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Hundreds gather to make ‘peaceful statement’ about removal of books

SINGAPORE — For about two hours yesterday, hundreds of parents, their children, and some writers and artists gathered to read at the National Library Building atrium, in an event organised in response to National Library Board’s (NLB) decision to remove three children’s titles from its collection.

The organisers said about 400 people were at the event yesterday. Photo: Wee Teck Hian

The organisers said about 400 people were at the event yesterday. Photo: Wee Teck Hian

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SINGAPORE — For about two hours yesterday, hundreds of parents, their children, and some writers and artists gathered to read at the National Library Building atrium, in an event organised in response to National Library Board’s (NLB) decision to remove three children’s titles from its collection.

Among the books participants could browse through were two of the three removed titles — And Tango Makes Three and Who’s In My Family?: All About Our Families.

Ms Jolene Tan, co-organiser of Let’s Read Together! event, said they wanted make a “peaceful statement” and highlight what they find to be important and valuable in children’s literature, such as understanding people with different experiences and circumstances. “We think that some of the books that have been withdrawn from the library are among the books that we think are useful for this purpose,” she said. “Since they are no longer available here, we thought it would be nice to have an event where we make them available to those people who would want to come and read them.”

The event’s organisers said about 400 people turned up for the event.

The withdrawal of the three titles — And Tango Makes Three, The White Swan Express and Who’s In My Family? — due to complaints that they were not pro-family, had set off a firestorm of reactions when it was made public earlier this week. Compounding the uproar among those against the move was the revelation that the withdrawn books would be pulped.

Playwright and novelist Ovidia Yu resigned from the steering committee of the Singapore Writers Festival, of which the NLB was a programme partner, while four other writers, Dr Gwee Li Sui, Mr Adrian Tan, Mr Prem Anand and Mr Felix Cheong, pulled out of an NLB panel discussion scheduled for yesterday, leading to its cancellation.

Meanwhile, an online letter supporting the NLB’s decision has garnered more than 25,000 signatures. The call for signatures ended at midnight and the organisers said they will be sending the letter to the authorities as their way of thanking the NLB for “upholding its role”.

The organisers of the event had applied for a police permit and had also gotten NLB’s permission to use the atrium. Yesterday, some brought their own books to read, while others browsed through a makeshift library of about eight to 10 children’s books, some of which involved subjects such as different family structures and sex education.

Among those who stopped by yesterday was writer Rosemarie Somaiah, who said she hoped the event would send a “gentle, non-confrontational” message that Singaporeans should respect diversity here.

Parents who brought their children to the event yesterday also felt that they, as parents, should be the ones deciding what their children should read, not the NLB. Ms Priscilla Liu, an associate director in the banking sector and a 31-year-old mother, said: “It is up to parents whether they would like the children to know (about homosexuality), but not up to the library to decide which books shouldn’t be available.”

Freelance marketing consultant Shi Xiao Wei, who was reading And Tango Makes Three with her children yesterday, said she bought a copy after she learned of the decision to withdraw it. “I don’t believe in restricting any literary work,” said the 40-year-old. “We try to expose the kids to as many things as we can, from academic books to activities and it’s always about context. Any new materials, experiences that (they) come across, we will explain to them.”

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