Taylor Swift Concert Controversy in Southeast Asia Heats Up, Singapore Speaks Up
Taylor Swift's concert, which was only held in Singapore, had a negative impact on countries in the Southeast Asia region. Photo/Instagram.
JAKARTA – The Taylor Swift concert, which was only held in Singapore, had a negative impact on countries in the Southeast Asia region. The reason is, their fans cannot enjoy the idol's performances in their country.
Quoted by clutchpoints, the controversy started with the Singapore government allegedly making an agreement with Taylor Swift to become the only venue for the Eras Tour concert in Southeast Asia.
Singapore hit back at Thai and Filipino politicians' reaction to their country being overlooked as a profitable stopping point on Swift's major international tour.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin recently accused Singapore of offering subsidies of up to US$3 million for each concert in exchange for Swift exclusively performing in Southeast Asia during her Eras tour. This caused a commotion in the area.
Singapore MP Joey Salceda then asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to discuss the matter with the Singaporean envoy and regretted it. "If true, this is not an action taken by a good neighboring country," he said.
A well-known figure in Singapore politics, Bilahari Kausikan responded to the controversy with strong words. “Sour grapes,” wrote Bilahari Kausikan on Facebook.
"Every time I hear calls for Singapore to be more 'sensitive' towards other countries in Southeast Asia, it means they are just as inefficient," he wrote again.
“That way, there is destruction for a small city-state. "We have to be better, faster and more creative than our competitors," said Kausikan.
He reiterated the difficult conversation by asking, “What would stop a Southeast Asian country from negotiating an exclusivity deal with him if they were already thinking about it?”
“The bottom line is that they didn't even think about inviting him to perform in their country until they found out he was performing in Singapore,” he wrote.
“So should we hold back just because some of our neighbors are slow?” Just ask.
“And do you think he would agree to appear in Singapore if our infrastructure, connectivity and security were not world class?” he wondered.
Kontroversi Konser Taylor Swift di Asia Tenggara Memanas, Singapura Angkat Bicara
Konser Taylor Swift yang hanya digelar di Singapura berdampak buruk bagi negara di wilayah Asia Tenggara. Foto/ Instagram.
– Konser Taylor Swift yang hanya digelar di Singapura berdampak buruk bagi negara di wilayah Asia Tenggara. Pasalnya, para penggemar mereka tidak bisa menikmati pertunjukan sang idol di negaranya.
Dikutip clutchpoints, kontroversi bermula dari pemerintah Singapura yang diduga membuat kesepakatan dengan Taylor Swift untuk menjadi satu-satunya tempat menggelar konser Eras Tour di Asia Tenggara.
Singapura membalas reaksi politisi Thailand dan Filipina terhadap negara mereka yang diabaikan sebagai titik perhentian yang menguntungkan dalam tur internasional besar Swift.
Perdana Menteri Thailand Srettha Thavisin baru-baru ini menuduh Singapura menawarkan subsidi hingga 3 juta dolar Amerika Serikat untuk setiap konser sebagai imbalan agar Swift secara eksklusif tampil di wilayah Asia Tenggara selama tur Eras. Ini menimbulkan keributan di wilayah tersebut.
Anggota parlemen Singapura Joey Salceda kemudian meminta Departemen Luar Negeri untuk membicarakan masalah ini dengan utusan Singapura dan menyesalkan hal itu. “Jika benar, hal ini bukanlah tindakan yang dilakukan oleh negara tetangga yang baik,” ujarnya.
Tokoh terkenal dalam politik Singapura, Bilahari Kausikan menanggapi kontroversi tersebut dengan kata-kata yang keras. “Anggur asam,” tulis Bilahari Kausikan di Facebook.
“Setiap kali saya mendengar seruan agar Singapura lebih ‘sensitif’ terhadap negara lain di Asia Tenggara, itu berarti mereka sama tidak efisiennya,” tulis dia lagi.
“Dengan begitu, terdapat kehancuran bagi sebuah negara kota kecil. Kita harus lebih baik, lebih cepat, dan lebih kreatif dibandingkan kompetitor,” kata Kausikan.
Dia mengulangi pembicaraan yang sulit tersebut dengan mempertanyakan, “Apa yang bisa menghentikan negara Asia Tenggara untuk menegosiasikan kesepakatan eksklusivitas dengannya jika mereka sudah memikirkannya?”
“Intinya adalah mereka bahkan tidak berpikir untuk mengundangnya tampil di negara mereka sampai mereka tahu dia tampil di Singapura,” tulisnya.
“Jadi, apakah kita harus menahan diri hanya karena beberapa tetangga kita lamban?” Kausikan bertanya.
“Dan menurut Anda apakah dia akan setuju untuk tampil di Singapura jika infrastruktur, konektivitas, dan keamanan kita tidak berkelas dunia?” dia bertanya-tanya.