Rishi Budhrani, Colin Goh, ST’s Mandy ask if laughs can effect change

Whether the court of public opinion is bigger than other courts has been the topic of some political exchange in the past week.

- Clement Yong Correspondent

But stand-up comedian Rishi Budhrani says there is a greater certainty: In Singapore, all pale in comparison to the pickleball court.

He was the source of recurring peals of laughter in a packed 120-seater Play Den at The Arts House on Nov 9, where five humorists gathered to discuss poking fun at politicians under the title, Who's Afraid Of Laughing: Political Humour In Singapore.

Performance poet Don Shiau moderated Budhrani, Talking-Cock.com founder Colin Goh, illustrator of The Phantom Of Oxley Castle (2017) Anngee Neo and The Straits Times’ journalist Christie Chiu — one half of ST’s social media Gerry and Mandy duo - in a quippy 90-minute session, counting among the audience Singapore Democratic Party chair Paul Tambyah.

Behind the laughter, there was a wrangling with whether humour could ever be an effective force for political change. Goh confessed he remains haunted by Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell’s reflection on a podcast: that satire does not work because it merely gets people to laugh without taking action.