by CJ Tan
He speaks at a union hall at the corner of the street. Grandstands built out of sections of board painted gray. For the VIPs. Stuff like that. All in straw hats. The crowd cheering, laughing, gnattering. Even from a block away, they seem restless for his love. Gray mice in a cage of shadows. Secret service men everywhere in metallic suits.
Me at three blocks away when I see his limo glisten. It moves a little at a time into the crowd. Like hot lava. Secret service men running along both sides for protection. Cameras clicking, whirr of TVs, and those men with big weapons like bars on their shoulders. A mash of VIPs, and these damn secret service men of course around the President candidate. He makes his way through the crowd with all his excellence adored. Cheering him for simply being there with them, I think they are fools who deserve to be slaves to such masters. Keeping my thoughts to myself. Me with all my guns like heavy wrenches walking slowly toward that mob, boots burn my ankles. Stayed way in the rear near the fringes, slightly hunched over, hands shoved inside of my pockets. Removed them only once to pop a coupla reds. I felt drained. Wilted. Glasses pinching to the bridge of my nose. There would be red marks tonight again on the sides of my nose. I stayed. Stayed back. Out of sight at first out of mind. Must remember be still. Quiet. Sullen for the sake of death.
The red dyed hair was a sign that I was in killer mode and should be left alone. The effect is startling as if I had finally broken with any semblance of sanity and was now totally in the grip of my psychosis.
Deputy Prime Minister Suman has launched into his “We the people” spiel as I applaud every turn of his event.
I now know. There is a power - higher above others - that rests in the light. The rays, they pass through my skin, warming my inner soul. The shine reaches into my depths, and springs my spirit forth in a bounce. From my long sleep I awaken with new vigor, my feet now gripping into the ground; a smile creases across my face. Yet the power that courses within me is nothing like the past, it is a gentleness, a breeze of delight that tingles through my entire body and to the fingertips. I gasp, in a good peaceful kind of shock, for I find within me is a full, abundant well filling with hope. It brims, ready to pour and seeking to fill unto others - not a time does the inner voice seek a selfish glory. It is pure, this spirit, and I long no longer for the darkness that once I called home. Thank you God.
Saw that same secret agent guy I spoke to a week or so ago. On the platform, next to Suman and Sienna’s Tom. No Sienna anywhere. Periscope face of secret agent scanning through the crowd. I duck behind a woman’s bare freckled back to an applause from the crowd.
Suman speaks: “…. And with your help we will go into victory at the polls Tuesday….”
Big applause me moving closer. The closer I get the louder his voice. He steps back. I lunge forward. I have my hand on the gun through my open jacket.
“ ………….You come from many different backgrounds, from many different parts of the world. Asia, Europe even a few from Central America; all ages, young and old; different professions. But you all have one thing in common – you have adopted Singapore and Singapore is now your new home. So, welcome to our family!........Your loyalty – which is your country, who are your fellow citizens and the emotional attachment of you and your family, the places, the memories, where you feel you really belong. I also encourage Singaporeans to make the effort on their part – to help the new arrivals to integrate and to settle in, especially on a personal level.”
Secret service agent motions to his buddy. They are pointing my direction.
I have my hand on the gun: Access to the holster. A numbness. Suman starts down the stairs. He will come down the stairs, toward me. Come toward my gun.
So amiable. Like three frogs in a swamp. That nice thin smile. And hardly any sweat on his face. He is coming toward me in the crowd. The secret agent leads the way, scanning through the crowd. Access to the holster means I can now do as I wish.
Suman and agent and me.
I start to run. “Detain that man”
I am wanted. Suman knows I do not love him as I should. God for the love of one person. Poh Quee.
“Detain that man!”
They are after me I know I can hear them but I am fast and only I know where I am going.
Suman speaks, “We do good from the bottom of our hearts. Regardless of race, language or religion. Blood only has one colour. They are everywhere due to globalisation same goes with Sporean working abroad they are also foreigner. So you telling me a foreigner meets with an accident and requires blood you will tell blood bank to give it the the fellow cos he/she is a foreigner? What logic is that? Treat people like how you wish to be treated.”
Big applause me moving closer.
The crowd loud against its hands claps big paddles being waved. Cries “You said it Mr Suman.”
“We’re with you……….”
The closer I get to his voice, a little dimming my ears all headachey. “And on… to victory next November!”
I am wrestling with this old man he is the corpse of all old men, of death and I am strapped underneath his one good arm so I can barely reach that knife.
Calf of my right foot this knife I bless against the large downrushing palm of the old man.
His hand is stuck against my knife screaming pain and more pain: Don’t kill me Don’t kill me
Why not? The police are coming. I can hear all their sirens.
I cradle him like a lover as he pleads: Don’t kill me don’t kill me
One old man with an open mouth frightened of death.
Someone shouts, “Don’t kill him! Don’t kill him!”
Why not? I’ve pinned him beneath me. I have this gun.
I guess I always had this pretty bad temper. A very bad temper. Why the hell not?
Pain
Shouts.
Well I didn’t like feeling so helpless. I felt so weak suddenly tired and drained as if it had all exploded inside of me and there was nothing left. Nothing to live for blowing it that way.
I put that gun to my head. Well I was going to kill myself. I opened that door.
I said, And Doing This ALL FOR YOU, as I started to squeeze that trigger but my hand was weak from the knife sticking through it. Couldn’t squeeze quite hard enough before this police officer person bursts through the open door with his gun drawn and he shoots me.
Shoots that gun right out of my hand.
Hits me on the wrist so it thudded on the carpet.
Then some other officers came through the door.
My voice croaked inside of me. I pointed a finger at my head went, “Pgghew.” And that’s all I remember.
