Alfian Sa'at - Saga 1.

I guess Dr Tan Wu Meng has forgotten one of Sun Tzu’s advice: -

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

And for that lapse, you pay a political price. But he is fortunate he is in Jurong GRC, because it is helmed by a heavyweight Tharman. So, it is likely that the political price is three-quarter paid. 

If you need to be brought up to speed, Tan had shot from his mouth what had boomeranged back to his rear. In one swing of the bat, he knocked down two of society’s formidable opponents, WP chief Pritam Singh and poet Alfian Sa’at - although the target was more Pritam than Alfian. 

Well, I know neither of them personally, but the verbal mudslinging is familiar enough to me. And I don’t know for sure whether he was trying to score political brownie points for the dominant ruling party in a covid-plagued election run. But if it is, the brownie point unfortunately didn’t stick. 

In fact, Tan wrote an article, which was the genesis of this faux pas. And I have read it. It can be summed up as - “Alfian Sa’at is no loving critic”. But, as I’ve said, the main target is not Alfian, it’s his political opponent, Pritam. Alfian was just a stepping stone, a means to the doctor’s end. Here is his grievance as fleshed out below. 

“Mr Singh said that we should count ourselves fortunate that we have citizens who are “loving critics among us”. He gave an example, without naming names, but it was clear that he was referring to Alfian Sa’at.”

Tan added: “There are many Singaporeans who criticise Singapore out of patriotism and genuine care, including opposition leaders like Mr Chiam See Tong and Mr Low Thia Khiang.”

“But Alfian Sa’at is no “loving critic””.

Tan went on to say that on many occasions, Alfian has sided with Malaysia and her leaders. Alfian mocked Singapore when he called Singapore’s approach “jingoism”. That approach referred to the way PAP handled the 2018 maritime dispute after Malaysian vessels intruded into Singapore waters. 

In one interview in 2012, Alfian even said he “would love to become a Malaysian.” And on another occasion, Tan wrote that “Alfian likes the Malaysian Bumiputera policies. He says Singaporean Chinese are being selfish in not wanting merger with Malaysia.”

What is most disconcerting for me (in Tan’s article) was the part about LKY. In one of his poems on the eve of 2012 National Day, entitled “Death of a Tyrant”, Alfian wrote: -

“...in life, your snort was a decree, your fart a sermon, in death, a nation’s silence will follow you to the grave. Only then will you know what it means to be exiled, only then will they know what they have been holding their breaths so long for; the stench of your corruption...”

And when LKY passed on, Alfian wrote a loaded piece two days after, which smacks of backhand sarcasm. 

At this point, I caveat that I am not commenting on whether Alfian is a loving critic or not. I don’t know him well enough to make a judgment. He may have his agenda, idk. He is no less a poet, and a vocal critic of both Singapore and Malaysia (refer to his play “Parah” - about “the toxic racial politics in Malaysia”). Alfian is therefore anything but one-dimensional. 

I am however only limiting my post to Tan’s broadside rebuke of Pritam. And that brings me to the wisdom of Sun Tzu, that is, knowing yourself and your enemy, to bring my point home. 

Now, there is no doubt that the Cambridge-educated doctor, and medical oncologist is a knowledgeable man. He knows enough to be running side by side with Tharman. Mind you, he was also singled out by PAP to be an MP because he is undeniably a man of substance.

But, in politics, the calling is a relational ministry of knowing your target audience. This is one lesson you don’t find them teaching in schools. And this is where the wisdom of Sun Tzu becomes a necessary bridge to fill the gap.

I believe the intent behind “knowing yourself and your enemy” is to choose your battles. It is about selective winning, not indiscriminate fighting. And when you release your bow, you make sure you hit the bull’s eye. And at other times, I won’t deny that part of winning is also retreating. 

On this, Pritam took the high road when, in his reply, he wrote: “A loving critic. A son of Singapore. Not perfect. As imperfect as you and me Dr Tan, maybe more, maybe less.”

Alfian also chimed in. “In the grand scheme of things, I’m really a nobody (or non-essential as some might say!). And by dragging me into this, you’re risking coming down to my level to become another nobody, discussing things of very little consequence to the elections. But as someone who's an elected representative, you’re a somebody. From a nobody citizen-voter to a somebody MP: please, let’s get serious about the upcoming elections. If you truly love Singapore, then you know it deserves at least this.”

You know, Alfian is right about “coming down to his level to become another nobody.” 

For a somebody (MP) to ride on a nobody (Alfian) to swing at another somebody (Pritam) in that manner he has chosen, the cost-benefit calculus just doesn’t add up. Alas, as things developed, it turned out to be a lecture that ended up with one being lectured at. 

My point is that it is not worth the penmanship or publicity. And to use such tactics to undercut one’s political opponent is unlikely to achieve the result one desires. 

On the other hand, I believe Pritam has played by Sun Tzu’s political handbook. He had chosen his battles. He has refrained from ad hominem attacks. He has stuck to the issue, not person. Even when he endorsed a “loving critic” in his speech, he did not name names. 

And I know the context upon which his speech was based on made it obvious he was referring to Alfian, yet the general tone or intent of it (if you read it as a whole) is to discourage “binary black-and-white perspectives” which would risk reducing critical-thinking leaders to engaging in narrow-minded political spats. 

And whether Alfian is a loving or unloving critic, the point is that even a nobody in our society, imperfect as he or she is, has something to teach a somebody if the latter keeps an open mind, a listening ear, and a discerning heart that picks his/her battles - because at times, self-control goes much further than always insisting to have full control.