AGORA 于2021年12月31日正式歇业了

AGORA CLOSES TODAY
by Teo Soh Lung

The Singapore government will be very happy to know that AGORA, the civic space managed by Tan Tee Seng shuts down today, 31 December 2021.

Tee Seng had single-handedly managed the space for the past seven years. It has been a space freely available for civil society until Covid-19 struck more than two years ago. Restrictions on the number of people attending events began to shrink until it was no longer possible to host any event.

Function 8's last use of the space was for their 2020 Fringe Film Festival. It screened “An Online Citizen” by Calum Stuart on 21 Feb 2020. Terry Xu who was featured in the film was then encountering a great deal of trouble from the authorities, including a defamation suit filed by our prime minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong. In the after screening discussion Terry Xu talked about his troubles and answered questions from the audience. Chng Suan Tze, a member of Function 8 was the moderator.

Last night as a few Freedom Film Festival volunteers gathered to celebrate the end of year at Orange & Teal, I had a brief conversation with Tee Seng. I asked him what was most memorable for him about Agora.

Tee Seng recalled how Agora began. It was initially a shared space with Terry Xu in 2014 but things didn't work out. So he got some organisations to support the space by paying a monthly sum in exchange for the use of the space. Subsequently, in order to generate a steady income, he sublet a portion of the space.

His happiest recollections of Agora was the series of talks, debates and book launches. He gained a great deal of knowledge from these events.

Function 8 was a frequent user of the space. It held its series of talks called “Changing Worlds” where people shared their knowledge and experiences. A group of intellectuals headed by architect Tay Kheng Soon also used the space for their regular discussions about “The Future of Singapore.”

Besides these groups, various activists also use Agora. Anti-death penalty events including memorial services were held there. Discussions on freedom of speech and assembly were also held there. There were many private screenings of the banned film "To Singapore with Love by Tan Pin Pin.

Agora provided a safe space for activities. Unlike other spaces where bookings can be cancelled at the very last minute because owners get cold feet out of imaginary or real fear or interference by the authorities, organisers are always able to proceed with their events at Agora.

Throughout the seven years of Agora's existence, there was only one event that the authorities deemed it fit to interfere. This was the event organised by Community Action Network (CAN) in 2016.

CAN organised a forum called “Civil Disobedience and Social Movements”. It featured Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong in a skype call with journalist Kirsten Han and artist Seelan Palay. The police were unhappy with the harmless skype call with Joshua Wong. How they got wind of the event is a mystery. Various people including Tee Seng and Jolovan Wham were subsequently called up by the police. Jolovan was finally charged for organising a public assembly without a police permit and convicted. It was a ridiculous charge because the event was held indoor and attended by less than 60 invited guests. It was bizarre but the Singapore police are noted for spending a lot of their time investigating harmless activities.

Tee Seng has many fond memories of Agora. He made many friends, both young and old. Like many other enterprises, it is unfortunate that Agora has to shut down because of the pandemic.

Civil society will miss Agora. But for sure, another space will come about after the passing of this pandemic. So the joy of the government will not last forever!