INTERVIEW: Alex Tok - Filmmaker and Reform Party politician

[SNAblog]

http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/life/alec-tok-shining-light-singapore-287377

Alec Tok: A shining light for Singapore?

What makes Tok tick? The filmmaker and now Reform politician reveals how he would like to see Singapore change

By Elaine Ee-Meyers 30 August, 2010

Based in New York and Shanghai -- and now extending his reach to Singapore -- 45-year-old director and filmmaker Alec Tok surprised everyone when he was announced as a candidate for the opposition’s Reform Party earlier this year. Essentially his first foray into politics, Tok was inspired by by the Reform Party's ambition to go beyond just being the opposition. Here, he discusses how politics impacts his artistic work and the difference between a home and a country.


CNNGo: What brought you to politics and why?

Alec Tok: I joined the Reform Party at the end of 2009. I’ve always been interested in Singapore politics -- it’s such an extreme situation that you have to deal with it, relate to it -- and the way I’m relating to it right now is to partake in the changing of it, as simple as that. I was really happy when the late J.B. Jeyaretnam decided to make a last bid for parliament because it cemented the need to have someone who could pursue the constitutional struggle in Singapore. Then when he passed away he left a vacuum and that was a big worry for me because it set us back quite a few years. But the vacuum is being filled, rightfully, by his heir, Kenneth [Jeyaretnam]. And I thought, you know what, if you want me, I’m prepared to stand with you.


CNNGo: Is it difficult to be a Singapore politician when you spend so much time in New York and Shanghai?

Tok: Living and working in Shanghai and New York is a boon for me. My livelihood is very neatly disconnected to my political views and the venting of them in Singapore’s political arena. Right now I have a license to practice anywhere I choose. I think it’s working to my advantage or at least to my comfort. Any opposition politician in Singapore is a fairly new one. We all have to go through a learning curve, and that’s what I’m going through at the moment. I think 20 years ago without the Internet it was harder, but these days, with Facebook and everything else you can feel the pulse much more easily. And I come back every two months or so to meet with residents and just talk to real people -- the people you say you want to represent -- rather than theorists or academicians or bloggers. I like the young people involved, very decent ordinary folk, quite focused, not freedom fighting, just articulating what can be done better in a very sensible way.

CNNGo: What do you think Singaporeans want?

Tok: By and large Singaporeans just want real involvement. I think people want more participation. More people are coming forward and realizing that the only way for change to happen is to precipitate the change rather than wait for it to be handed to you, because it won’t be.

CNNGo: Are you going to cut back on your artistic work to make time for politics?

Tok: Full steam ahead, all fronts. The play that I’m doing in Shanghai this year is called "The Silly Little Girl and the Funny Old Tree." It’s a play written by one of Singapore’s foremost dramatists Kuo Pao Kun. In fact it’s a play I watched in 1987 and was one of the few plays that made me want to belong to the theater all those years ago. I would rather tour it to the rest of China first before coming back here. The pertinent question here is though -- will I be given the licence to perform? In a sense, that answer is not in my hands.

CNNGo: Have you had your work rejected by Singapore authorities before?

Tok: I wrote a script about Singapore’s political situation in the 1970s, when a lot of journalists and liberal leaning leftists got arrested under the internal security act. It was rejected by the Singapore Film Commission for funding because they thought it was too transgressive. I said, "But if you put in some money and have a decent conversation with me, perhaps we could make some amendments." But they felt the whole topic was too hot.

CNNGo: Are you taking this script elsewhere or are you holding on to it for now?

Tok: Holding on to it; it’s two-thirds finished. You see a story like that would only be pertinent to Singaporeans. It’s not going to be relevant to a 22-year old South Korean or a Thai investor. But we’ll see what happens. The script has already been written.


CNNGo: Do you see yourself working more in China?

Tok: Yes but I don’t want to live there. I like New York because it’s where I’m zapped. I go to a museum and I feel, my god, New York sets the standard for me to aspire to.

CNNGo: Are you working on anything in New York right now?

Tok: I might be either doing a reading of a Singapore play, provided I can get funds. On a commercial front I am negotiating with a producer to do the play "Proof," using an Asian American cast, and to stage it on Broadway. Maybe for the third quarter or second half of next year. It’s an expensive affair to stage something on Broadway, like an US$8-10 million affair, so we’ll see. My take is that an Asian-American cast will give the play a different dimension, and yet preserve its American essence.

CNNGo: In many ways you are a global citizen, but where do you consider your home?

Tok: Where my wife is. (In New York.) She doesn’t like China. She’ll come back to Singapore if and when there’s a need to.

CNNGo: If you get elected, are you ready to curtail your artistic life to participate in politics here?

