Offensive Comments

When the world's highest paid prime minister decides to have his own Facebook account, he can bet your bottom dollar he would not want a Denise He type to be his page administrator. Hence, the officious sounding warning shot across the bow:
"We may remove content and/or take preventive action against those who abuse the page."

The nature of the internet being what it is, one man's offensive comment could be a refreshing insight to another. And, as far as personal attacks go, we are all too familiar with one octogenarian's ad hominem tirades, with or without the follow-up punitive fines that bankrupted many a politician. Thus it was inevitable a post such as hereunder would surface:

Before you make judgment and ignore the constructive criticism on the penultimate line, take a look at this contribution from a Cobol Programmer Trainee at IBM Solutions Delivery.

Are you offended already? We have so many IT graduates from the ITE, Polytechnics and local universities, why do we have need of importing such talents from foreign shores? But the real offensive comment has to be this one from an army general who can't tell friend from foe: “When we look at an issue, let's try not to pigeonhole each other as a Singaporean or a foreigner, which can complicate the problem.” Can you imagine him leading our NS men into battle?

For Shame

That's the official reason for wanting to trim a 2 minute segment from Steve McQueen's critically acclaimed "Shame", a movie about sex addiction which could have thrown some light on why a senior legal counsel, a lieutenant colonel, or a school principal would want to surf online for puerile gratification. Academy Award winner for Best Picture "Platoon" was also not shown in Singapore initially because Oliver Stone objected to his film being abbreviated by the censor's scissors, the part where Charlie Sheen inhales smoke from a shotgun barrel. That was at the height of the government anti-drugs campaign.

Curiously, the "prolonged and explicit threesome sex sequence" is significantly shorter than the 9 minute horrific rape scene in "Reversible", and full frontal nudity in "Lust, Caution" was screened without cuts. Has the censorship board reverted to prudish standards?

Movie critic Roger Ebert tells us the American Psychiatric Association in 1987 defined sex addiction as a mental disorder involving "distress about a pattern of repeated sexual conquests … involving a succession of people who exist only as things to be used."  Like a good reviewer, he leaves out the spoilers, and we are still in the dark about the offensive parts. Others with less scruples write that the protagonist walks about his bedroom starkers (an illegal act in Singapore, don't try it in your HDB flat) with his plumbing equipment in full high definition glory, kisses a bearded biker, and then directs him to the subject of mutual interest. Ah, that kind of movie!

Wanna suck face? It's legal.

At least the Japanese are more honest when condemning the popular all-girl AKB48 band members for seductively passing bite-sized candy mouth-to-mouth in an advertisement. "The commercial may encourage homosexuality," complained a Tokyo broadcasting watchdog. The snipped scene in "Shame" also has two girls "sucking face", to borrow the quaint terminology from "On Golden Pond," as in the Henry Fonda line, "Wanna dance or would you rather just suck face?"

So why don't the self appointed custodians of public morality come right out and call a spade a spade? Are they afraid to offend their more liberal minded government officials who might accept that the next Singapore beauty queen could be born a man? For the record, the organisers of Miss Singapore Universe have indicated that they intend to abide by the new ruling set by the Miss Universe organisation to allow transgender women to participate in the pageant. When a country is run like a corporation, it's only the money that counts: tv coverage, tourist arrivals, corporate sponsorships, etc, etc.

Looks like the country is going to the dogs, and before long, we may have to issue an apology to Sun Xu.

Kicking Out The Chaff

Richard Hartung is a consultant who has lived in Singapore since 1992, what we do not know is whether he has taken up citizenship after 20 years of immersion. What we do know is that his expat friends have gotten word of employment pass renewal rejections, and even permanent residents' (PR) re-entry permits are not being renewed as (easily as before). Writing plainly with sympathy to their cause, he quotes one blogger: "It's pot luck … Doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason." Or is it?

Well, we now know that the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) is targeting an intake of 20,000 to 25,000 to keep the population size stable, whatever that means. In countries that have free healthcare and social welfare for the needy, the number of working age available to support elderly citizens is a significant ratio in demography. In Singapore, young or old, our individual CPF balance is our own lifeline. Ask for a discount in transport fare, and the ogre of a minister will threaten to increase the GST.

