A History Of Heartlessness

It's a terrible picture by any standard. The stoic Japanese, reduced to utter despair by the devastation at Natori. They are human after all, and every human has his or her own threshold of pain. Japan has more suicides than the United States, yet less than half the population. Still, the use of drugs in Prozac's class has only recently begun to spread. Tell that to the despicable Goh Chok Tong.

Goh shamefully used the tsunami tragedy to forward his own political agenda. He abused the dignity of the suffering Japanese to lambaste Singaporeans for expressing disgust at the folly of the street floods, caused by lack of drainage maintenance, and not act of God as claimed by the Environment Minister. Speaking to some 200 REACH contributors at a forum held at the Marine Parade Community Club, Goh quoted an example of how Singaporeans reacted strongly to the Orchard Road floods that happened last year, saying that "Singaporeans should not complain too much but instead learn from the Japanese tsunami incident". And you thought Mrs Goh was the insensitive brute, rallying support for NKF's TT Durai at his day in court. Despite public calls for an apology, Mrs Goh Chok Tong never did recant her odious remark, "$600,000 per year is peanuts compared to the reserves the NKF has." At that time, "I stand corrected" was not yet a fashionable statement.

Goh's cold fish temperament was earlier demonstrated in 1995, when domestic help Flor Contemplacion, a 42-year-old mother of four children, was hanged. Then Philippines President Fidel Ramos was flabbergasted at his lack of comprehension of the heightened emotions in his country regarding the perceived injustice. A pile of Manila local dailies was couriered across, to let Goh witness at first hand the large print headlines, Singapore prefixed with a four-lettered expletive. It should be noted that Yeo Cheow Tong and George Yeo, each in their own ministerial capacities, had made advance trips to Manila to prepare for Goh's April visit to the Philippines. Neither had any clue of the Pinoy reaction to the Singapore brand of justice. There was this talk host of a children's TV program, instructing the kids to burst balloons by stomping on them, "Just imagine they are Singaporeans."

Maybe Goh Chok Tong does have a heart, maybe it's just buried too deep in the mountain of cash acquired over the years. Or maybe he needs see a psychiatrist after all. That prognosis still stands, unless otherwise corrected.