Minister's citing of Alfian Sa'at poem sparks storm

Many feel the lines quoted by Ong Ye Kung were taken out of context

Alfian Sa'at has often been critical of the establishment in his writing and called for more freedom of expression in the arts. PHOTO: ST FILE
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Members of Singapore's arts community have voiced support for poet and playwright Alfian Sa'at after Education Minister Ong Ye Kung quoted some lines from his 1998 poem Singapore You Are Not My Country in Parliament on Monday.

Many felt these lines had been taken out of context and have begun sharing the poem in its entirety on social media, as well as other early poems by Mr Alfian.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 09, 2019, with the headline Minister's citing of Alfian Sa'at poem sparks storm. Subscribe