M IS FOR: MATA

By Almostasthma

There’s Marina Bay Sands, Milo peng (an iced chocolate malt-based beverage), mahjong and Merlion, but mata, or the colloquial term for police, is an intuitive choice for illustrator Almostasthma for what she loves about Singapore. She relates this to the memories of her younger days “when my parents would scare me into doing good by saying ‘Mata lai liao! (the police are coming!)’”. The popular policeman cardboard standee aside, the artist was inspired by the crucial role the Singapore Police Force, including its Traffic Police (pictured left) and Special Operations Command (right) departments, plays in safeguarding Singapore every day.

Alphabet City is a series of 26 parts. Each month, Tatler invites an artist or collective

to create a work that celebrates the best of Singapore, from A to Z