志异 Draft by Drama box December 2014 (english) | Page 45

In recent years, leftist activists and ex-MCP members have
penned down history from their perspectives. Books like these,
as well as compilations of oral records from exiled Singaporeans,
have been published and made it to book shelves. More recently,
a commemoration was held at Hong Lim Park on 2 February 2013
to mark the 50th anniversary of Operation Cold Store, which
took place on the same day in 1963. In attendance were the
families of political exiles and former political convicts, who were
given the chance to express their thoughts as well as their wish
for their loved ones to come home. The event took place without
any obstructions. Has the demand for democracy by the civil
society resulted in the realisation that, in the face of oppositional
forces, overly assertive means should not be taken? Or is it
because these former student activists and MCP members no
longer have the resources and influence, and hence are no longer
perceived as a threat?

Ngoi Guat Peng

Regardless, the pursuit of a uniform and ‘correct’ sense of history
and set of values through anti-homosexual and anti-communist
behaviours are, in fact, curbing the possibilities of free discussion
and thinking. As a result, opinions are being trapped within

45
Solidarity and Support: The Possibilities of Becoming ‘Free Citizens’

(MCP) members and leftists featured in To Singapore, with Love
have no place in Singapore’s mainstream history. Homosexuals,
leftists, communists are the emblem of political incorrectness in
Singapore.