The Rashomon Effect

Akira Kurosawa's movie version of Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese period drama well known for a plot device which involves various characters providing alternative accounts of the same incident. The incident concerns the rape of a woman and the murder of her samurai husband, as narrated through the conflicting perspectives of four witnesses, including the bandit/rapist, the deflowered wife, her dead husband (speaking through a medium), and a woodcutter, the one witness that seems to be the most objective and least biased. The Rashomon effect is a term used by a number of scholars, journalists and film critics to refer to contradictory interpretations of the same events by different persons, a problem that arises in the process of uncovering truth.

We have heard the Government's official version of how Dinesh Raman Chinnaiah died from positional asphyxia. Now thanks to the persistence of the family's quest for the truth, we have their account of the horrific abuse of a young man by sadistic prison officers of the Abu Ghraib persuasion.

On 27 September 2010, the following officers of the Prison Service were on duty at Changi Prison Complex, Institution A4:
Deputy Superintendent of Prison Lim Kwo Yin Darius (“DSP Darius”);
Deputy Superintendent of Prison Harry Yap Hong Hock (“DSP Harry”);
Assistant Superintendent of Prison Teo Chong Lian Dylan (“ASP Dylan”);
Chief Warden Daljit Singh S/O Gurbachan Singh (“CW Daljit”);
Chief Warden Rozairudin Bin Zaini (“CW Rozairudin”);
Sergeant Yen Chia Hsien (“Sgt Yen”);
Sergeant Tan Heng Chye Marcus (“Sgt Marcus”);
Sergeant Lee Fangwei Jonathan (“Sgt Jonathan”);
Corporal Anand Pereira (“Cpl Anand”); and
Corporal Robby Bin Sulaiman (“Cpl Robby”)

On that day, sometime between 7.30 am and 7.45 am, Sgt Yen commenced his morning shift duties at Changi Prison Complex, Institution A4. While in the course of carrying out his duties, Sgt Yen arrived at cell number 555 and saw Dinesh. Sgt Yen then uttered the words “Dinesh, long time never see you. Now you come back, you become a suicidal watch”.

These words were heard by Dinesh and was misunderstood by Dinesh to mean that Sgt Yen was partial against him. Dinesh asked Sgt Yen a question, the gist of which was, “Sir, you got something against me is it?” Dinesh then turned away from Sgt Yen and, as he turned away, he gestured his middle finger at Sgt Yen and uttered a vulgarity. Sgt Yen verbally reported the Incident to DSP Darius. However, no written report was lodged.

Despite the fact that Dinesh was not allowed to go to the outdoor yard, he was deliberately let out at about 9.45 am. Because of the earlier incident, as Dinesh was returning from the outdoor yard to his cell at about 10.45 am, he was accosted by Sgt Jonathan and then tackled by Sgt Yen onto the ground.

While on the ground, Sgt Yen restrained Dinesh. At this juncture, CW Daljit approached Dinesh (who was still on the ground and restrained by Sgt Yen) and attempted to lock Dinesh’s arms. DSP Darius also approached Dinesh and he restrained Dinesh’s lower limbs. Sgt Jonathan deployed the Oleoresin Capsicum Delivery System (“OCDS”) and applied the same onto Dinesh’s face. Sgt Jonathan then placed both his knees against the sides of Dinesh’s head and applied pressure. Consequently, Dinesh was unable to breathe. At the same time, Dinesh was also weakened by the OCDS. His eyes became red and there was mucus coming out from his nose. All these physical symptoms were ignored. He was then handcuffed to his back and placed in a prone position.

Subsequently, Cpl Robby, Cpl Anand and CW Rozairudin also approached Dinesh. Together with Sgt Yen and CW Daljit, they restrained and controlled Dinesh’s body and his movement including through the use of joint-locks to cause Dinesh to suffer pain. They were then directed to lead Dinesh to the outdoor yard. After a few steps, Dinesh was put into a prone position again on the ground. Dinesh was then lifted up and brought to the outdoor yard. Dinesh was profusely apologizing and begging for leniency from the officers but his pleas were ignored.

When Dinesh was brought to the outdoor yard, DSP Harry and DSP Darius were also there. Dinesh continued to be restrained and made to suffer pain from joint-locks applied by CW Daljit, Sgt Yen, Sgt Jonathan, Cpl Robby, Cpl Anand and/or CW Rozairudin. Dinesh was then drooling from his mouth. Again, this physical symptom was ignored. Dinesh was brought to stand in front of two rows of inmates and then instructed to continuously shout (each time louder than the previous) using vulgar language in Hokkien - directed at a notorious gang.

