S'pore superhero: Genuine do-gooder or oddball?

SINGAPORE - He is on the warpath.

To fight apathy and inspire graciousness, that is.

While other cities might have vigilante superheroes who sometimes resort to violence to combat social ills, Justice - as Singapore's own masked crusader wants to be known as - is practising a soft form of persuasion.

He simply sets a good example for others to follow.

The reason is that travelling in a mask poses security concerns.

Justice, whose true identity we agreed to keep secret, made his first public appearance on Aug 19, when he boarded a train at Choa Chu Kang station.

On the train towards Woodlands, he urged commuters to give up their seats to those who needed them more.

He appeared in a post on citizen journalism website Stomp on that same day.

Behind the mask is a 21-year-old Singaporean, an only child who lives in Choa Chu Kang.

He first had the notion of a "vigilante for good deeds" while on board a train in March. A pregnant lady had boarded the train, but no one offered their seat to her.

"Not even this guy in a suit, sitting in the reserved seat," says Justice, who has a day job as an adult educator.

He was also inspired by the Rain City Superhero Movement in Seattle, a US anti-crime citizen patrol group whose members wear costumes.

So he set out to create a symbol of graciousness, which he hopes Singaporeans will take to.

He rejects firmly any suggestion that he's part of a marketing stunt.

Or that he's mad.

It took almost five months and $1,000 from his savings to design, order and prepare his full-body suit, complete with a mask, gloves and white boots.

"I studied for six years in Australia and India and realised how open and friendly people in other societies could be," says Justice.

He admits he faces a tough battle for acceptance in Singapore. People give him odd looks. And yes, they do reject his offers of help too.

Plus, he may have trouble repeating his courtesy message on trains.

He was once told by SMRT staff to take off his mask if he wanted to ride the trains. Responding to queries, an SMRT spokesman confirms the incident.

She added: "He is not banned (from riding the trains), but station staff will continue to ask him to remove his mask if they see him as a potential security threat or if him being in a mask makes members of the public uncomfortable."

"We are encouraged by spontaneous acts initiated by members of the public to encourage passengers to be more gracious towards one another, thereby enhancing everyone's travel experience.

"But actors are cautioned not to be an inconvenience to fellow commuters."

It's all par for the course for this superhero-wannabe.

But he says he relishes the challenge, and plans to work around the challenge of wearing a mask.

He even has a plan that requires a superhero staple, the sidekick.

"What I will do is get a friend to follow me to my destination. Then, change into my costume in a public toilet," he says.

"But that will be difficult, given that I've got to find someone who is available whenever I want go out."

So what is the future for Justice?

You may well get to see him in action as he plans to take his non-violent message to shopping centres.

If you can't catch him in the flesh, you may still be able to catch up on his exploits.

He is in talks with a promotions company to produce that superhero must-have - his own comic book.

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