SINGAPORE — After his speech at the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) Lecture today (Oct 3) Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong answered questions from the audience. Here are excerpts from his responses to questions about the Hong Kong protests and the film, To Singapore, with Love, directed by film-maker Tan Pin Pin.
Question on the conditions under which some of the more difficult, controversial points of history can be discussed more normally, so that there can be a common base from which to build a sense of “historical consciousness” and spring board for the future.
Mr Lee’s response:
I think there is no hindrance to discussing the past in a normal way. People express, recount their memories, they write their memoirs. Historians research the archives, they write their thesis, they propound revisionist views of history, others rebut them. Academic fratricide is normal. I mean that is the way, hopefully, knowledge progresses; at least in the sciences, sometimes social sciences. I think what we are dealing with in To Singapore with love is not that. What is that issue in To Singapore, with Love — you’ve got to see it within a historical context. And the historical context was the communist insurgency, in fact an armed insurrection, in which thousands of people were killed. And the movie essentially is about some of these people involved ...
(While some people who were communist or sympathisers or activists have turned around and accounted for their actions, those in the film) have chosen not to do so, it’s their prerogative. But if they have chosen not to do so, why should we allow them, through a movie, to present an account of themselves, not of documentary history, objectively presented. But is a self-serving personal account, conveniently inaccurate in places, glossing over inconvenient facts and others, which will sully the honour and the reputation of the security people, and the brave men and women who fought the communist, all those many years.
A movie is different from a book, you write a book I can write a counter book, you can read together with the counter book. The movie, you watch the movie you think it’s a documentary. It may be like Fahrenheit 911, very convincing, but it’s not a documentary. And I think that we have to understand this in order to understand how to deal with these issues.
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Understand the past, be confident in the future: PM Lee
Today
SINGAPORE — Even as society is immersed in the present, Singaporeans must understand their past and be confident of their future, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
What Singapore has achieved is a function of its history and in the South-east Asian context, he said. “We ourselves must know our history, to understand how Singapore works, why we do the things we do.”
SG50 is an important occasion to remember the Republic’s history, said Mr Lee, as he announced the setting up of a memorial to the victims of Konfrontasi opposite MacDonald House.
The Battle for Merger, Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s radio talks in 1961, will also be republished next week.
At the same time, SG50 should also be a time to look ahead — to set new goals for the next 50 years and to aim high.
Mr Lee highlighted how Singapore is being transformed “in many ambitious ways”, such as the implementation of “bold” social policies and investment in people.
He noted that young people may sometime be anxious about the future, and while some anxiety is constructive — “it keeps us on our toes” — he cautioned that it should not lead to paralysis or despondency.
“We need to be both paranoid and at the same time paradoxically confident. Then we can make Singapore a special nation for Singaporeans,” he said. The Government will do its part, he said, and urged everybody to play their part.
What Singapore has achieved is a function of its history and in the South-east Asian context, he said. “We ourselves must know our history, to understand how Singapore works, why we do the things we do.”
SG50 is an important occasion to remember the Republic’s history, said Mr Lee, as he announced the setting up of a memorial to the victims of Konfrontasi opposite MacDonald House.
The Battle for Merger, Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s radio talks in 1961, will also be republished next week.
At the same time, SG50 should also be a time to look ahead — to set new goals for the next 50 years and to aim high.
Mr Lee highlighted how Singapore is being transformed “in many ambitious ways”, such as the implementation of “bold” social policies and investment in people.
He noted that young people may sometime be anxious about the future, and while some anxiety is constructive — “it keeps us on our toes” — he cautioned that it should not lead to paralysis or despondency.
“We need to be both paranoid and at the same time paradoxically confident. Then we can make Singapore a special nation for Singaporeans,” he said. The Government will do its part, he said, and urged everybody to play their part.
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