What’s “responsible” in the middle of a genocide?
I’d planned to write a regular wrap for this weekend, but now that I’m sitting down to do it I’m struggling to write in a ‘business as usual’ way. I’m also finding it difficult to fully articulate how I feel about what I want to highlight this week: there's anger, outrage, helplessness, anxiety, disappointment and a deep sadness. The percentages of each element in this mix change frequently.
The Singapore Airshow begins on 20 February (Tuesday). Among the exhibitors will be a directorate of Israel’s defence ministry, and Israeli defence contractors and companies, whose wares have, for years, been used on Palestinians, including those in Gaza who have been subjected to bombardment for over four months now. Trade shows where weapons manufacturers and defence contractors gather are always problematic, but the presence of the Israeli state and other major companies at the Singapore Airshow—promoted as “Asia's most influential international aerospace and defence exhibition”—at a time when Israel is committing genocide before our eyes is especially ghastly and shameful. Elbit Systems, a major Israeli defence contractor, will even be debuting a new unmanned aerial system at the Singapore Airshow, as well as hawking munitions “designed based on decades of operational experience”. And where, pray tell, did they accumulate this “operational experience”?!
Elbit Systems, a major Israeli defence contractor, will be debuting a new unmanned aerial system at the Singapore Airshow, as well as hawking munitions “designed based on decades of operational experience”. And where, pray tell, did they accumulate this “operational experience”?!
As if that isn’t bad enough, the police are now investigating Singaporeans who took part in peaceful solidarity actions demanding a ceasefire, and warning people against any possible form of protest—even something as simple as pasting stickers—at the Singapore Airshow. The show is a big deal and there’ll be many government, military and VIP delegations there, but seeing the state take action and issue warnings against citizens demanding an end to mass killing just so the Singapore government won’t be embarrassed in front of weapons dealers and military chiefs—including parties actively involved in ongoing genocide—is sickening. So what if someone slaps a “Free Palestine” sticker on an Israeli booth at the airshow? The Israeli government and defence companies deserve to be called out and made uncomfortable and unwelcome wherever they go. If that upsets them… well, they should have thought of that before indiscriminately bombing civilians, including children, for months on end!
The Singapore government has expressed “grave concern” about the “deteriorating humanitarian situation” in Gaza. In December last year, Singapore joined over 150 countries in calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. While this is better than nothing, Singaporeans have pointed out that we can do so much more. Singapore and Israel have a long-standing bilateral relationship: Israel helped build up our armed forces in the early days, and close military ties have continued ever since. We buy Israeli arms (and also surveillance products, like spyware) and partner in the research and development of advanced weaponry. We have joint ventures to sell naval missile systems. The MATADOR—jointly developed by the Singapore government with Israeli and German arms manufacturers—was first used by the Israeli military in Gaza in 2009, and continues to be used today. The Singapore Police Force said that Singaporeans who participated in solidarity actions earlier this month were advocating the “political causes of other countries”, but it’s disingenuous to act as if what’s happening in Gaza has nothing to do with Singapore. We are connected, and we have leverage. Singaporeans are now demanding that our government put their money where their mouth is, and, instead of merely claiming “grave concern” in press statements and sedate UN chambers, actually use the leverage that Singapore has to put pressure on Israel to stop the killing. The Singapore government might not like being put on the spot like this, but as Singaporeans we know that some people just need to have spurs stuck in their hides.
The Singapore Police Force said that Singaporeans who participated in solidarity actions were advocating the “political causes of other countries”, but it’s disingenuous to act as if what’s happening in Gaza has nothing to do with Singapore.
One of the events the police are now investigating is an indoor, invite-only gathering on 2 February, held after the police shut down a public indoor event just days before it was planned to take place (as covered in a previous newsletter). During that event, attendees chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. The police say that the chant is associated to calls for the destruction of the state of Israel—a highly contested claim, at the very least, often used in an attempt to silence Palestinian voices—and risks inflaming tensions on racial/religious grounds in Singapore. They are now investigating the event under Section 298A of the Penal Code, which criminalises acts “prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility”. (The penalty for breaking this law is a fine, a maximum of three years’ imprisonment, or both.)
