SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (WP MP) Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied) wrote in a June 17 Facebook post that the Chinese film Dear You should be shown in Singapore in Teochew, instead of in Mandarin, as was required by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) for its general release, though it was shown at a smaller scale in its original language.
Dear You, a massive hit in China that was released in April, is a Teochew-language drama about a young man who travelled to Thailand to find his long-lost grandfather through qiaopi, or remittance letters that his grandmother received.
“It is, in other words, a film about people like many of our own grandparents,” wrote Mr Tiong.
He also noted that all 4,800 tickets across the eight showings of the film at VivoCity were sold out in two hours, and added that some people have even gone across the border to Johor Bahru to watch the film’s original version.
“My view is simple: let it screen here in Teochew, on general release, with subtitles,” the MP wrote.
The IMDA said that showing Dear You in Mandarin is in keeping with its current approach, in which full-dialect movies are shown at festivals or niche events for viewers who want to see them in their original languages, as this supports the bilingual policy aimed at promoting Mandarin as the main language for Chinese Singaporeans.
Mr Tiong, however, said he was unconvinced by this line of reasoning.
“The rule traces back to the Speak Mandarin Campaign, which worked. Dialect-speaking households fell from 76 per cent in 1980 to under 12 per cent by 2020. Mandarin is not under threat from Teochew,” he wrote, adding, “If anything, it is Teochew and other dialects that are fading.”
He also pointed out that Hokkien and Teochew are already used in announcements on the train for the safety of senior citizens. Additionally, there are also videos for the Pioneer Generation using these dialects.
“So why are we making Singaporeans go to JB to watch this film in the original dialect? IMDA should reconsider,” added Mr Tiong.
Many commenters agreed with the WP MP.
“I am a Cantonese. I insisted on watching The Last Dance (破地狱） in Cantonese, and I did. I could not imagine Michael Hui expressing his wise sayings in Mandarin. Likewise, I will watch this in Teochew. Not available in SG? Folks, we all know where else to go. Sorry, local cinemas,” one wrote.
“I am a pure Teochew. Both my mum and my dad speak Teochew. I will NOT watch this show in Mandarin,” added another.
“I am Teochew, and it blows my mind that I gotta cross the causeway in order to watch this film in the original language,” commented a third.
“Yes, I agree with you. Pls show it in Teochew. Many of my Teochew kakis are very disappointed at not being able to watch it in Teochew,” a Facebook user wrote.
“Totally agree with you on this. This policy really needs to be looked into. The environment then and now is really different. It’s a disappointment for a lot of us not to be able to watch the movie in its native dialect,” another added. /TISG
Read also: Dennis Tan: More younger Singaporeans are losing touch with Chinese dialects