Tok: It will be a curtailment. I will still have to keep up the art thing in China, that’s my business, that’s my livelihood. But I will be based here, and Shanghai is just five hours away.

CNNGo: Singapore just celebrated National Day. What are your hopes and dreams for the country?

Tok: I hope that all [this] talk about Singapore as merely a city will stop. Because I’ve lived my life telling people that my country is Singapore. And if Singapore is not a country and merely a city then I don’t know how I’m going to answer this question in the future. I don’t know when Singapore became a global city instead of this country that we thought we were a part of; I find that really confusing. Calling this a global city obfuscates the issue. We got kicked out (of Malaysia) and had to become a country. Whether we fit the mould or the definition of what other people call a county or not is immaterial. I grew up thinking we were a country. And that to a large extent has defined a lot of us in our generation. If not Singapore, what? Where? What place can I claim to be mine? Shanghai? Even though I like it a lot more as a city.

CNNGo: Can I take it that home and country mean two different things to you?

Tok: Don’t call Singapore our best home or our global city, it’s our country. You have certain duties and obligations with regards to that. And this is what I’m trying to oblige, my relationship with my country. Though this may not be my home, it is still my country. And I still relate to it as my country and I’m duty bound to do what I think is for the better of it. And it’s both my duty and my right. I absolutely feel strongly about that. It may not be my home, for now, but it is my country.

 

[david]

This is interesting. Thanks for the post

 

[pocoyo]

I was wondering, how many pap man actually take singapore as their country?

It's more like they are taking it as a money printer.

If they are taking it as their country, why do they do all those things to this country and their countrymen.

 

[david]

The PAP men are like the South Vietnamese leaders, milking the country and when the country fall, they fly off to USA and elsewhere with their ill gotten wealth.

In his farewell speech, President Nguyen Van Thieu said "I resign, but I do not desert", but he fled to Taiwan on a C-118 transport plane five days later.

He left with 15 tons of luggage and USD15 million in gold.

 

[pocoyo]

The PAP men are like the South Vietnamese leaders, milking the country and when the country fall, they fly off to USA and elsewhere with their ill gotten wealth.

Maybe that is the reason why they always suck up to the US. In case of an emergency exit from the country when it falls?

 

[kingrant]

When he said this part, I thought he was being very brutally honestwith himself and Opp parties..I like that.

Any opposition politician in Singapore is a fairly new one. We all have to go through a learning curve,

 

[IR123]

When he said this part, I thought he was being very brutally honestwith himself and Opp parties..I like that.

I hold a different opinion. I doubt Alex is referring to the existing two WP and SDA opposition leaders unless he intends to give himself a 20-year learning cycle.


The Reform Party seems to grow from strength to strength. For them it is indeed a learning curve as they learnt from JBJ's mistake, the character of SDA and the climate of operating with other parties whilst finding their own feet.

It will be a mistake on Reform Party part if they continue to seek alliance with SDA.

In fact, given their pedigree, they can function on their own. Alex does seem to add an interesting aspect. The first wave of change may well be led by the singapore-exported foreign talents like KJ and Alex. The next wave will be the singapore-imported foreign talents. Give two more elections and it is possible that the landscape of opposition parties will be totally changed. For that to occur, parties like RP must find their own feet and their own path. They cannot do this by merging with those who do their learning by oscillating on a fixed point.

 

[Bryan_T]

(How about hearing my own take on Alec?


Alec Tok (RP) - "Sorry Ivan (Heng), I Have to Tell the World!"

The letter titled, "A Short Note To An Old Friend" (linked below) by Alec Tok is so hilarious.

(In case anyone of you are wondering, Alec is a RP election candidate engaged in theatre work and stationed overseas.)

Here we have a politically inept newbie trying to extract every possible mileage out of a letter to decline an invitation from a close friend to attend the YOG Opening Ceremony. The result is to make him look like a fool.

Let me tell you why.

The invitation came from Ivan Heng - he was the Creative Director for NDP 2009. He is contributing his effort once again, this time for the YOG Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Ivan was apparently Alec’s bestman for his wedding.

In declining the invitation, Alec said he cannot condone the “practice of compelling our motorists to give way to YOG buses”. He is concerned that motorists might be wrongly penalised if they are “trying to avoid an accident or causing harm to other motorists”.

I suppose only an obtuse politician like him would offer such a flimsy excuse. Common sense would tell anyone NOT to accord priority in the swift movement of athletes OVER the avoidance of life-risking danger to anyone. Before it imposes any punitive action, the Police would be fully aware of this simple rule too.

Perhaps Alec does not know that motorists have already been giving way to ambulances and fire-engines since time immemorial. But as motorists with some level of common sense are aware of (much more than what Alec shows he possesses), they give way SAFELY.

