square – aka the Gotham Building.
If you are the ambulatory sort, there are Art Deco clusters to go on walking tours of – particularly around Chinatown, Little India and Tiong Bahru, where a conspicuous feature of the 1950s flats is their pillbox gun turret-like staircases.
YOU SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND – IN SUNGEI ROAD
Singapore’s largest and oldest flea market at Sungei Road. (Photo: Kenneth Lim)
Ever wanted to know what it was like to get hold of music in a time before Spotify? Well, you’ve got two months left.
Back in the day, you could, after enjoying a steaming bowl of laksa for S$0.50 in a coffeeshop by Rochor Canal, amble down one of Sungei Road’s offshoot lanes and find yourself in the middle of a thriving bazaar. You could find just about anything here, from wigs to taps, bicycles and even pets.
But one of the real pulls of Sungei Road was its music purveyors. You’d be able to find boxes upon boxes of records from Motown to punk or, if you’re really lucky, a stash of Paul Anka and Nana Mouskouri EPs.
Best of all, these music selling uncles also sold record players.
And props to them, even if it was a tenth-hand turntable, it would still work. In the old days, very few of them sold stuff that didn’t work. If items weren’t in working condition, the sellers would find a way to get them repaired before they put them up for sale.
These days, while records can still be found, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone selling a turntable in working order. With Sungei Road reduced to a sliver of its former self, there’s naturally a limit to what you can find.
But who knows: Sungei Road’s charm lies in never knowing what you may find. You could head there tomorrow and come away with a sputtering, albeit functioning, turntable. Therein lies its (soon-to-be-gone) charm.
BRIC-A-BRAC BOUNTY
Yasashii Trading, a vintage second-hand store in Bukit Merah. (Photo: Ramesh William)
In the days before Sungei Road was scaled down, you’d be able to find much more than worn out white goods, rare LPs, barely functioning transistors, records and spare parts.
But all the good old stuff haven’t disappeared for good. There are still a few places where you’d be able to find them.
Odds n Collectibles on 128 Telok Ayer Street is a true imaginarium of period pieces, from rusting clocks to antique rotary phones and rickety typewriters. This is one of the few places in the city to head for if you’re looking to pimp out your pad as a retro niche.
Elsewhere, Yasashii Trading in Bukit Merah (#01-114, Block 123 Bukit Merah Lane 1) is another vintage furniture shop that is a potpourri of evocative knickknacks from ivory bird cages, to ornate grandfather clocks and bulky cathode ray tubes masquerading as furniture.
You’ll also find seasoned copies of Life and National Geographic, soft drink signs, old-fashioned amplifiers and speakers – and even an elegant armoire here.
OLD SCHOOL GRUB
Back in the day when school was out and your exam results good, you could always look forward to a treat at Swensen’s.
Even today, long after the banana split went out fashion, there’s something out of the ordinary about tucking into its creamy goodness amid the stained glass finery of a Swensen’s outlet.
It’s kinda cute that some old school culinary faves continue to cling on for dear life.
If you thought the banana split was an antediluvian number best left to the 80s, then what about the disremembered dessert that is the peach melba?
Would you also like plate of lobster thermidore and a bowl of prawn cocktail to go with that? You would? Then step into The Ship Bar & Restaurant (#03-16/18, 1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre) for an ineffable platter of long forgotten comestibles.
Another yum throwback treat: The baked potato with sour cream and crispy bacon bits at Jack’s Place.
THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT
Bukit Brown Cemetery. (Photo: AFP)
No one does retro better than the dead.
A jaunt of Singapore’s cemeteries is always a neat way to get in touch with a past long gone. With its expansive grounds and visitor-friendly paths, Bukit Brown is always worth a visit – even if to only check out the many luminaries (Chew Boon Lay, Chew Joo Chiat, Gan Eng Seng) that rest there.
But there are two lesser known graveyards worth poking about in.
One is the Japanese Cemetery Park in Chuan Hoe Avenue, where you’ll learn about the sizeable Japanese community that existed in Singapore before World War II. There’s also a memorial here for 135 Japanese war criminals executed at Changi Prison for wartime atrocities.
