My childhood and youth were very isolating. I read a lot as a kid to escape depression and isolation. I became a lone ranger.
I came from a background of poverty. From a young age, you know—like seven or eight years old to my teens—I was actually fostered. I didn't get to see my parents for quite a long period. There's this sense of not belonging. Like you don't feel loved.
I have a strong attachment to the unfortunate and the displaced. So when I see the refugees in the Middle East, I actually feel for them because I came from the same background of displacement.
We’re doing a few things. We have a food kitchen cooking in Jabalia, north Gaza. We also periodically bring in 20 trucks carrying 20,000 food parcels into Rafah and Gaza.
It’s a complex operation, I tell you. Drivers are hesitant, you know. Workers inside Gaza are getting killed, some of whom I've worked closely with.
[My parents] taught me that we should spend more time with family: work less and spend more time with our kids.
But I'm not a good dad, a lousy dad. I'm missing quite a lot. So now, I try to catch time for my daughter. I'm flying off to visit her in Sydney for two weeks because it's her birthday. Every 10th of July, I’d fly over to spend time with her.
When I was in secondary school, I was the rebellious type (laughing). I tended to be the one in class who raised issues by speaking my mind. I always questioned why we should do this or that?
So, when my form teacher chose me to be the prefect, I said, "What? Are you sure or not?"
As an activist, you are more prone to humanity. Activism is about speaking up for the unfortunate, like the Palestinians, for the people in Gaza.
When we were around 20 or 21 years old, we had a classmate who was going through depression. There was a lot of mockery and stares at him. We helped him for a bit while he was in and out of jobs. Until one day, he got admitted to IMH (Institute of Mental Health) and when he was released, he hanged himself. That woke me up a lot.
If I had a superpower, I wish I could, with a snap of my fingers, stop the war in Gaza. It’s a war that needs to end soon. It’s been eight months, and people are dying every day.
We have collected about SGD3 million in donations. We gave out about a million dollars to an NGO delivering food into Gaza. So now we have two million left to push forward to the end of the year.
When I was in Lebanon, I often travelled in private vans because it was the cheapest mode of transport. Once, at midnight, I was detained by the Lebanese army. It was a frightening hour of interrogation that made me very uncomfortable.
If you want to embark on the humanitarian pathway, it’s good to start locally, or even in Batam, Indonesia, or Thailand, before you venture further.
My biggest break in humanitarian work is for the Palestinians in Gaza. I didn't anticipate it. I didn't prepare for it.
I could’ve said no, I don’t want to come (to Cairo). I nearly said I don’t want to come because it’s difficult and troublesome. You’re not sure how things will turn out.
But I said, okay, the usual one or two months in the Middle East, then I’ll go back to Singapore, relax, and enjoy life. But this is my seventh month in Cairo, and I’m planning to stay till the end of the year.
I lost many friends over this issue [Israel-Palestine war]. A lot of them think it's only a Muslim problem.
We tend to follow the crowd in Singapore. I want to be remembered as someone who did things his way. I hope my legacy will inspire people to think outside the box, to not follow the crowd. If you think something is right, go for it.
I feel very proud when I raise my flag. I feel that this is what Singapore needs right now, for people to go against the grain, to do something worthy for the country.
The easiest part of providing humanitarian aid is donating money. You press a few buttons and you do your part for humanity. I’m not saying it's not important but, I think, doing that is easy. The hardest part is taking action. Coming to Cairo, going to workshops, attending activism courses. I think that’s difficult in Singapore, at least.
Often, that first step is difficult. But if you can extend your horizon or scope by joining an NGO, then you can get yourself started.
You can donate to Love Aid Singapore via Gilbert's preferred channel, PayNow: 87745281