I was there that night, as were Singaporeans of different ethnicities, religions and age groups. There were Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and more. There were older people, university students, children. While some people did speak of their faith, the event was not a religious one, nor were there any sectarian divides that I could see. People came together not because of their race or religion, but because of a shared humanity that made us recoil with anger, horror and grief at the violence and death we’ve witnessed over the past few months. People gathered because apathy and dismissing genocide as the “political causes of other countries” felt impossible in the face of such suffering. The Singapore government likes to talk a big game about young people to standing up for what they believe in and to internalise values like responsibility, integrity and care. Singaporeans gathered to do just that. And now they’re being accused of inciting racial/religious tensions and being investigated for it.
At least nine people have been called up by the police to present themselves for questioning. There are people being questioned by the police right now, as I write this. The police seem to be in a rush, pushing for people to be questioned by the end of this weekend. They even tried to schedule for someone to be questioned at 10pm on Sunday. Why? Is it because the Airshow starts on Tuesday?
The Singapore government claims concern and care for the people of Gaza, but right now their actions suggest otherwise. Singaporeans distressed by death and suffering, who exercised their right to write and deliver letters to their own prime minister, or who gathered to share their grief and anger with others in a space created out of care, are now being framed as having been irresponsible or trying to incite hostility. The police tell Singaporeans to “participate only in appropriately organised and lawful events and discussions”, but will not grant permits to any public event related to Israel or Gaza. A Singaporean who participated in a protest outside Singapore was questioned by the police, because they claimed that her post might encourage other Singaporeans to protest overseas, which might “jeopardise” their safety. Meanwhile, representatives of those actively involved in dealing out death and destruction, who have caused the alarming humanitarian crisis in Gaza, are being welcomed into our country this week to exhibit their products and make money off them, and we are told not to protest their presence.
As mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter, I’ve been ping-ponging between all sorts of emotions while reflecting on this over the past few days. It was shameful in the first place, although not surprising, that none of the local mainstream media covered the solidarity actions, even though journalists were present. Media coverage only popped up when the police announced that they were going to investigate. It is bullying and unfair for the police to be calling people up for participating in peaceful actions, wasting their time with pointless and unnecessary probes. It’s infuriating to know that there are people who will look at these peaceful actions and decide to report them to the cops—why? Simply because they disagree? Because they enjoying snitching about anyone who breaks the law, even bad and unreasonable ones? It's absolutely enraging to see the moral bankruptcy present in a situation where people calling for an end to genocide are subject to state harassment while that same state welcomes the perpetrators of genocide.
It's absolutely enraging to see the moral bankruptcy present in a situation where people calling for an end to genocide are subject to state harassment while that same state welcomes the perpetrators of genocide.
It is also deeply sad, because I know that my feelings of disappointment come from still having in faith in Singapore. Despite everything I’ve experienced and witnessed over my years in civil society here, I always still hope for us to be better. I still hoped that we could stand together and agree that, no matter what our opinions might be on a variety of issues, killing women and children, bombing medical facilities, blocking access to food and water and medicine, targeting journalists and making statements of genocidal intent are all unconscionable things to be doing, and that we need to do what we can to make it stop. And it is incredibly sad to be reminded, again and again, that I have faith in a country where the government doesn’t have any faith in us, and actively seeks to silence us whenever we stray out of the tight boxes that they’ve put us in.
In Gaza, entire families are wiped out, children orphaned. The Singapore Airshow is coming, where exhibitors will show off the munitions used to inflict this pain. Singaporeans are being interrogated by the police for peaceful expressions of solidarity. This is all so fucked up. I am writing this today because it feels like the least I can do is to say something. If this is the position our government is taking, if genocidaires are coming to my country while peaceful citizens are being summoned to the police station, the least I can do is draw attention to this, in the hopes that they will be embarrassed and have the decency to feel some shame. They don't deserve comfort.
Thank you for reading! As always, feel free to forward this weekly wrap to anyone you like.