Another cemetery to head for is the Kubur Kassim cemetery in Siglap which served as a burial ground for many prominent Muslims in the area. Some grave plots here are dedicated to the Orang Bunian, which are supernatural human-like beings from Malay folklore. Spooo-keh!
Artists Erika Tan and Sarah Choo Jing are among the Singaporean artists making their presence felt at the prestigious arts festival.
Artist Sarah Choo Jing standing in front of her immersive video installation Art of the Rehearsal at the 2017 Venice Biennale. (Photo: Genevieve Loh)
(Updated: )
VENICE: The Singapore Pavilion at the 57th edition of the Venice Biennale was launched at the historic Arsenale on Wednesday (May 10), with multidisciplinary artist Zai Kuning and his 17m-long ship made of rattan, beeswax and string leading the charge.
Based on his 20-year-long research on the forgotten Malay culture and histories in Southeast Asia, Zai’s ambitious installation Dapunta Hyang: Transmission of Knowledge impressed the pavilion’s visitors with its thoughtfulness and enormity.
But 52-year-old Zai is not the only Singaporean artist making his presence felt at what is arguably the world’s most prestigious and important contemporary arts platform. Other Singaporean artists and curators are also flying the flag proudly elsewhere in the Biennale, which runs till Nov 26.
Next month, London-based Singaporean curator and producer Annie Kwan, who is one of 10 curators selected for the International Curators Forum, will be bringing together the performance works of Singaporean artists Boedi Widjaja and Lynn Lu as part of a performance programme called MAP (Moving x Archive x Performance) Waterways in Venice, in partnership with the “Diaspora Pavilion”.
Singaporean Yeo Chee Kiong will be showing his outdoor sculptures at the Giardini Marinaressa, while London-based Erika Tan is presenting her video installation The Forgotten Weaver, also at the “Diaspora Pavilion”.
Sarah Choo Jing, a 27-year-old multidisciplinary artist and art teacher at Nanyang Girls’ High School, is staging an immersive video installation called Art of the Rehearsal at the “Personal Structures” showcase, which is hosted by the European Cultural Centre and organised by the GAA Foundation, a Dutch non-profit organisation.
Choo told Channel NewsAsia it was always a dream of hers to show at the Venice Biennale. She attended the Biennale two years ago as a young wide-eyed artist armed with 50 catalogues to give out. She said it was then that she gave herself a five-year plan to eventually exhibit here.
Choo managed it in two.
Her work, which depicts various traditional dancers performing in the back alleys of various cultural districts of Singapore, was first launched earlier this year at the National Museum of Singapore.
“Showcasing your work both within and outside of Singapore is important. Yes, locally you create different kind of dialogues, but when you show it outside of Singapore, you invite a different kind of conversation,” she said. “You are interacting with different artists, reaching out to different curators, writers, connectors … and that’s very important. If you’re constantly staying inside (the hub), I don’t think it’s very healthy. Looking out is good.”
Speaking at the official opening of the Singapore Pavilion, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu acknowledged the strides all Singaporean artists have been making globally.
“We are proud to see our artists representing Singapore on the international stage and doing very well for themselves,” said Ms Fu about the other Singaporean artists showing at the Biennale. “The inroads that our artists have made internationally reflect the growth of Singapore’s contemporary art scene … Singapore has made much progress towards arts excellence. As a young, vibrant nation with a rich multi-cultural heritage, I am confident that our artists will continue to practise and innovate, to take our arts scene to new heights.”
SINGAPORE: Local online platforms for charitable crowdfunding have emerged into the public gaze after the GIVE.asia website was used in early May to raise nearly S$240,000 in aid of a Singaporean who slipped into a coma overseas.
GIVE.asia is “a free fundraising platform that does not take any transaction fee from your donations”, but there remains a payment gateway charge of up to five per cent deducted from each donation. Similar charges are common to all charitable crowdfunding platforms, although the amount varies.
