TO SINGAPORE, WITH LOVE

Singapore, 2013, 70 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Tan Pin Pin.

To Singapore, With Love is not one of those omnibus films with many directors telling stories about the city that they love. Rather, this is the sentiment of a number of political exiles, some since the 1960s, some since the 1970s, who still wish to go back to their home, where they grew up, Where they fought for political freedom before their exile.

Documentary maker, Tan Pin Pin interviews a number of these exiles who live in London, in Malaysia, in Thailand.

Her interviews are very telling and the interviewees come across very powerfully, as characters in themselves, in their memories of their protests and their arrests in the past decades, and as peaceful persons in the present, still longing to go home.

One particular focus is on activist, Francis Khoo, with footage of his activities, often exuberant, devout Catholic, writer of songs, protest leader who married his fiancee a few weeks before his internment. And she was to follow. She is one of the most impressive presences on screen, Ang Swee Chai, a physician who went into exile in London with her husband, at times finding things very difficult, but eventually winning respect and becoming a surgeon. She has been particularly active since in setting up a medical aid foundation for Palestinians. She is interviewed several times, is seen with her family, and makes a deep impression by the integrity of her life and witness to her beliefs.

Another character, rather lively, is the Tan Wah Piow. He interviews well and there is footage and imagery of his protests as well. Again, he lives in exile in London. He is the author of several books and a launch in Kuala Lumpur is a feature of the film.

The third central character is Ho Juan Thai, another activist, older than the others, who remembers the days of the past, has a great desire to go back to Singapore, and can only visit with his elderly mother when she crosses the Causeway into Malaysia.

While there are not many scenes of Singapore, except looking across from Malaysia into the city, the impression of Singapore is very strong, its history, the strict legislation under Lee Kwan Yew, and the repressive measures on protesters, especially in 1963 when a number were exiled, in the mid 1970s and again in the 1980s.

The film has as its focus Singapore, but could easily be the same story for many other repressive countries, far more repressive than Singapore itself.

This is a timely film for remembering the developments in Singapore as well as the repression in the latter part of the 20th century.