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 In
the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
In that sense, Heng Kim Song is
the King of political cartooning in Singapore. His is the one true voice
of independence, reflecting the 'can-do' spirit of Singapore. True to
his calling and following the footsteps of giants in political cartooning,
Heng has been a freelance editorial cartoonist since 1984, and has been
syndicated internationally since the early 1999s.
The most celebrated political cartoonist in Singapore, Heng embodies
the global outlook of the nation state in his satires and caricatures
of international leaders worldwide. There is no national role of the
political cartoonist in Singapore and Heng is clever enough to accept
the need for cornpromise and consensus building, due to historical and
geopolitical sensitivities of the Southeast Asian region, early in his
career. After all, that is the Asian point of view that Heng is so well
known for in his cartoons. Some has said he is probably the only political
cartoonist working today who has the wisdom of that Eastern vision -
that you don't bite the hand that feeds you. With the rise of East Asia,
the post-Cold War political stage has been kind to Heng indeed.
Heng is a true son of Singapore. Long before the Government's call for
its citizens to 'Think Global, Act Local,' Heng has already taken on
the whole world as his oyster. He does not comment on Singapore's politics,
not just because it is not encouraged by the State, but to do so might
be too provisional for a cartoonist of his talent and vision. His willingness
to poke fun of others' follies as long as it does not put Singapore's
interests at a disadvantage shows where his true allegiance lies.
Heng is not just important to Singapore but to the rest of the world,
as is justified by the numerous prestigious awards he has won and the
international cartoon exhibitions in which he has participated. It makes
perfect sense that this retrospective ofhis work is held in Europe.
A recently unified region, the European Union needs its heroes and Heng
will be an inspiration for the diverse European communities.
by Lim Cheng Tju (cartoon researcher and critic)
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