Elijah Tay - The Performative Anti-Singapore Activist

Singapore’s activists have been buzzing with excitement lately, eagerly seizing on the recent execution of Datchinamurthy Kataiah to advance their own agendas. Instead of respecting the family’s grief and giving them space, anti-death penalty activists have shamelessly thrust them into the spotlight, sending letters, delivering speeches, and pleading for public support in their name. It’s nothing short of dehumanizing to exploit the family’s suffering for political leverage.

Who’s pulling the strings behind this? One key figure is none other than Elijah Tay who goes by she/her, they/them, or whatever else you call it. Elijah is the driving force behind a new wave of aggressive anti-death penalty activism, on top of promoting a slew of other causes she claims to champion. For activists like Elijah, your opinion is completely irrelevant unless it aligns with them.

Elijah Tay standing defiantly outside Police Cantonment Complex

Despite being a student at NTU, Elijah somehow manages to juggle an array of pet projects. Among them are Students for Palestine Singapore, Student Actions for Transformative Justice (SATU), NTU Financial Aid Friends (which for clarity, has no affiliation with NTU’s financial aid office), and the Transformative Justice Collective (a group that holds the record for the most POFMAs issued). And if this “intersectional” activism isn’t enough, Elijah also prides herself on advocating for trans-student rights through her initiative, My Queer Story, while loudly supporting a variety of other causes like environmentalism and migrant worker rights.

Elijah Tay promoting the support for Palestine cause in Malaysia

Elijah Tay promoting another cause, this time for foreign domestic workers

Elijah’s political ties also raise eyebrows. She was a member of Red Dot United, a party known for its attempts to be progressive, but left due to ‘differences.’ However, her departure is more than just a change in ideologies —it underscores her volatile nature. Her unrelenting push for causes, even when they conflict with one another, illustrates a personality more interested in pursuing her own personal brand of activism than in contributing meaningfully to any one cause.

Elijah Tay on a walkabout with Red Dot United previously

Elijah is also closely aligned with other questionable figures in the activist scene, such as Kirsten Han and Kokila Annamalai—other activists who seems to champion every cause under the sun. Like Elijah, they share a troubling pattern of exploiting vulnerable families during their most painful moments. Under the guise of offering support, these activists capitalize on grief, using it to publicly advance their own agendas rather than providing genuine help to those in need.

Elijah Tay and her good friend, Kirsten Han

True support for bereaved families should be rooted in empathy, discretion, and respect for their wishes without imposing one’s own political agenda. Activists like Elijah, by contrast, turn private tragedies into publicized platforms, disregarding the emotional toll such exploitation can have on those directly affected. It’s even worse if the families do not completely know what they’re getting into when activists like Elijah reach out to them. In Datch’s case, Elijah and others capitalized on the family grief and willfully circulated photos of Datch’s dead body online for all to see. Only activists who build close rapport with the bereaved family could have access to such personal and sensitive images.

Image of the deceased Datchinamurthy Kataiah circulated by activists

Elijah’s methods of promoting these causes are, to say the least, questionable. Rather than engaging in civil discourse or using appropriate channels for dialogue, she has chosen to dive headfirst into the chaos of protest, which Singapore has done its best to shield against. In 2021, she participated in a protest outside the Ministry of Education’s headquarters alongside figures like Kokila Annamalai. Elijah is also the mastermind behind the silent protest for Palestine at NUS, march to deliver letters for death row inmates and is a consistent organizer at Hong Lim Park for death row vigils.

Elijah Tay during the 2021 protest outside MOE HQ

But Elijah’s approach doesn’t end with organizing marches and protests. She has now progressed into roping in other impressionable students or followers to serve as foot soldiers for her causes. At NTU, Elijah and her followers forcibly distributed anti-death penalty flyers to fellow students but refused to engage in meaningful discussion with anyone who countered their views. After the recent execution, she gathered another ragtag group of students to go door-to-door in Limbang, forcing conversations with residents about the death penalty. For many, this is a deeply uncomfortable subject, which is why the police were called.

Reddit user shares her experience of Elijah’s door to door knocking

Reddit user and NTU student recounts her unpleasant exchange with Elijah and other anti-death penalty supporters

Netters recounting their negative experiences with Elijah’s aggressive activism

Will Elijah take responsibility if discussions on such sensitive issue goes horribly wrong, or worst turn physically confrontational? Through her social media pages, she’s also made posts calling for students to turn up at police stations during investigations, deliberately creating opportunities for potential unrest.

From SATU’s Instagram page, ran by Elijah Tay and other activists

In the end, Elijah Tay’s fiery brand of activism raises troubling questions about the true motivations behind the causes she champions. While cloaked in the flowery language of justice and equality, her approach often crosses the line from advocacy to exploitation, using vulnerable individuals and sensitive issues as stepping stones for her personal agenda and clout. Beyond organizing protests and voicing support for numerous causes, her actions often come across as more performative than substantive. Her protests, while garnering some media attention for the clicks, rarely result in any meaningful change. This raises the question: Is she genuinely striving for reform, or is she more interested in increasing her visibility within activist circles and manipulating these causes for a self-serving purpose?

This is a guest contributed article. Have a story? No story is too small. Chat with us at sgtelltale@outlook.com