Stand Your Ground

The shameful cul-de-sac encounter

Ken Kwek will always have a place in our hearts for refusing to divulge the names and standing his ground as a journalist to protect his sources. Lee Kuan Yew (then Minister Mentor) had insisted in the Why-My-Vote-Matters dialogue session of 12 April 2006 that Ken had to disclose, on live national tv, the names of literally hundreds of people he interviewed on the street, to justify his claim that people are afraid to vote against the ruling regime. Which led to the nauseating repartee from the brass knuckles specialist bully, "I allow my grandchildren to speak back to me, but from time to time, when they are out of bounds, I put them down."

Well, you can't really put a good man down so easily.

His "Unlucky Plaza" was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival premiere in September which played to sold out screenings. And will be the first local film to open the Singapore Film Festival in 25 years. True to form, Ken continues to tell the unblemished truth - that Singapore society is becoming more open and yet more intolerant, richer and yet, in many ways, poorer. Wonder what the old coot who can't even stand on his own two feet unassisted will say to that.

Ken says that a lot of (local) film-makers have grown up with the idea that only Jack Neo can thrive at the box office. Forget about that, focus on the mission of changing the mindset of those who are still seduced by empty promises and a Chesire Cat type grin. He's always grinning because he's getting rich at our expense.