Today, I went through my archive of pictures hoping to find an image that might work for the book cover. I settled on a series of photos that I shot at Toa Payoh Stadium around 4am on the morning after the Presidential Election. A scrum of photographers, cameramen, reporters and supporters was surrounding Tony Tan, who had just entered the stadium after having been declared the winner.
The photo shows the media’s hunger for news. Beyond that, the image could mean different things to different people – which is why I like it. Does it show the media doing their job of scrutinising state power? Or perhaps it represents how they fall over one another to give establishment newsmakers publicity they don’t deserve? It could also symbolise the mob that PAP leaders are so suspicious of – the irrational interference that they believe governance should be insulated from.
I did a quick mock-up and sent it to my publisher, who said they could work with it.
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