Subsequently, Dinesh was brought from the outdoor yard to a common area known as “Sally Port”. At “Sally Port”, Dinesh was again put in a prone position on the ground. While on the ground, Dinesh continued to be restrained and made to suffer pain from joint-locks applied by CW Daljit, Sgt Yen, Sgt Jonathan, Cpl Robby, Cpl Anand and/or CW Rozairudin.

Dinesh was then lifted up from the ground and led to Stair Core 3 (which is a staircase landing) for relocation to the Disciplinary Housing Unit (“DHU”). ASP Dylan was also at Stair Core 3. Dinesh continued to be restrained by CW Daljit, Sgt Yen, Sgt Jonathan, Cpl Robby, Cpl Anand and/or CW Rozairudin. Dinesh was walking unsteadily and perspiring profusely. Again, these physical symptoms were ignored.

On level 2 of Stair Core 3, Dinesh was put onto the ground again. At this juncture, Dinesh had become physically very weak. Again, this physical symptom was ignored.

Dinesh was then lifted up again and led into cell number 1 in the DHU. Sgt Marcus opened the door to DHU Cell Number 1. Inside DHU Cell Number 1, Dinesh was again put onto the floor in a prone position. While on the ground, Dinesh continued to be restrained and made to suffer pain from joint-locks applied by CW Daljit, Sgt Yen, Sgt Jonathan, Cpl Robby, Cpl Anand and/or CW Rozairudin. ASP Dylan and DSP Darius also arrived in DHU Cell Number 1.

In DHU Cell Number 1, while on the ground in the prone position that he was put in, Dinesh was moaning softly. His eyes were closed and motionless. Again, these physical symptoms were ignored. At the same time, Dinesh continued to be restrained and made to suffer pain from joint-locks applied by CW Daljit, Sgt Yen, Sgt Jonathan, Cpl Robby, Cpl Anand and/or CW Rozairudin.

While in DHU Cell Number 1, one of the officers then poured water on Dinesh’s face but there was no response from him. More water was poured onto Dinesh’s face. However, there was still no response from Dinesh. DSP Darius then gave instructions to all the officers in DHU Cell Number 1 to leave the cell, leaving Dinesh unattended.

Subsequently, DSP Darius returned to DHU Cell Number 1 and was unable to detect any pulse on Dinesh. Dinesh had died.

Like the inconsistent variants in Rashomon, the two accounts are challenged by logical incompatibilities.  One interpretation is certain, the final version will be motivated by factors of ego, face-saving and politics. Due to its emphasis on the subjectivity of truth and the uncertainty of factual accuracy, Rashomon has been read by some as an allegory of the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II. The Dinesh variant could well turn out to be an allegory of the defeat of a certain political party.

The Rich Get Richer

The report by Wealth-X and UBS said that 50 Ultra-High Net Worth (UHNW) people in Singapore made it to the ranks of the super rich after property prices kept rising, rising, and rising last year. The Wealth-X mission statement: Provide our members with intelligence that allows them to acquire new relationships, expand existing ones, and eliminate compliance hurdles.

UHNW individuals are defined by Wealth-X as having total assets of at least US$30 million (S$38 million). On average the 1,355 UHNW Singapore residents have US$180 million in total assets. Together they have a combined wealth of US$160 billion. Singapore has a ratio of billionaires per capita 3 times higher than that of the United States, with one billionaire for every 200,000 residents.

Of course, not all their money is made from property asset enhancement. The government has made sure the rich get richer, through measures such as:

• Gains derived from the sale of a property in Singapore is not taxable as it is deemed as capital gain;
• There is no estate duty payable for deaths on and after 15 Feb 2008;
• Generally, dividends paid on or after 1 Jan 2008 by a Singapore company are not taxable. Foreign dividends received in Singapore on or after 1 Jan 2004 by resident individuals are also not taxable;
• Goods & Services Tax or GST on Investment Precious Metals was removed by the Singapore government on 1 October 2012.

Throughout the course of history, the flow of migration has always been directed towards destinations where there is perceived freedom and prosperity. Nobel prize-winning economist and champion of laissez-faire economics Milton Friedman referred to this as “people voting with their feet”. It works both ways. Singapore is very welcoming and inviting to the über rich, it is also getting very hostile to those struggling to make ends meet. The tragedy is that the poor are too tied down by debt servicing to make the relocation with their feet.

