Kenneth Tiong asks if ministers watched Mandarin or Teochew version of ‘Dear You’, David Neo says ministers have ‘no time to watch movies’
A light-hearted remark by Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo drew laughter in Parliament on Tuesday (7 July) during a broader debate on Singapore’s long-standing restrictions on dialect films.
Responding in Mandarin to a question from Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Aljunied GRC Kenneth Tiong on whether ministers had watched the Teochew or Mandarin-dubbed version of Chinese hit film ‘Dear You’, Mr Neo joked that ministers have “no time to watch movies”.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
His response came amid discussions on whether Singapore should relax its rules requiring dialect films to be dubbed into Mandarin for general commercial release.
Debate sparked by ‘Dear You’
‘Dear You’ has attracted strong interest in Singapore after audiences called for the film to be screened in its original Teochew audio, rather than only in its Mandarin-dubbed version.
The film, which follows a man travelling to Thailand in search of his long-lost grandfather, has become a box office success in mainland China.
Source: IMDb
Earlier, WP MP for Aljunied GRC Gerald Giam had also raised the issue after watching the original Teochew version of the film with residents.
In a Facebook post on 28 June, he said the “overwhelming local demand” for the original version showed that “the appetite to reconnect with our roots remains strong”.
Source: Gerald Giam on Facebook
He also said he had filed a Parliamentary Question asking whether the Government would review its Film Classification Guidelines to allow dialect films to be released commercially in their original audio.
WP MP asks if Government is promoting Mandarin or restricting dialects
During Tuesday’s Parliament sitting, MPs and Nominated MPs weighed in on the issue, discussing the place of dialects in films and their role in preserving Chinese dialect culture.
Mr Tiong shared that Teochew-speaking residents in his constituency had asked him, in dialect, why they were not allowed to watch Teochew films.
He then asked whether the objective of the Speak Mandarin Campaign was to promote Mandarin, or to restrict dialects.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
“If the goal is simply to promote Mandarin, which is different from restricting dialects, will the Government review all measures that exist purely to restrict dialects, including those relating to films and broadcasting?” he asked. “And remove restrictions that are no longer necessary?”
Mr Tiong also posed another question in Mandarin, asking: “It’s a very simple question: what version did the ministers watch? Was it the Teochew version or the Mandarin version?”
In response, Mr Neo replied in Mandarin with a laugh:
Ministers have no time to watch movies.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
Government reviewing dialect film framework
Responding to the debate, Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How announced that the Government had approved 100 additional screenings of ‘Dear You’, bringing the total number of screenings to 272.
He also said the Government is reviewing the current film classification framework relating to dialect use in films.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
“As part of this conversation, we are reviewing our current film classification framework with respect to use of dialect in films and we will take some time to do so because it’s an evolution,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Neo emphasised that dialects are increasingly regarded as part of Singapore’s cultural heritage, rather than being in competition with Mandarin.
He added that the Government will continue engaging the community and consider further ways to support and promote Singapore’s Chinese cultural heritage, while maintaining the importance of Mandarin.
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Featured image adapted from MDDI Singapore on YouTube and IMDb.
