By Ng Jing Song
It was the following exchange that might have brought Stand Up on May Day more publicity than the organisers could have ever bargained for.
“Labour Day is a day for rest.”
“Ya, like lepak in a corner.”
“Which corner?”
“Speakers' Corner lor!”
One of the organisers from StandUpFor.SG recounted the above dialogue to a group of prospective volunteers.
Recently, this event, which is due to take place on the 1st of May at Hong Lim Park, has come under fire. Less than four hours later on the very same day at the very same venue, Transitioning.org is putting together a protest against the population White Paper.
The coincidence of time and space seems uncanny. The cheerful character of StandUpFor.SG stands in glaring contrast to the protest’s strident indignation. These juxtapositions piqued my curiosity. Hence, on Monday evening two days before the picnic and protest, I was seated amongst the prospective volunteers.
Entering the volunteer briefing, I clutched a set of questions: Why this time and place, especially for a mere picnic? Who funds the event? Are there any significant stakeholders giving this project a leg up?
The volunteer briefing clarified a few things. First, Hong Lim Park will be more than a congregation of picnic-goers. There will be a picnic. There will be more. At the organisers’ request to retain the element of surprise, I have to withhold the details.
This also explains the registration fee of $8. The money will partly defray the event’s expenses. For the group's 2012 National Day movement that invaded train carriages, urging people to cheerfully give up seats to pregnant mums and the elderly, this team of friends and colleagues ran the event at a loss. In a similar vein, the May Day gathering at Hong Lim Park has not benefited from governmental sponsorship. Moreover, the organising team does not hold monolithic political views. When speaking to the team members, I learnt that they are split on matters such as minimum wages.
So what is the bottomline for StandUpFor.SG on Labour Day? The organisers want to carve out a space for “powerful conversations” which nourish trust. Trust, in turn, supplements rest, a rare gem as we labour from day to day.
“I feel at rest when I know people have got my back,” a volunteer shared during the briefing session.
Recently, this movement has had to watch its back.
It was not a smooth glide putting together this May Day event. Hong Lim Park has a political cachet. This has ushered in scrutiny from many parties, from the government to activists. Authorities have interrogated the organisers for a clearly-stated purpose. For the National Day courtesy movement, StandUpFor.SG ran into difficulties while negotiating with SMRT. Now, other concerned Singaporeans are harshly suspicious towards this movement.
Tomorrow will be the day of reckoning: the juxtaposition of two fora, each with its own distinct tenor but both seeking to whittle apathy in our republic.
StandUpFor.SG craddles the vision of nourishing our sense of community. It is not vacuous frivolity. For Labour Day, a group of Singaporeans have backed this grand vision with deliberation and dedication. Owing to the sizeable logistics, I can understand why picking another day and venue after receiving all the recent flak is untenable.
Towards the end of the briefing, one prospective volunteer raised her hand. She asked what concrete result, what specific endpoint StandUpFor.SG hopes to achieve.
With a convicted smile that was tampered with fatigue, the organiser replied, “I don’t know. Let’s see what people choose and create.”
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Visit the two Facebook pages for the two different events on Labour Day at Hong Lim Park:
StandUPFor.SG Facebook page.
Population White Paper protest: "For A Better Singapore" Facebook page.