Will You Be An ‘Upstander’? : Stories of Resistance and Moral Courage

This blog entry is a modified version of a speech given by our guest writer Cheah Wui Ling at a WWII talk organised by the Singapore National Heritage Board in March 2017 at the Singapore Art Museum. 

Together with my co-researcher, Pei Yi, I have been working on the Singapore War Crimes Trials Outreach Project for several years now. Yet, the stories that these trials tell continue to shock, amaze, and inspire me. From 1946-1948, the British organised 131 war crimes trials in Singapore. Singapore served as a hub for British war crimes investigations, and trials subsequently held in Singapore dealt with crimes committed throughout the region, as far as the Nicobar and Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. These trials contain many stories of the sufferings experienced by locals and Allies at during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. Ordinary men, women and children suffered greatly. However, many were not only victims but survivors and resisters. The trials tell stories not only of suffering but also of bravery and defiance.

The Choys. (Source)

I start with the story of Choy Koon Heng, a witness who testified in several Singapore Trials.  He and his wife, Elizabeth Choy, were running a canteen at a hospital where they were also helping to pass food, medicine, money and radios to prisoners-of-war. On 27 September 1943, an Allied act of sabotage in Keppel Harbour set off a series of events that led to mass arrests by the Japanese that began on 10 October 1943. These mass arrests led to the detention, beatings, and torture of many, including the Choys. Choy Koon Heng testified at several trials about the Choys’ abuse while detained by the Japanese. His trial testimony was deemed so “intimate” or sensitive that the court ordered it to be heard in camera.* Choy explained to the court how he had been arrested by the Japanese while at his shop. He was accused of “espionage”, “sending wireless sets to the camp” and “sending money to the internees”. He described being subject to “electric treatment” and “water treatment”. His wife was also tortured in front of him. He recalled that both he and his wife promised each other that they “would die for a good cause” but “would not give away the names of [their] friends”.

Shinozaki Mamoru. (Source)

Another story of conviction and bravery that has stayed with me is that of Shinozaki Mamoru. Shinozaki was a Japanese government official who had held various important positions in Singapore during the Japanese Occupation. Known also as the Japanese Schindler, Shinozaki issued as many protection cards as he could to save Chinese lives. In his memoir - Synonan, My Story - Shinozaki acknowledges that he felt great fear when trying to secure the release of local residents from the Japanese military. He was also accused by Japanese soldiers of being “pro-Chinese” and disloyal. Complaints were made, and Shinozaki was sent back to Japan in 1942, though he was subsequently allowed to return to Singapore. When Shinozaki returned, he continued issuing protection passes and saving lives. Shinozaki was torn between his loyalty to Japan and his sense of injustice. In his memoir, he speaks about how “sad, lonely and dispirited” he was when accused by his countrymen of being an enemy of Japan.

Similar WWII stories of courage played out in Europe. An extraordinary, well-known European case study is that of the French village Le Chambon-sur-Lignon located in south-central France. During WWII, France was ruled by the collaborationist Vichy regime and this eventually led to France being occupied by German troops. French officials were ordered to round up Jews. Defying such official orders, the ordinary men and women of Le Chambon and the surrounding area voluntarily sheltered and hid Jews at great personal risk to themselves. Under the leadership of their charismatic pastor, André Trocmé, the villagers housed, fed and facilitated the escape of Jews. Trocmé estimates that the villagers saved about 2000 Jews from 1941 to 1944. Most of Le Chambon’s 3000 residents directly took part in these rescue efforts.

Researchers have tried to identify and study the factors that explain the villagers’ sustained rescue efforts. Pastor Trocmé led by example, but these rescue efforts continued even after Trocmé’s arrest. The villagers were also fortunate as they benefited from tensions between the SS and regular German soldiers.  There were German soldiers and officials who were willing look the other way. In his fascinating study of Le Chambon, Hallie notes that the villagers were reluctant to rationalise their conduct in heroic or exceptional terms, rather they spoke about their acts in simple and almost taken for granted ways. The villagers’ moral conviction in the rightness of what they were doing formed an integral part of their selves.

There were of course more bystanders than rescuers in occupied Europe during WWII. What distinguished bystanders from rescuers? In their 2007 article, based on a study involving non-Jewish rescuers and non-Jewish bystanders, Stephanie Fagin-Jones and Elizabeth Midlarsky identified four common characteristics shared by the rescuers: a sense of “social responsibility”, “altruistic moral reasoning”, “empathic concern”, and “risk taking”. “Social responsibility” refers to the helping of others because one believes it is the right thing to do, without any expectation of profit, while “altruistic moral reasoning” describes the drawing on “values of caring and compassion” to reason about problems impacting “human needs”. “Empathetic concern” refers to one’s “sensitivity to the pain and suffering of others”, and “risk-taking”, simply enough, is one’s capacity to engage in tasks perceived as dangerous to oneself. These personal characteristics are not particularly heroic or exceptional. They can be fostered in individuals, groups and communities through structural, policy and educational efforts. Those working in genocide education have long argued that learning about historical injustices in a critical and reflective way can equip individuals and groups with the moral courage to challenge injustice. Educators and advocates working in this area have coined the word “upstanders” to describe those willing to confront injustice, as opposed to those who act as bystanders.

All this is not to minimise the very difficult choices that individuals face in times of severe oppression and injustice. The moral courage displayed in WWII stories of resistance is not only needed in times of oppression but also in ordinary times. Times of oppression magnify the risks involved when standing up against injustice but the moral courage to do so is similarly important in our everyday lives. The moral courage to question authority, engage in naysaying, condemn micro-aggressions, and speak out against bullying – these are everyday situations that call for upstanders.

Food for Thought:
When in my life have I been an 'upstander' and a 'bystander'? Why did I choose to act that way? Looking back, will I choose to act differently? 
Are there any situations in my life, surroundings, or in the world at the moment that are calling for a response from me?

For more on the trials and the Singapore War Crimes Trials Outreach Project, click here. The Project is currently implementing its Portraits Phase and seeking personal stories of those involved in, or impacted by the trials. Please contact the Project’s co-researchers if you know of such a story: Cheah Wui Ling (lawcwl@nus.edu.sg) or Ng Pei Yi (mail.peiyi@gmail.com).

*Quotations are from the trial transcripts of Sumida Haruzo and others, for case summary click here.