[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – Relief. That was all Brian Suresh Charles felt when Joe Biden, uttering the words “My God, help me,” was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States earlier this week.
“At last, after four painful years of watching an absurd political charade unfold in America,” said the 32-year-old college teaching assistant.
Charles and several other Singaporeans the Straits Times spoke with praised Biden’s nascent presidency as a sign of a much-needed return to normalcy at a time of global crisis.
They applauded his call for unity in his inaugural address as relevant not just to the United States, but beyond.
But there were also locals like Hidayat, who recorded the departure of Donald Trump as an unfortunate loss for the United States.
The 33-year-old broadcaster, who wanted to use only his first name, said: “Trump really cared about America. I liked his ‘America first’ policy.”
Fellow Trump supporters, or at least his administration, also said they were concerned about the direction his more liberal-leaning successor would take and the potential cultural ramifications for Singapore.
America, flagged again?
For Charles, however, it was worth celebrating how Biden’s inauguration speech, by committing to address issues such as white supremacism and racism, was a clear rejection of the climate fostered during the Trump era.
“The United States continues to be a standard bearer for the world at large, and states and leaders are still inspired by how the United States behaves,” he said.
Charles expressed optimism that Biden’s commitment to repairing alliances and re-engaging with the world could signal a return to the “pivot to Asia” strategy of former President Barack Obama, whose architect, Kurt Campbell, has already been chosen by Biden. to direct policy in the region.
Charles added: “Hopefully, the Biden presidency will move toward restoring faith in democratic government.
“It is now common to hear leaders and citizens of other nations express cynicism about democracy, and they will cite the United States as an excellent example of their claims,” he explained.
“This is worrying, because it further emboldens authoritarian regimes, autocrats and totalitarian governments to legitimize their claims to power.”
Professor Joseph Liow, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said that Biden’s immediate signing of executive orders on climate change and public health was good news for Singapore.
“America’s role in leading and coordinating efforts on global challenges has been somewhat lacking, so these developments will hopefully reinforce global cooperation,” he said.
“I believe that what Singapore wants is a stable United States and that it continues to engage in Asia constructively on security, economic and diplomatic matters.”
Political scientist Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore said Singapore would need to rebuild trust with the United States and navigate a more precarious international environment, in the wake of Trump’s weakening of global institutions and the legacy of relations. between the United States and China.
“Simply saying that (Singapore) doesn’t want to pick a side may not be good enough anymore,” noted Associate Professor Chong.
Political science professor Elvin Lim of Singapore Management University (SMU) said the US-China dynamic is unlikely to cool from competition to coexistence.
“(But) there will be at least more predictability and continuity,” said Professor Lim, who is also dean of the core curriculum at SMU.
“Singapore and America’s allies in the region … will appreciate a committed American presence in the region and an advocate for free trade.”
Dr. Lei Hsien-Hsien, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, urged the Biden government to take a more active economic stance in the region, joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership Comprehensive and Progressive trade mega-deal and forming an association of digital economy with Singapore.
Professor Liow pointed out that there was a ray of light in the uncertainty of the Trump years.
“It enabled countries like Singapore to take a closer look at strategic opportunities, which has led to the search for a broader and deeper set of bilateral, minilateral and multilateral initiatives,” he said.
“This diversification strategy, I believe, is the right move in view of the more complex geo-strategic and geo-strategic landscape that has beset us.”
Concern for the ‘radical’ agenda
However, Trump’s Singaporean fans singled out to ST what they saw as his regime’s successes, from delivering a border wall as promised, to not starting new wars.
They said their alignment with conservative Republican beliefs on issues like abortion, as well as their objection to so-called “radical” ideas around race and gender, reflected their personal values.
With Biden rolling back some of these key policies on his first day in office, a local Trump supporter, who asked to be identified only as Goh, said: “The promotion of progressive ideologies under the new administration may possibly embolden more radical elements. . In Singapore. “
This, said the 33-year-old member of a local charismatic megachurch, “could possibly lead to the same kinds of fractures in the United States, if we are not careful and do not hold to certain values, such as nuclear families being of the utmost importance. in a society. “
Another Trump supporter, who wanted to be known as Gabriel, said that most “rational” minds in his church did not see the former president as a “good person.”
He said, “Most of the Christians I spoke to were very divided during the election. On the one hand, we wanted a Republican victory, on the other, we couldn’t imagine another four years with Trump.”
For 52-year-old freelance writer Michael YP Ang, a personal preference for political parties that prioritized Singaporeans over foreigners meant it made sense to back Trump and his analogous America First leanings.
Ang also cited Trump’s support for Israel, including recognition of Jerusalem as his capital in 2017, as of particular importance, given the way the country had helped a newly independent Singapore strengthen its military in the 1960s. .
The world community considers this recognition to be contrary to international law. Singapore has said that the status of Jerusalem is a sensitive and complex issue that must be decided through direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
A retiree in her 60s, who asked to be called Elena, said Trump only “wanted the best for the American people, but in doing so, he could have been bad for the world.”
Meanwhile, Hidayat rejected the idea that Trump had stoked Islamophobia in the United States, saying that the 2017 ban on immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, framed as a counter-terrorism measure, was the right thing to do.
“As a Muslim, I feel that he has served us by preventing further killings in the name of my religion,” he said.
“It is up to Muslims to correct this problem ourselves and not take offense. It is not Trump’s job to take care of our feelings.”
Hidayat told ST that he began to admire Trump once he began consuming news outside of the mainstream media, which he found overwhelmingly negative in his portrayal of the former celebrity businessman and television personality.
That Singaporeans have polarized the views of Biden and Trump, derived from contrasting ideologies and personal values, is not a sign of fundamental division, said Amanda Trea Phua, senior analyst for the US program at NTU’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. .
“It becomes divisive when civil society and political establishments do not have patient and compassionate processes to achieve understanding, even if a consensus of views cannot be forged,” he said. “There is no quick fix, but the issue is important for countries, including Singapore, to seriously engage.”
For Hidayat, the Trump supporter, and Charles, the Trump detractor, there was at least one issue they could agree on: their favorite point in Biden’s inauguration speech.
“Politics does not have to be a raging fire that destroys everything in its path,” urged the new president of the United States, squinting in the daylight. “Every disagreement does not have to be the cause of total war.”
[ad_2]
