🎬 Popular Teochew film "Dear You" came up in Parliament, during which WP's Kenneth Tiong asked which version the ministers themselves had watched.
Minister for Culture, Community & Youth David Neo had a simple answer: Ministers don't have time to watch films.
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Full Details of the Parliament Exchange
Context: The popular local Teochew-language film Dear You – which resonated widely with audiences for its portrayal of family bonds, intergenerational relationships and Teochew culture – was brought up in Parliament during a sitting focused on arts, culture and media matters.
The Question: Workers’ Party MP Kenneth Tiong asked Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo: “Which version of the film have the ministers themselves watched?” – referencing discussions around the film’s availability, distribution and whether official representatives had viewed the work in its original form or any edited iteration.
The Response: Minister David Neo replied plainly: “Ministers don’t have time to watch films.”
Key Observations & Analysis
Aspect Details
Public Reaction The remark drew mixed responses: some viewed it as a frank admission of heavy workloads, while others criticised it as signalling a lack of engagement with local creative works and grassroots cultural expression.
Contextual Note Dear You gained attention not just for its storytelling, but also as an example of regional language content finding mainstream success in Singapore – a topic relevant to MCCY’s mandate to support diverse local cultures and media.
Implications Questions were raised about whether this position reflects broader gaps in how policymakers engage with the arts community, or whether it was simply a literal response to a specific question about personal viewing habits.