10/09/2014

To Singapore With Love – A communist hangover?


The story untold of the communists in the founding years of Singapore and their fight against colonialism and struggle for political power is still very skimpy today. The film by Tan Pin Pin has received the highest disregard censorship category, not allowed to be screened commercially under any category except for private viewing. She is still fighting very hard to get the rating reviewed.
 

From the look of things, from what Yaacob commented in Parliament and the reasons for his objections, ‘one sided portrayals, whitewashing the past, and self serving accounts, conveniently inaccuracies’, it is unlikely that this film will see the light of the day unless there is a new govt in power.
 

I am wondering if Bill Clinton were to sell his bibliography here and conveniently left out his relationship with the intern, would his book be allowed for sale here, or would his film version also received a NAR rating. On the other hand, would To Singapore With Love be allowed for screening if Tan Pin Pin were to call it fiction instead of a historical account of what happened? There is no room for alternative views as far as history is concerned. There is only one correct version.
 

How, Tan Pin Pin, why not try to tell Yaacob that your film is fiction and should be viewed as fiction? At least there is a higher chance of getting a PG rating. Then let the people judge if it is fiction or truth or otherwise.
 

Today, Communism has been defeated and rejected. Communism is history and so is the CPM. Even if the govt allows political parties to contest for election, European countries have allowed it, would it draw any meaning support and followers from the people? And would the personal histories of some of these old veterans of a bygone era, of a defeated ideology, be a threat to our national security? The current threat, as rightly pointed out be Chee Hean, is IS. This one got to handle with absolute care and sensitivity.
 

At the height of the anti communist struggle and policies, the Govt even banned contacts and travelling to China and other communist countries. Today we are allowed to travel freely to these countries and China is even our biggest trading partner. The communists from these countries too can come here quite freely as well. Has anything changed? Should we come to terms with our historical past and move on? Are we suffering from some obsessions or phobia of the communist past or hang ups? Is the Singapore polity so fragile, the people so daft that a film of the irrelevant past could post a national security threat and lead to the break up of social order?
 

Communism and communist ideologies for anyone?

Kopi Level - Green

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who is drumming and who is the drummer boy? Using same logic that citizens reaching 55 are a danger to themselves and their own money. So govt must take control of their money, and here on the people's thinking as all will be so stupid after watching the film and will be duped to become communists or communist sympathisers?

Anonymous said...


of course if the bibliography
sold here was without describing
the juiCy relationship with the
intern, I think the book will
still be allowed to be sold here
bUt cannot sell.....

cheers......

Raymond said...

Sure. A standard disclaimer in the opening credits, "The events depicted in this movie are fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental.", will do.

lust for love said...

History is a story to glorify those who win their wars or political powers, seldom do you see history allows a place or fair judgment to those disgraced or defeated ones. Because of this , history tends to be half-truths and distorted.

History in the words of a Tang Dynasty Emperor, should act as a mirror to allow future generations to learn from any past mistakes. Unfortunately, most of the time, this is not the case.

Won't be surprised if the history now teaches in schools nowadays will tend to glorify PAP rule and will leave out of a lot of facts.

In my eyes, PAP is also a Communist Party in disguise. Just look at Singapore, the labor unions, the press and other forms of media and lots of other things are government-controlled, isn't this so in China too?

This is like a pot calling a kettle black!

Anonymous said...

Who is hysterical and crying wolf?

jjgg said...

Not really sure which is more fictitious.. To singapore with love ..or a Kate spade supporter scurrying about looking for soiled sanitary pads or the old man in a palace commandeering a battalion of idol worshippers waiting to hear his next fart..should do another film...from singapore with love....hehe

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

How many bibliography, autobiography, history books etc etc did not contain fiction?

jjgg said...

So long as your claims is not absurd nobody really gives a shit...just remember ..everyone knows and remembers the color of the rainbow but the achievements of all the greats of bygone eras have been surpassed and tainted and no matter who you are there'll come a time when nobody can find your tombstone but..we'll still remember the colors of the rainbow..

Anonymous said...

Omfg.. americunt sponsored terrorists bombed bkt bintang?

Anonymous said...

come on man

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Way back in the 1970's, the 170 bus could be caught from Queen Street and any where along Bukit Timah Road, for a 10¢ student-priced ride into Johor Bahru -- at that time, the smelly and greasy shithole in the arse of planet earth.

However once in JB, a horny 17-18 yr old Singaporean male student was open to several "options" to assuage his raging hormones.

First, there were a couple of movie theatres screening R-rated movies -- many from Europe where they blatantly displayed fucking. In those days hair was "in" -- unlike the shaven genital images so common now. Back then pussies had hair, and the men doing the banging proudly hirsute all over.

Secondly there were night clubs like "Mechinta" -- where the sexy young Malaysian women would take off their clothes to the bump and grind of the disco music of the day: "That's the way, aha aha, I LIKE IT, aha aha"...out comes the tetek as she shakes her delicious pantat. Now my 17 year old cock is rock hard and going to burst through my school trousers.

And then there were the "blue film" dens. Real 1970's hard core porn.

JB has always been a "sanctuary" for Singaporeans who want to escape the RIDICULOUS censorship of the nation-building crazy PAP government.

So hopefully we can savour more of the REAL HISTORY of Singapore expressed in film by screening these vignettes away from the meddling kaypoh-kia PAP cheebais.

Well done!

