The Art of Advocacy in Singapore

by Constance Singam (Editor), Margaret Thomas (Editor)

Advocacy is a tricky pursuit in Singapore. Your motives can be questioned, your activities monitored, and your scope for action limited. Despite the constraints, civil society activists have persisted, finding ways to pursue their cause and to try to bring about the changes they believe important for Singapore.

In 2013 a small group of civil society stalwarts set out to acknowledge the contributions of these unsung heroes. The Singapore Advocacy Awards was launched, a 3-year project that saw a total of 18 individuals and organisations being honoured.

In this book, 37 activists, many of th​em winners of the Awards, write about their causes and discuss the strategies shaped and lessons learnt as they practise the delicate art of advocacy in Singapore. Reflecting the nature of civil society, there is a diversity of voices. Some give a more personal account, while others describe the institutional experience of advocacy work. Some essays are short and sweet, others long and detailed. They appear ordered alphabetically by the cause.

Genres: Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Jee Koh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A valuable collection of the experiences of social advocates and activists in trying to change government policies and enlarge the space of civil society in Singapore. The remit of the different individuals representing different organizations is helpfully wide: Ageing, Animal Welfare, Health, Heritage and Environment, Human Rights, Literature and Theatre, Media, Migrant Workers, Sex Workers, and Women. It is clear that the most successful of the organizations have been those who back up their arguments with research, engage the authorities privately and publicly, and soften any confrontational language, in other words, they have abided by the rules of engagement set out by the authorities. This approach works best for issues against which the main forces of resistance are ignorance and prejudice. When the issue has to do with political power - as in the struggle for freedom of expression and other democratic liberties, this approach cannot work, for no amount of research, reasonableness, and outreach will persuade the government to give up its political controls. A sufficient political force must be mustered to contest the present dominance. Lacking such a force, to ask the current regime to give up its overwhelming power is like asking a lion to surrender its teeth.

[Kes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a good compilation of advocacy groups in Singapore. Quality varied, but it’s interesting to see their approaches.

It’s themed by interest groups, so we start with animal welfare before moving on to nature societies & cultural conversations.

It’s difficult to review objectively - but the point that jumped out to me was being “front facing” (and noisy / having public engagement) vs being quiet (quietly engaging the government). This difference is stark when you compare the two migrant worker chapters which are back to back. Transient Workers Count Too is quietly hopeful, reflecting on changes that he has seen. (It has both “closed door meetings” and public advocacy). In contrast, Jolovan Wham’s article is far more fiery and adversarial (which is in keeping with his public persona). (Their take on the day off campaign also markedly stresses different aspects - TWC2 focuses on the neutral/positive support offered by MOM, Jolovan basically says they were not supportive.) It’s then followed by Vanessa Ho’s reflections on being “noisy”, but having a more “fruitful” collaboration when there were closed door meetings.

You see similar themes about advocacy and engaging with the government. The nature groups / AWARE tend to be strategic about it - perhaps because they’ve been around for longer. The Pink Dot chapter was quite eye opening too.

And the literature professor just straight up went “civil society advocacy is about standing up for the marginalised and opposing tyranny”, which I was amused by. The Wear White campaign people also probably couched their views in similar language. It’s a very academic piece, which is quite different from the other essays which touched more on direct experience with the “marginalised”.

I thought the AWARE essay was the best, towards the end.

It’s a good book if you’re interested in advocacy in Singapore.

[Yong Feng · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short essays by civil society leaders and advocates in Singapore on why they carry on with the work they do, and the many challenges they face. Though the quality of writing is uneven, the book is valuable in giving first-hand insight into issues that are often unseen, especially relating to attempts by the state to curtail or redirect work into areas that are more palatable. Apart from the official Singapore story, the work of these advocates play an equally important role in shaping a more inclusive and equal Singapore.

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quality of the writing is a little mixed, however overall it gives a good perspective of advocacy work in Singapore.