It ain’t over till the Complaints Choir sings (publicly)

Just last night my mom was asking me “Don’t you think people (obviously referring to me) are sometimes self-contradictory?”

I replied : “Sometimes? We’re always contradicting ourselves, and the best part is we don’t seem to realise it most of the time.”

Fast-forward to this lazy Tuesday afternoon, I found this clip of the Complaints Choir on Mr.Brown. Originally formed by 2 Finnish in Helsinki, they have been touring around the globe and their latest stop so happens to be the red small dot that we all have come to love and adore, Singapore. The police, however, “banned its foreign members from singing, organizers said on Saturday.” Full article here courtesy of Reuters. The video is below, and lyrics here :

So, as Reuters pointed out, Singapore is become increasingly reliant on foreigners (adding 2 million people to the island’s 4.7 million people over the next 40 to 50 years) to support the economy, among other national issues. But they’re presumably supposed to leave their criticisms back in their homeland; Just bring along your praises and high opinions, if any. How wonderfully convenient.

And wasn’t it just recently that our dear Media Development Authority released their debut rap single? Being a Singaporean, and I think I speak for quite a few others too, I found that more worthy of a ban compared to foreigners singing complaints, if we had to choose between the 2. Anyhow, it was a good call nonetheless. I thank the police for preventing a potential riot from happening simply by banning the Complaints Choir from giving public performances. Given that the lyrics were so politically sensitive (”People blow their nose into the swimming pool”), only Singaporeans should have the right to comment, and sing, about them. Come to think of it, it wouldn’t truly be Singapore if we didn’t fine them too, as the Complaints Choir so aptly puts it in their first verse. For a nation that’s striving to be a vibrant arts and cultural hub, there’s definitely a conflict in opinions regarding what we should be showcasing, and what we shouldn’t.

Are the complaints true? Possibly, although some for just a tiny minority, and does not reflect Singapore per se. After listening to it while reading the lyrics, I felt certain complaints actually applied to me (no, I don’t squat on toilet seats) and perhaps it was simply in my nature to just laugh about it, since it was all in good fun. However I felt the government could have used this opportunity to change its draconian public image when it comes to criticism, but I guess that’ll have to wait for another day. In the meantime let’s just see if we do drop below #144.

Edit: According to TOC, the choir actually had sent in their lyrics for approval and were cleared by the MDA. An excellent follow-up article here by TOC as well.