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

From YahooNews.
KUALA LUMPUR : Fourteen people including two women were injured after a bomb exploded in front of an entertainment outlet in Bukit Bintang, here, earlier this morning.

The 4am incident happened when one of two bombs, believed to have been thrown from the second floor of the Sun Complex, exploded at Jalan Bintang off Jalan Bukit Bintang there.

Anonymous said...

It would seem that the fundamental assumption the PAP government is that: Singaporeans are daft.

1. Too daft to look after our CPF money when we are 55 years old.
2. Too daft to know the difference between a "real historical film' and a 'one sided historical film"
3. But at least 60% not too daft to vote for the "correct" political party. But just to be sure. Better import more immigrants and aliens.

Anonymous said...

Only PM Lee can allow the film to be screened in Singapore.
Just like only PM Lee can allow CPF money to be returned back in full at age 55 years old.
Do you think the above statements are true?
I don't think the above statements can be true.
In a democracy like Singapore, the views of one man will never be sufficient to hold sway over a 5.3 million population of Singaporeans.

Anonymous said...

I suspect it is not fear of the "return of communism" that causes the government to ban this film. It is fear of dissension.

Most people already understand that communism is dead and it is a good thing that they were not allowed to control Singapore.

But emotional politics, appealing to the emotions of people is a powerful tool, even if it does not make sense. If the exiles do portray a very sad story about themselves, they will evoke some level of sympathy no matter what, and with sympathy comes questioning. This is what they do not want.

Anonymous said...

"This is what they do not want."
October 09, 2014 11:59 am

Who is "they"?
Why is "they" more important than "us"?

I thot Singapore is a democracy?
And a democracy is all about representing what the "majority" of the Singaporeans want ... in parliament.

Virgo49 said...

Wah Matilah, you really started very young at aged 17.

By now your little bro should be texture should be as black and as thick as the horse or cow's leather.

LKY cannot stuck the spurs onto it for it will break.

Must be from SJI Bro Patrick's class- NO???

Anonymous said...

Someone feeling very insecure about the film.

b said...

these days, the more the gov says 'no', the more the people will want to watch the film. maybe very soon can watch in sohu.

Anonymous said...

I hope Tan Pin Pin would consider the words of President John F Kennedy in relation to screening of her film to selected schools in Singapore.

"If anyone is enslaved, ALL are not free".

It is good that her film could be screened in JB and other countries. Then any Singaporean can make a trip to watch.

I applaud her decision not to allow her film to be screened for the select viewing of the Harvard-NUS students, when other Singaporeans are not allowed to view it. If any one is enslaved, ALL are not free. The Harvard-NUS students should feel the enslavement just the same as the rest of us.

b said...

aiyo, jkf is a joke and a womanizer. nothing is free and freedom is a commodity.

Anonymous said...

Funny, there should be over a million PRCs, settlers and workers combined, in Sin. China is still communist though very different from PRK in style. The PRC Lradership are from CCCP.
Btw, Lee Kuan Yew visited China to meet Mao Zedong in the 70s, so where is the Fear of the Communist?

Anonymous said...

/// Btw, Lee Kuan Yew visited China to meet Mao Zedong in the 70s, so where is the Fear of the Communist? ///
October 09, 2014 5:09 pm

It is the fear of Sinkies getting smarter.
To a PAPig, nothing is scarier than a Sinkie going into the polling booth with his eyes open big, big.

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with Communism? Chinese Leaders had since the Day of Mao Zedong put the Wellbeing of the People in tandem with that of the Nation. Even the Current Chairman Xu Jinping calls on his Teammates to put the Wellbeing of the People as the Top Priority in developing and prospering China. The proof is everywhere for the World to see. China is peaceful and prospering, it is overtaking the US as the Number One World Economy and is helping many other less developed countries around the World.

Locally, the Sin Rulers are enriching themselves with ridiculous and sinful remunerations they take without any referendum or sanction from the people. Their calling on the People to pawn themselves to work harder, fasterer, cheaperer and probably longerer against relentless rises in costs of everything, show how bad they(Rulers) are in conscience.
They are described as greedy, avaricious by the People for decades, yet none was shameful of their negative behaviours and deeds.

So, please tell me; what's wrong with Communism or Communist System??

patriot

Anonymous said...

Me likes to add that I cant even call the Sin Regime corrupted and or despotic.
We have free election every five years, resembling the Demoncratic System albeit voting is compulsory; not very democratic after all.
Sinkies had repeatedly chose the Rulers and they(Sinkies) deserve the treatments from the Rulers.

patriot

Anonymous said...

It is not a question of what is wrong with democracy or communism or meritocracy.
It is a question of what is wrong with the ruler.
The sins of communism, democracy or meritocracy can only take place with the support and action of the ruler.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@virgo49:

No, I'm from Saints and RI -- where I repeated my PSLE several times :-) Auspicium Melioris Aevi, Up and On!

As an ex-rugby player and boxer, I used to hantam SJI and ACS dickheads whether on the field or at the mama kopi stall.

Actually I started at 14-15, Sec 3. One day one of my friends very fucking tough older brothers -- at the time serving NS (he was in 1 Cdo Bn -- our valiant and elite commando unit) in the 1970's -- took us down to Desker and Rowell Roads, where I saw my first "Tiger Show". After that, I was immediately "corrupted", and loving it ever since :-)) First drink Tiger Beer, then go for Tiger Show ;-)