The NPTD has also decided to be picky. It wants to emphasise that the new comers must be able to integrate well into our society. Other holistic considerations include the applicants' family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile, length of stay in Singapore, and their commitment to sinking roots in Singapore. Those flighty expats cruising the Clarke Quay bars to pick up SPGs will have to go the way of the dodo bird.

Associate Professor Paulin Tay Straughan, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore and Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) from 2009 to 2012, has some advice for attracting quality immigrants:
- don't just open doors;
- target younger new citizens;
- pick citizens that grow families

Maybe Hartung can now go back to his expat friends now and ask if they are migrant birds of fancy or committed to nation building. After 20 years in the country, he should be talented enough to get that right.

Lest we forget, PRs also put a tremendous strain on public amenities and housing. NPTD needs a projection for that number too, in order to envision the future landscape. Institute of Policy Studies research fellow Leong thinks the PR numbers are much larger than that of the new citizens. No wonder our trains are overloaded, the NPTD number crunchers have again missed the forest for the trees.

Plastic Men And Their Silly Ideas

After HSA finally comes to senses with their silly charges for registering "medical devices", another body is set to push cost of living higher - which just crossed the 5% barrier. The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) is determined to nudge supermarkets, and some say even hawker centers, into charging for plastic bags.

Environment consultant Eugene Tay was spot on when he said these cost adders will not go down well with the low- and middle- income group. He probably had in mind the below $1,500 per month category which Prof Lim wanted desperately to help, not the above $15,000 per month types who send their maids out for the grocery run. The type of people who don't realize plastic is essential for wet items like fish and fresh vegetables. And even they appreciate air flown oysters taste better than canned versions. In our hot and humid climate, brown paper bags - which supermarts in Singapore do not provide - just won't survive the journey home, even in the boot of an airconditioned car. Don't even dream about buying ice cream by the tub.

Of course there are alternatives like bags and baskets made from organic (as in carbon) materials, hemp, jute, hessian, cotton and linen. But that means going to the supermart will be like gearing up for a back-packing trip through the woods. Try putting the tray of eggs in a haversack. And should mom call you at the office to pick up a pint of milk and a loaf of bread on your way home, let's see how you stuff that into your patent leather attache case, or Kate Spade designer bag.

If there's a solution to do away with the plastic bags, don't count on the SEC to come up with one - except to make you pay and pay for them. Do you think they really care if plastic bags kill at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year? The SEC is a NGO (non-government organisation), but is supported by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, headed by that nut case who thinks food is only from a hawker centre, food court or restaurant. Home cooking with ingredients from the supermart must seem so alien to those lodged in ivory towers.

The Golden Rule

It is easy to appreciate why Yaacob Ibrahim may harbour a personal grudge against the internet. After all, it was through WikiLeaks we learnt of his choice of a Puerto Rican for a life partner, a decision that must have caused discomfit to his parents and relatives. A Malay neighbour once lamented how his father's eyes would brighten up at the sight of his grandchildren, and yet pay scant acknowledgement of his Chinese wife. Some matters are just plain visceral.

Leading his own crusade in the social media, Ibrahim boasts, "there are people out there who want to make sure the Internet doesn't get killed by the downsides.. and they are prepared to be part of the process." Downsides as in how rumours can be spread like wildfire, such as a Green Card could be convenient route to evade NS obligations. Whilst maintaining that traditional media can "separate the wheat from the chaff," he revealed that, as of last December, government ministries and agencies have set up more than 140 Facebook initiatives, 60 YouTube channels, 60 Twitter accounts and 30 mobile applications.

Somewhere after warning that there are laws in place which can deal with those who cause harm, a Vietnamese journalist asked if the local media had gone overboard in publishing the names and faces of those charged with dealings with a teenage whore. She said the families of those accused would be affected, maybe even harmed. We are, after all, in a society where loan sharks periodically harass innocent family homes due to mistaken identities.

Showing his bias, the Minister said "you can't prevent the newspapers from reporting on it", and veered off his pontificating with "In terms of coverage, we leave it to the better judgment of the media providers." Well, how about leaving the truth coverage to the likes of Julian Assange and similar media providers? The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do to you", the basis of many of the ethical systems on which societies have been built, is found in Islamic, Taoist, Sikh as well as other religious texts. Surely the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs knows that.