This is going to be my last thought about the NLB debacle. I think writers are perfectly right to boycott NLB events and refuse collaborations with them to express disapproval of institutional decisions processes. (Im not sure doing so to the Singapore Writers Festival is quite as well-aimed.) But I fear what is being missed is this: that there exist a lot of Singaporeans who think the NLB did the right thing, that it is perfectly fine to withdraw books with objectionable content and destroy them. Let us not say whether it is a majority or not: its just a substantial number of people. Yes, you might not have actually talked to one, but thats how bubbles of like-minded people work. Attacking the NLB is not nearly courageous enough; its actually too easy at the moment. What is courageous is to engage these people, whose view of things is diametrically opposed to yours. They are not irrational to think such things: their conclusions derive from their fundamental beliefs. We need to convince people through argument and dialogue and win them to our side: only then will we be able safeguard the changes we wish to implement. Even if we won this battle -- lets say the NLB had decided to place the books back in circulation -- we would have merely short-circuited the process of building majorities in favour of change.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 03:24:22 +0000
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