Riot Sweeps Singapore
One Singapore citizen attempted to assassinate President Candidate Suman Shammugan yesterday, causing panic to the new Citizen swearing in ceremony and sparking unrest in the later part of the day. Presidential Candidate Suman escaped unharmed.
“Apparently, the lone gunman was retrenched as a computer engineer and had to seek a lowly paid menial job.” National Police spokesman Sr. Commander. Zulkarnaen said.
Morny Teo, a security guard who was colleagues with Tan Cheng Juan at Public Housing Authority said he was astonished at the news.
"He basically was socially awkward but not to the degree that would warrant suspicion of mass murder or any atrocity of this magnitude" Teo said. "I did not see any behavior he exhibited that indicated he would be capable of an atrocity of a magnitude like this."
But Singapore Police Commissioner Ray Goh said he "clearly looks like a deranged individual."
"He had his hair painted red. He said he was The Joker, obviously the enemy of Batman," Goh told reporters, referring to a character in the Batman comic and cinematic universe known for committing acts of random, chaotic violence.
The unrest yesterday at Toa Payoh PHA Auditorium was under control and an investigation has been launched, Zulkarnaen said. After the assassin was arrested, another 10,000 strong crowd gathered to protest
and sing the National Anthem. Apparently, it was sparked off by a Facebook comment posted, “"We should re-enact a version of JFK assassination on our grandstand during our new Citizens swearing in ceremony in PHA Toa Payoh Auditorium tomorrow!”
“It was a spontaneous action. However, the Singapore Police is now investigating to determine if Cheng Juan was the one who sparked off the riot with his Facebook comment,” he said.
Singapore Police chief Chief Commander Nora Phang immediately went to the scene to try to disperse the crowd who comprised of new Singapore citizens from Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia, China and India.
“I am on your side. I want you all to stay in Singapore. Your families are waiting for you.” he told the crowds through a loudspeaker.
One witness said that xenophobia was at the core of the violent unrest.
“This is about national pride, so he was angry,” said a man identified as Kien Boon. “Angry at the world, angry at Singapore’s pro-foreigner immigration policies and causing widespread unemployment among Singapore-born citizens, angry at the income disparity, angry that he has to work 30 years before he can retire while our foreign counterparts need only work for 4 years to retire.”
Then, an hour later, about 10,000 Singaporeans, most who were believed to be unemployed, were later observed outside the PHA, singing the National Anthem and other patriotic songs.
Zulkarnaen also said 100 new citizens from the ceremony were escorted out by 400 Police officers, including members of the elite Mobile Brigade “There is no report of fatalities. The mob only destroyed 12 vehicles,” he said.
The foreign born new citizens were evacuated by police cars. Four were injured in the clash, including an Indian citizen identified as Wilendra, who is being treated at an undisclosed hospital.
The Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration on Thursday dispatched teams to try to resolve the conflict and mediate a solution between the Singapore protesters at PHA.
“We regret the incident, which was caused by a misunderstanding,” Manpower Minister Iqbal Iskandar said at his office. “We have dispatched a fact-finding team to resolve the matter. The team will monitor developments in the case and prevent similar incidents from ever occurring again.”
The team is led by Simon Chee the director of industrial relations dispute resolution, the minister said.
The incident was just the latest social unrest to take place in Singapore.
Last month, Singaporeans are up in arms over a foreign scholar's derogatory comment that "there are more dogs than humans in Singapore".
The Ministry of Education (MOE) scholar in question, Su Xu from China, was referring to his unpleasant experience with Singaporeans as he brushed against them.
A rough translation of his Chinese blog post read: "It's so annoying to have gangster Singapore uncles stare at you when you bump into them. There are more dogs than humans here in Singapore."
His comment has outraged Singaporeans, who questioned MOE policies. Some have even called for Su's scholarship to be revoked.
Two Cabinet Ministers have taken a strong stance against brewing xenophobic sentiments in Singapore.
Mr Suman described the vitriol towards foreigners, especially in online discussions, as “out of our Singaporean character” in his Facebook post on Monday.
"Bad behaviour by a small number of foreigners does not justify spiteful comment about foreigners in general, or all foreigners of a particular race. It does no one good," he wrote.
Poh Quee’s Afterword
I went back to his work because for some reason, Bobby treated me better after the riots broke out. What else can I tell you? Suman lost his Presidency but had to share a coalition with another unknown candidate Chua Kim Poh who is formerly an accountant with KPMG. For a while, I had quite a reputation in XingPost. The boss called me up and said he is leaving his job in Singapore for Philippines because his work permit was rejected and not renewed. Looks like there are major policy changes to these immigrants after he lost his bid!
Sienna came back to meet me yesterday to sign the final divorce papers. Said she is leaving me for Bobby to go back Philippines. Said she will contest me for the house and will hear from her lawyer on a pre-trial conference soon. I took a small saliva sample from a straw she drank from.
By Friday I had totally forgotten about it and around 5:30 my phone rang and it was the doctor himself! I thought wow, this new doctor really goes for the personal service and then it hit me, this must be good. My heart began to race. So he says, “Your wife’s test came back abnormal. There are some abnormal cells. I have no reason to believe it’s cancer but you need to come back in for a biopsy of your cervix. You also tested positive for high risk strains of HPV (the virus that causes cervical cancer)” That rings in my head, biopsy…never fun…. of my what? Now the thing about CIN 1 Type 3 cervical dysplasia is really is the best kind to have. It is supposedly not genetic and it is fast growing you could just one year before you actually develop cancer. Think all that warm milk and not washing your foreskin for 1 week really breeds the virus!
