Two controversial books/films eyeing for attention

The main media is showering praises to the book ‘Battle for Merger’ daily and everywhere. Another book or film, ‘To Singapore With Love’, on the same period of our history has been banned for factual errors. One can safely conclude that the first book, more like a compulsory reading for all Singaporeans and locals, is free from factual errors. And it will be turned into a film too. It may become our official history book in schools in time to come.

Now take a look at the title of the banned film that sounds more like a romantic fiction. Were the errors that made the govt saw red errors of history or errors of personal CVs that have little or insignificant impact on the course of our history? Or would such errors change the course or perception of our official history? No, not that serious. But they would have serious implications on our national security. My God, this must be very powerful material that could be of the same realm as religious scriptures or terrorist literature on DIY bomb making or how to bring down a govt! Otherwise how could this book/film be so dangerous to our national security?

Assuming that the film contains hypnotic doctrines that could inspire or hallucinate readers to bring down our govt, it would still take a certain kind of readers to believe in it and to be converted. Would the film be powerful enough to convert readers like those marching to Syria to join ISIS? Do we have any faith in the intelligence of our people to discriminate truth from falsehood, good from evil, what is good for the nation and people? Or is the assumption that Sinkies are really daft and could become dangerous after viewing the film be real?

According to Han Fook Kwang, it is not like that. To him this book is anything but dangerous. For in his Sunday Times article he advocated that the people be allowed to view both and make sense out of our history. It is good for the people to know both sides of the story to form an educated and informed opinion and to learn from our past. A good example is the recent fiasco at Hong Lim Park. Without the social media, what kind of impression would readers have by just reading the main media? They could even stone or lynch Roy and Hui Hui for heckling the Special Needs Children, for being irresponsible, inconsiderate and even behaving like hooligans.

In today’s electronic world of social media, no govt can stop the people from reading what they want to read. No one can shut their minds, blindfold them and hold their hands like little children to the ice cream stall. The people will read what they want to read/see and will want to form their own opinions of things. They would not be gagged, be blinded and be told what they can read or what they cannot read. Only those living in the Stone Age will think they can do that to a city of modern and well educated population.

If the film ‘To Singapore With Love’ is dangerous and untouchable, then Han Fook Kwang is advocating something very dangerous. Cannot be lah. He cannot be so stupid to do such a thing. He does not have an Imperial Medal that would spare his life from persecution. He is simply telling a simple truth, that it is better for the people to find out their own truth normally than to keep them from a different truth and getting irritated by the process of banning them from seeing the other truth.

The citizens are not daft, not little unthinking children anymore. The children have grown up.

Kopi Level - Yellow