Mynah magazine deep dives into Singapore stories

Who among those who live here have not encountered the pesky insurance or property agent?

- Clement Yong Correspondent

The usual response would be a cock of the brows and a polite steering clear.

Others as screenshots embedded in this new issue of Mynah show have been moved to start Reddit threads musing how those in this profession could be so well paid yet so despised.

But writer Nessa Swinn Yap, in one among many excellent entries in this independently published local magazine, has taken it upon herself to investigate this curious explosion for a quintessentially Singapore story.

Humanising these agents through interviews, she paints a portrait of these former civil servants or bankers as disillusioned workers crossing the Rubicon in search of greater flexibility, but also altruistic meaning.

She goes beyond human interest to systemic critique. These agents, informally engaged in a "depoliticised form of resistance" against traditional employment, are cases of "capitalism successfully co-opt(ing) the anti-work sentiments of the professional class".

While they probably cannot be directly blamed, their existence precludes more sweeping change for others, presenting a faux success story to workers who might otherwise collectively demand greater reprieve.

Yap's entry is representative of the ethos underpinning the eight pieces featured in the fifth issue of Mynah, a guerilla magazine started in 2016 aimed at cultivating long-form nonfiction that has since accrued an avid cult following.

The contributors to this issue, who are journalists, researchers, critics and artists, take nothing in Singapore for granted, insisting on diagnosing them as symptoms greater societal malaise.

Nothing is too trivial to be spared, but the authors also do not pontificate from an ivory tower. A central, commissioned piece by chef Joseph Ong involves him befriending strangers at East Coast Park to understand Singapore's barbecue culture.