Everyday Authoritarians: A Political Anthropology of Singapore

• In Event: After Decolonization: Citizenship and Sovereignty in Postcolonial Malaysia and Singapore - Sponsored by the Malaysa-Singapore-Brunei Studies Group

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the legacy left behind by Lee Kuan Yew, the founding prime minister who ruled Singapore from 1965 to 1990 but who remained a powerful presence in government until his death in 2015. It examines how Lee’s rule has taught ordinary Singaporeans to become authoritarian in their everyday behavior and adopt a punitive attitude towards their fellow citizens who are critical of state policies. At the center of this paper is the high profile legal case involving Amos Yee, a sixteen year old citizen who was arrested after circulating a video in which he said Lee Kuan Yew was similar to Jesus in that they were “power hungry and malicious but deceive others into thinking that they are both compassionate and kind.” The teenager was arrested after dozens of ordinary citizens, mainly Christians, made police reports against him. Internet users expressed desire to see Amos Yee raped in prison, while a middle-aged man slapped him while he was his way to court. Amos Yee was eventually found guilty of wounding the religious feelings of Christians and imprisoned. This paper locates the Christian defense of state power in the ascendancy of Christianity in Singapore in recent years as well as in the state’s cultivation of the Cold War era notion that a godless society is a politically dangerous society.

Author

• Nur Amali Ibrahim, Indiana University