Taking a stand, together.

I would have written yesterday, but work took precedence, and when I staggered home at 2:30AM, sleep seemed to be Top Priority.

Since TheOnlineCitizen has already written a great report of the Speakers’ Corner event, I will not go into much of the details. You can read the report of the day here: There must be room for mercy. There are also brilliant photographs by Han Thon.

You can also read the Straits Times report here: Petition against death penalty.

Adding to the 12,000 petition signatures already collected in Malaysia.

Compared to the good people of SADPC and many at TOC, I am relatively new to this campaign to save Yong Vui Kong’s life, and the campaign against the mandatory death penalty in general. I only started getting really involved in March of this year, and can only marvel at the dedication, commitment and spirit of those who have been plugging away at this cause for all these years. Campaigning for or against anything is difficult, especially when the government and the mainstream media would rather not listen to you. When they do their best to silence and suppress discussion so most of the public won’t understand you. It can feel like screaming in an empty room; no matter what you say, no one is listening.

Which is why I found yesterday’s event to be so encouraging. At the Speakers’ Corner yesterday, we could all see and feel the support of the people who showed up. It was beyond the intangible of the Internet; it was more than blog comments, more than mere numbers in a Facebook group. People had actually made the point, taken the time, braved the menacing grey skies, endured the on-again-off-again drizzle to attend the event, to listen to the speeches by Andrew Loh (chief editor of TOC) and M. Ravi (Vui Kong’s lawyer, and a total superhero), to sign the petition and take photos. We collected about 140 signatures yesterday, and it was reported that about 150 people showed up, a vast improvement from the 40 of last year’s Vui Kong, We Care event.

It was a much-needed reminder that it is not the people who should slave under the government, but the government who should be serving the people, representing and reflecting our views. And Singaporeans DO NOT give the government permission to keep hanging young boys like Vui Kong in the name of “deterrence”.

Of course, there are those who will tell us that it is all for nothing, that we are just wasting our time, or – as a commenter on TOC said – that we are just “pissing into the wind”.

To that I say this: I would rather be pissing into the wind than let myself be swept away like a dead leaf.

I might be young, rash, or silly, but I’m not that naive. I am perfectly aware that at the end of the day all this could come to nothing. The government could dig its heels in, block its ears and shut its eyes and say “NO NO NO WE ARE GOING TO HANG THIS BOY”. They could just go ahead and do it, block out all our voices and protestations and just go ahead and hang Vui Kong for having made a mistake at the age of 19. But that is no excuse to sit back and do nothing.

The fact that we seem small while the government seems big does not absolve us of the guilt if this boy goes to the gallows IN OUR NAME. Telling yourself that you couldn’t have done anything anyway does not make you innocent, it just makes you complicit. It’s about standing up for what you think is right, no matter what other people say.

Vui Kong's school uniform and school books from primary school, which had been meticulously kept and put away by his mother.

Also, it all starts with single voices banding together. At the first event, there were only 40 people. Yesterday, there was a 150. Whether we are successful in saving Vui Kong or not, how many do you think there will be the next time we gather to take a stand against the death penalty?

It is also not enough to just say that you are supporting the cause, if you are not going to translate it to action. It is not enough to sit at home, and say that you want to support Vui Kong, but not want to take a photograph, or put your name to the petition for fear of retaliation from the authorities. After all, if you are merely saying that you are supporting the campaign, and yet will not take a public stand, then what is the point? If no one can see that you are lending your voice to the campaign, it kind of makes your view irrelevant, doesn’t it?

And that is why I salute everyone who showed up to the event yesterday. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules and tired lives (it can pretty much be taken for granted that every Singaporean is busy and tired 90 – 99% of the time). Thank you for not being afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Thank you for showing compassion and mercy to this young boy who has spent the past 3 years on death row. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for joining us in saying, “As long as there is a flicker of hope, we will keep fighting.“