GIVE.asia hosted more than 250 local charities in 2016 – up from 25 when it launched in 2010. It has also raised nearly S$9 million since. The platform’s nascent years were entirely self-funded by founders and grants from organisations like Singtel, DBS and Community Chest, CEO Aseem Thakur told Channel NewsAsia.
Today, the website relies on optional tips from donors to cover operating expenses like website hosting, accounting, bank charges, supplies, and staff.
“Only recently we could make GIVE.asia sustainable, thanks to the tips of kind-hearted people who see the potential of GIVE.asia to help others escape hardship,” said Mr Thakur.
A screengrab of a campaign on Singaporean crowdfunding platform giving.sg.
“CHEAP AND CREDIBLE”
Another local crowdfunding portal, giving.sg, was set up by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) to help non-profits seek public donations.
According to the website, donors do not need to pay fees – “If a donor gifts $100 to a charity, the charity receives $100”.
The charities, however, are invoiced for payment gateway charges set at 1.5 per cent of the donation amount – plus Goods and Services Tax (GST). This sum covers giving.sg’s “administrative and service fees for maintaining and running a secure platform … IT security audits and testing and other miscellaneous charges”.
The website is maintained by the NVPC – itself a non-profit charity with Institutions of a Public Character (IPC) status and reliant on government funding.
Local charity Free Food for All Ltd has raised more than S$50,000 over seven campaigns on giving.sg. The most the organisation has had to pay out in fees was around S$600, said founder Nizar Shariff, who added he would continue using giving.sg “because it’s the cheapest around, plus there is more credibility”.
Other crowdfunding platforms running Singaporean campaigns include international brands GoGetFunding and Generosity, the charity arm of Indiegogo.
A screengrab of a campaign on crowdfunding platform Generosity – the charity arm of international brand Indiegogo.
The latter’s payment processor deducts three per cent plus US$0.30 from every donation “to manage fund transfers”, and like GIVE.asia relies on optional donations to cover operating costs.
GoGetFunding, on the other hand, charges fundraisers 6.9 per cent on all funds raised, of which 2.9 per cent are transaction fees applied by its payment processor.
“The features and personal support we provide will help attract extra donations that will more than cover this fee,” said a spokesperson. “We do have substantial operating costs – for example staffing, development, site maintenance to name but a few – that need to be covered.”
“What should also be remembered is that we only charge campaign owners on any donations made through our site, so if they raise nothing, they pay nothing.”
A screengrab of a Singaporean campaign on international crowdfunding platform GoGetFunding.
FEES “SHOULD BE SPELT OUT”
Yip Kai Wan, a Singaporean who has donated S$50 amounts to a variety of campaigns on giving.sg, said she had no issues with the additional fees that come with some crowdfunding platforms.
“It’s only fair. They need money to maintain the pages, boost ads etc., and bank transfers involve costs,” she said. “So I think it’s okay to take a small amount. But it should be spelled out so that donors know and can make an informed decision.”
Breakdowns of the various charges can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the GIVE.asia and giving.sg websites – and Yip, along with some other donors Channel NewsAsia spoke to, suggested this was “not upfront enough”.
“It’s not so nice to put it in the FAQ. You know most people don’t read that – it’s like you’re attempting to hide it. It reduces trust,” said Yip. “Most people would have just believed that the whole amount goes to the charity.”
But she conceded that in the end, “you cannot deny the benefits for the beneficiaries are much better through such crowdsourcing sites”.
Anubhav Shrivastava agreed. He took to GIVE.asia in a bid to cover an anticipated S$350,000 medical bill for the treatment of his four-year-old daughter’s rare strain of lung cancer, and has raised S$167,072.60 so far.
This figure will drop further after subtracting the payment gateway or bank charges.
Said Jamie Yun, who has raised nearly S$670,000 on GIVE.asia for treatment of her daughter Yujia’s rare birth defect: “If the bank can work out something with the crowdfunding platform for such cases, like a lower cut or perhaps no cut, that would be better of course.”
But Mr Shrivastava said he was ultimately okay with it.
“Even if it becomes a sizeable amount ‘lost’, I’m not bothered. As long as people are donating, I’m happy.”