A Mr Tan, 71, who has a postgraduate in mathematics, actually pleaded with his doctor to end his life and his wife's two years ago. Even he could not do the math, caring for his dementia afflicted wife, a son with obsessive-compulsive disorder and a daughter with schizophrenia, all on the pathetic financial assistance and food rations from the community development council. There's no report on the ultra destitute individuals in Singapore.

Remembering 9/11

Each time the tale is retold, astonished friends had to ask, "And you still sat there while he had a shaving razor in his hand?"

Twelve years ago, my friendly neighborhood Muslim barber was still trimming my hair when he asked if I saw the collapse of the World Trade Center on television. No I didn't, but I learnt about it on the internet, and remarked to him, "Wasn't it terrible, so many lives were lost."

"Ya, too bad many died. But you know what, in my heart, I feel good." Why? Because the Americans are too proud, he reasoned. I explained the fallacy of the thought - the walls of his barbershop were plastered with posters of Hollywood stars, from Michael Jackson to Madonna - and no, he did not slit my throat.

There was no need for fear, the different races in Singapore have always lived together in peace. We may have our own unique religious and cultural practices, they have never stood in the way of harmonious coexistence. Once a while, politicians may stoke the differences for personal ambitions, but common sense soon prevails.

There are those who are still urging Barack Obama to act, to unleash hell on Syria for the use of sarin gas on its own citizens. They argue that the proposal to remove Syria’s chemical weapons through diplomacy rather than resorting to military force is a cop out.

Whatever the outcome of the international showdown, it is no excuse to be distracted from our own country's myriad problems. The issues of affordable housing, medical care and transportation have yet to be solved, roads are still flooding and trees are still falling every time there's a downpour. Don't try to pin it on the guy who initiated the tree planting in the first place though, he already absolved himself of the stop-at-two policy fall-out. That and the plane loads of foreigners that are straining at the limits of a melting pot society.

No Cigar

Ng just lost to Thomas Bach of Germany.

Ng Ser Miang's qualifications for the bid of International Olympics Committee (IOC) President - reputedly most powerful man in world sports - were listed as President of organising committee of 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics, vice-president of International Sailing Federation 1994-98, and non-resident Singapore ambassador to Norway.

The "Pros" in his favour:
Candidate from Asia, continent of increasing influence; organiser of inaugural Youth Olympics, affable personality, popular with members, diplomatic experience.

The "Cons" against his selection:
Seen by some as "too nice," not viewed as having imposing public presence, potential opposition from some Asian countries.

His own assessment of his "Strengths":
"I am proud to be Asian, but I'm also global. To lead a world organisation, it is necessary to have a world view. Being from Asia is also advantageous because I would bring to the table a different perspective."

Ng was supposed be among the top three, and one of two candidates from Asia, the other being C. K. Wu of Taiwan.

Nice try, Mr Ng, but no cigar. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to mention the botched Youth Olympics Games involvement.

Curse of the Certificate of Entitlement

Is that it? Motorists island wide were anticipating earth shaking measures to address the soaring cost of that  accursed piece of paper called the Certificate of Entitlement (COE). Obviously running out of ideas, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew came up only with a token change to a flawed system that is in dire need of a radical overhaul:
From February 2014, Category A cars, in addition to having engine capacity of not more than 1,600cc, must also have engine power not exceeding 97 kilowatts (130 hp).

Apparently nearly half of Category A COEs went to premium models in recent COE bidding execises. These "premium" models were lower end variants of brand name luxury vehicles, such as the Mercedes Benz C180 (engine power 115kW) or BMW118i (125kW). The move is supposed to appease those who can afford only the mass market models, which brands are normally whispered to avoid embarrassing the bottom feeders.

Minister Lui deigned to venture too far out to antagonise the super rich by levying a surcharge on those who own multiple cars. Especially those have fleets of exotic sports vehicles for showing off, not basic transportation to a day job. He also rejected calls for a Pay-As-You-Bid system and a ban on dealers bidding on COE, for reasons best known to himself - and dealers consulted by the minister.

Shifting qualifying models from Category A to Category B means no difference to the cost of car ownership, if the recent numbers of the 4 September COE bidding exercise is anything to go buy. That damn piece of paper is still another $80,000 tax going to the greedy government:

• Category A (cars up to 1,600cc): $77,304, up from $76,223 previously;
• Category B (cars above 1,600cc): $77,100, up from $76,607 previously;
• Open category: $80,000, up from $79,223 previously.

The COV (Cost Over Valuation) took umpteen cooling measures (anybody keeping count?) to be tamed, in the ever elusive chase of the affordable public housing flat. Let's hope this tweak to the COE outrage is first of many to come.