(I wonder if Alec drives, since parking space in NY(?) is rather expensive. BTW, before he left for overseas, he grumbled that he could no longer afford a car here in Singapore.)

He also suggests that the volunteers and foreign sportsmen be given the “opportunity to meet, interact and exchange views and goodwill over a shared meal and menu”.

That sounds like a reasonable suggestion.

But instead of simply offering suggestions and then sit on his hands, would Alec like to volunteer his services to make such an idea come true should we have a similar sporting event in future? (Oops, I forgot. He might not be in-country to render his services. And even if he is, he is too busy writing FAKE open letters to score political points.)

He next expresses doubt over whether the local youths are receptive to the YOG. He mentioned that he saw the “Olympic Flame gambol by amidst applause from senior citizens in colour co-ordinated T-shirts and very young (maybe six or seven year old) children waving balloons and flags” and wondered where were the youths were.

I suspect that he has been overseas for far too long to understand what goes on in Singapore. Our youths have to attend school in the day. To minimise disruption to their studies, only a smaller group of young volunteers were enlisted for this purpose and we can't afford them to line the road cheering the whole day.

But would Alec understand such organisational constraints, since he is busy finding faults and being sour, rather than using his own creative credentials (as Ivan is credibly doing) to contribute to a national project?

In fact, I am very happy to read that our senior citizens are interested in and supportive of the YOG. The publicity plan must either have been very effective, or maybe the senior citizens saw the value in the YOG too. Now we have to wonder why Alec can't see what our old folks can.

If Alec does not find it politically expedient to be seen to be associated with activities organised by the government, I think he’d just have to STATE so. I am sure Ivan is an understanding person. And all of us can also accept this political reality.

However, Alec said that he had refrained from calling Ivan on the telephone upon his return to Singapore the week before. He said: “I would have preferred to have given YOG a miss without any rancour, fanfare or comment.”

Now I am really ROFL.

I am unsure whether Ivan would take much delight at Alec’s SINCERITY in saying that he wants to avoid “rancour, fanfare or comment”. Instead of a simple private phonecall to tell Ivan he’d rather not turn up, he goes ahead and writes an open letter to the world to read (and have a good laugh!).

In fact, notice that Alec addressed his closed friend as "Ivan (Heng)"!

I wonder how many among us have ever been addressed by a closed friend, or even acquaintance, with BRACKETS!

Well... what do we expect from the hilarity-inducing bunch at RP?

 

[IR123]

(How about hearing my own take on Alec?

Sounds more like a disagreement between (friends).

Personal disagreements do not invalidate him. Corruption does. Since there is no evidence of corruption, Alex is still a good candidate.

At least, i hope he is more capable than inducing laughter.

 

[tate]

Never heard of Alex Tok before. Fancy him joining RP.

 

[pocoyo]

Very simple. He doesn't buy the story of YOG and so do many.

Typical behavior of pap, when they can't buy you into their objectives, they say you are too stupid to understand simple thing.

All these YOG, importing of foreigners and everything else are just propaganda of PAP. But they will tell you it's for the benefits of the country. As usual..

 

[fighter1977]

lol.........

 

[Narong Wongwan]

I watch Alec grown up as a kid during the 70s in Queenstown. His family was my mil ex neighbour in Stirling Road. He used to be from SJI if i remembered correctly.

Good to see him joining the political fray. If he stands in my ward, i will definitely give him my vote!

 

[kingrant]

With apologies to the late Dr Goh, I'd like to think that Alex is joining that special group of men and women called a holy priesthood - the holy order of Opposition. In case anybody has forgotten that S'pore is on paper a democracy, it has a national institution called an Opposition bench. Political parties and figures can come and go, but the Opp institution, like its government bench, is a constant.

People who joined the PAP incumbent are no-brainers, cheats and cowards; they easily cling onto the backs of big fleas to electoral victory.

People who joined the Opp in contrast, are the real heroes; they always have to fight an uphill task and overcome formidable obstacles thrown at them by the incumbent.

I don't care if A or B is right in the quarrel between BT vs. AT. We should put in as many capable people into the holy order before it really dies out on us. AT is one such person. BT may be another when he doesnt sound like a PAP mole.

 

[batman1]

The PAP men are like the South Vietnamese leaders, milking the country and when the country fall, they fly off to USA and elsewhere with their ill gotten wealth.

In times of war,we NSmen will not shoot the enemies,we will shoot the MIW Ministers first before they run away with their jewelries and goldbars .

 

[pocoyo]

In times of war,we NSmen will not shoot the enemies,we will shoot the MIW Ministers first before they run away with their jewelries and goldbars .

You got the gut.

When it does happen, hopefully you can get hold of them before they flee..