Portraiture absurdity : Is this really lee kuan yew?

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

PORTRAITURE ABSURDITY : IS THIS REALLY LEE KUAN YEW?

Post date:
1 May 2015 - 3:01pm








Portraiture Absurdity
While the demise of this dubiously named founding father, Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) may have been a shock to many, the one thing that is even more shocking is the portrait of LKY used in the hearse.

Yes, yes, I am referring to the photo of LKY in the hearse- that sweet, kind, affectionate, loving , tender , smiling LKY with his clasped hands against his cheek.

Would you believe that this could be a natural composure of LKY?

Would you believe that a man like LKY, who was also known as a dictator, one who had claimed “in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one” would do such a pose?

This is portraiture absurdity: a great discordance and disparity between the man in actuality and the image of that sweet, kind, affectionate, loving, tender, smiling man that saw hundreds of thousands people 'kow tao' to him.

A Google check on the definition of 'portrait' defines portrait as "an image of a person".

Now- the catch is in the word "image" of the person, dead or alive.

Given the full privilege of the ruling party to deconstruct, construct, and reconstruct history and facts, wouldn't this be a golden opportunity to portray (or re-portray) LKY in the most favourable light and to give him a halo?

Isn't it obvious that what presented was an attempt to use the portrait in the service of a specific cause and institution?

What better time and place than now to compose, to immortalize, to carve and to impress onto the people of Singapore the image of LKY with a beautiful motherly pose!







Such is the power of image - to impress, to influence, to coerce, to concoct and even to establish a doctrine of LKY-ism.

Is this a clue to what may be the last straw of hope for the ruling party- to capitalize on the demise of LKY to solicit support to save their dwelling presence?

Perhaps that particular pose was schematized as an attempt on damage control- to soften the hearts of the people: to urge them to forget about their CPF, their complaints about MRT, their discontent with HDB, their disgust with NTUC, their scorn towards GIC, their distrust towards SPF, their doubts with AGC, their abhorrence with IDA, their detestation with MSM, and their contempt towards PAP and what nots ABCs.

We can be sure that the aftermath of LKY will be even more exciting - expect a chain of commemorative events, a train of dancing PAP supporters, and an unceasing rain of praise and phrase to advocate the doctrine of LKY-ism.

Christina Yew
TRS Contributor


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