Don't say 'Banned'... say 'Disallowed'!

Here's the game plan:
All year round, goodies are progressively rolled out, the Pioneer Generation package being one of the centrepieces. Hot button issues like immigration, housing and the cost of living are being feverishly tackled. Mega make-you-feel-proud-to-be-Singaporean projects from the Jewel at Changi to the makeover of the Jurong Lake District are rolled out at pre-timed intervals. This year's National Day Parade was pitched to bring out that feel-good warm fuzziness.

Then next year, 2015, the entire country celebrates its 50th year of existence. Homage will be paid to the "founding leaders" -- all (or most) from the PAP, of course.

Pundits expect the next general election to be called in 2016. What can be more complicated than that?

But, sigh, there are always those party-pooper issues that keep cropping up. Who would have imagined that a seemingly innocuous children's book with the title And Tango Makes Three would be such a sleeper that kept the National Library awake and on the back foot until it found a way to backtrack -- sort of -- while declaring victory?

And now along comes local film director Tan Pin Pin with her film with such a warm fuzzy title, "To Singapore, With Love", but which the authorities have deemed to be a threat to "national security" (forget about stuff like The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword; that's so last-century passe in this hyper-connected world today).

Foreign media duly reported what followed with headlines like the New York Times' "Film About Exiles is Banned in Singapore". The Straits Times (Sept 11) preferred a more oblique, excruciatingly crafted, headline:

ST's online version had an even longer, if still diffuse, headline:

Classification for film on political exiles, To Singapore, With Love, means it cannot be shown here

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/classification-documentary-singapore-political-exiles-me

This third quote takes the cake...

..."In Singapore, we have determined that the film has to be..."

So, just follow, lor!

Here's the NYT story, as well as AFP's (carried in Malaysian Digest):

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/film-about-exiles-is-banned-in-singapore/

http://malaysiandigest.com/world/518060-singapore-urged-to-overturn-ban-on-documentary-about-political-exiles.html