The controversial mural painting of a prostitute dressed up like a samsui woman is the fantasy of an angmoh in this tropical paradise, trying to relieve the good old days of colonial Singapore. The expression of the young and covetous samsui woman, posing like the women of the oldest profession does not leave much to imagination and interpretation.
How many Singaporeans could find comfort or attachment to this mural painting as part of a legacy of old Singapore and would want to wear this as a badge of honour? One can understand the feelings and perspective of the smokers that would find delight in a smoking cigarette in the fingers of the samsui woman as a sign of acceptance or rebellion against the LKY regime. The non smokers would have their own views on this.
When LKY was around, this mural would not even have a chance to be painted. No civil servant or govt employees would dare to challenge the No Smoking policy then as the message was very clear. Do not mess around with LKY. Now this painting is like an excuse or an outlet to air the frustration from some corners, and using an angmoh as the point man. And in the eyes of the angmoh tuakee Singaporeans, whatever the angmoh or white gods did must be good, at least for Singapore and the English educated elites.
The URA/govt have decided to let this painting stay unedited. This is a test case of Lawrence Wong's new thinking and policy, the chipping away of LKY's squeaky clean image of Singapore, led by an angmoh from America. This angmoh's private fantasy is now weighing on the administrators that are supposed to manage what Singapore is or should be. Cannot offend the Americans.
What's next LKY's legacy to be sunak?
Good morning All
ReplyDeletePainting of that mural by a White Man?
Thought we had so many Sinkies Artists that painted many in Blair Road and Everton Park?
Also at Jalan Berseh and even Neil Road so many roadside artists painting away on their canvases.
Even daft Sinkieland tour guides bringing tens of PRCs to see our prewar houses and the paintings at still practically untouched prewar houses in the Neil Road area.
Where LKY"s parents once owned one at Neil Road.
Why all the hue and cry of a a simple Samsui woman taking a breather and a well deserved puff from her back breaking chores carrying bricks walking on a wooden squeakly platform to the labourers and bricks layers at the top of the houses that they are building?
Aiya, at that time its a luxury able to stop for a puff as a laborious relief to keep you going.
That's the only cheap source of enjoyments that we the poor peasants enjoyed to keep lives going.
The only other one is the night enjoyments as relief for the suffering poor.
Also practically free but must have the strength to enjoy it after most had a veey hard laborious day.
That's why we have dozens of siblings and even poor able to survive the hard times.
Now only with hypocritically cajoings the smoking is bad for your health that smoking is scorned by general public.
It's a a fact that most of u at that time are smokers and that mural described what's the fact at our time.
So aiyo live and let live lah.
Pity nowadays the smokers are are like criminals been discriminated by the general pubilc.
I gave up ten years ago and at time been repelled by their smokes but aiya live and let live lah.
Let them enjoyed their puffs as its also their rights.
Correction, lky did not build sinkieland. It was build by 1st generation of singaporean including toh chin chye, rajaratnam, goh keng swee & many other papies pioneers who was not given due recognisation/credits.
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