No hooks to hang clothes? Use rice, says Chee Soon Juan as he shares tips on surviving prison

Prison can be a rough place with amenities few and far between.

And Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan is no stranger to that, having being incarcerated back in the nineties.

In a recent podcast as a guest alongside influencer Jade Rasif on Monday (Dec 26), the 59-year-old gave an insight into how he managed to get through prison life.  

Describing his time in prison, Chee said On The Daily Ketchup Podcast: "It was a trying period. I think I have lost count, but I must have been in and out more than a dozen times."

A veteran political figure who contested in the past five General Elections, Chee has his fair share of controversies.

Between 1998 and 2022, he was fined and jailed several times for making political speeches without a permit.

When Rasif asked if prison had made him "hardened", Chee shared that he had learnt plenty of tricks from other inmates.

Frustrated with the lack of hooks to hang your clothes? Not a problem, according to Chee.

"You can use a towel to pull strings from there, and tie on the wall to place stuff," he explained.

Soaking rice with water to form a starchy adhesive can also do the trick, Chee said, but he warned that it would take some time for it to "harden" and form the shape of a hook.

"By the time you manage to hook the [rice] into the wall, you get to go out already [unless] it's a long sentence,' podcast host Johnathan Chua quipped.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAHvE5eDsM0[/embed]

In the CNA documentary Inside Maximum Security, it showed that inmates at Changi Prison are given three cell hooks to hang their clothes. 

Any modifications to the cell, including using illegal hooks of rice and water, are not allowed. 

With sleeping and toilet areas combined within a cell, Chee also shared how orange peels are useful in absorbing odour to add "fragrance" to the place. 

"Is this where the 'orange' in Orange & Teal came from?" Daniel Lim, one of the podcast hosts, asked cheekily. 

No beds in prison? 

In the 51-minute podcast, there was also a discussion about beds in prison. 

"Even now, I'm surprised that there's no beds [for inmates]," Chua said.

"Wouldn't you rather there's no mattress because then you don't have to wake up with bed bugs? Especially when everyone's coming in and out," Rasif replied.

Besides life in prison, Chee also shared more about how he got into politics, and how it affected his family and private life. 

In a speech to Parliament in July, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said that hygiene and security issues can arise if inmates are given beds.

He was responding to criticism from viewers of Inside Maximum Security, who voiced how it was "dehumanising" that inmates are sleeping on the floor.

Inmates in the "regular" one, four- and eight-man cells are provided with a straw mat and two blankets due to the "hot and humid culture", Shanmugam said.

"The current bedding [also] minimises the security risks of inmates hiding contraband items in the cells," he added.

For inmates who require additional care due to old age or mobility issues, beds are available in medical wards or correctional units catered for assisted living, Shanmugam shared. 

ALSO READ: 'I dropped the soap a couple of times': Titus Low breaks down prison life, shares touching prison letter to wife Cheryl Chin

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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