Another Unnecessary Death

Was Dinesh taken down like this?

“We have allowed our criminal justice system to get off balance,” presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton told reporters, “And I personally hope that these tragedies give us an opportunity to come together as a nation to find our balance again.”

The waves of protest sweeping across America are about the videotaped death of Eric Garner of Staten Island in July.  The  amateur digital record of New York cop Daniel Pantaleo applying a lethal chokehold to take down an unarmed man is fuelling calls for a march on the scale of the historic marches that led to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The New York medical examiner had ruled that Garner's death was a homicide, concluding that compression of the neck and chest, combined with his positioning on the ground while being restrained by police, caused his death. He also noted that the 25-stone man had serious health problems and that his acute and chronic bronchial asthma, obesity and hypertensive cardiovascular disease were contributing factors.

Dinesh Raman Chinnaiah had no known health problems. He was a young man who died of positional asphyxia when overpowered by Chief Warden (CW) Daljit, Sgt Yen, Sgt Jonathan, Cpl Robby, Cpl Anand and/or CW Rozairudin in the secure facility of the Changi Prison Complex. Garner was heard pleading "I can't breathe" in the video footage that went viral, Dinesh could not even utter a single word. His eyes turned bloody red and mucus flowed copiously from his nose. The ubiquitous CCTV camera, a common sight in every corner of Singapore, was mysteriously absent.

After the initial official response claiming the inmate was restrained "according to protocol" cut no ice with the public, the senior prison officer charged with causing Dinesh's death through negligence was slapped with a mere $10,000 fine. There was no protest at Hong Lim Park.

That's the difference between Singapore and America.

Lessons From Hong Kong

"Singapore is at a crossroads. How the country moves forward will depend on the choices that the people and their leaders make today. The incentives that those in power build into the system will determine whether the country progresses or stagnates. To that end, the ability of Singaporeans to question authority and to build a capacity for collective reasoning and debate is essential."

Singapore's Consul-General Jacky Foo Hong Kong did not object to that paragraph in the Wall Street Journal commentary of 27 November 2014 ("A New Vision for Singapore").

He was rankled by some other observations, and had to put in his 2 cents' worth. But you have to wonder about his mental state when he regurgitates stuff like these:

• "in Singapore, the low-income have access to high-quality education, health care and public housing, like other citizens"
• "Families earning just 1,000 Singapore dollars ($800) a month can afford to own a two-room apartment"
• "Their wages have also grown by 10% (in real terms) in the past decade"
• "The reality is that elections in Singapore are free and fair"

You know the guy is obviously oblivious that many have sold their public housing flats to finance an overseas education because places in local universities were given up to "scholars" from PRC, that $1,000 a month can service flat ownership is a myth that has been debunked ad infinitum, his real wage growth statistic is off by at least a factor of 10 and, to quote his political master's voice, "there is no such thing as fair play in politics". Foo's mindless ramble reminds one of Michael Palmer's first utterances when he was helicoptered into parliament at too tender an age: "Before I joined the grassroots organisation, I never knew there were poor people in developed countries". If Foo is just as wet behind the years, we hope he stays away from ardent worshippers bearing tempting mangoes.

To be fair to Foo, he is just protecting his paycheck. All said and done, "he is out to make a political case and trim his sails to the wind." What ex-minister George Yeo, also based in Hong Kong, eloquently penned as "going with the flow".

Stand Your Ground

The shameful cul-de-sac encounter

Ken Kwek will always have a place in our hearts for refusing to divulge the names and standing his ground as a journalist to protect his sources. Lee Kuan Yew (then Minister Mentor) had insisted in the Why-My-Vote-Matters dialogue session of 12 April 2006 that Ken had to disclose, on live national tv, the names of literally hundreds of people he interviewed on the street, to justify his claim that people are afraid to vote against the ruling regime. Which led to the nauseating repartee from the brass knuckles specialist bully, "I allow my grandchildren to speak back to me, but from time to time, when they are out of bounds, I put them down."

Well, you can't really put a good man down so easily.

His "Unlucky Plaza" was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival premiere in September which played to sold out screenings. And will be the first local film to open the Singapore Film Festival in 25 years. True to form, Ken continues to tell the unblemished truth - that Singapore society is becoming more open and yet more intolerant, richer and yet, in many ways, poorer. Wonder what the old coot who can't even stand on his own two feet unassisted will say to that.

Ken says that a lot of (local) film-makers have grown up with the idea that only Jack Neo can thrive at the box office. Forget about that, focus on the mission of changing the mindset of those who are still seduced by empty promises and a Chesire Cat type grin. He's always grinning because he's getting rich at our expense.

Another Bites The Dust

Fresh from exacting its pound of flesh from the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), the National Environment Agency (NEA) homed in on Colorzon Events and Design for organizing an unlicensed trade fair at Kovan City. Those looking forward to pick up a handphone, accessories or children's clothing at bargain prices will have to head back to Sim Lim Square to be fleeced by the merciless merchants there.

Faced with the new maximum fine of $10,000 - before April 1 it was only $1,000 ("What's wrong with collecting more money?") - Colorzon had no alternative but to buckle under the flexing muscles of NEA. Forget about the altruistic element in providing cheaper goods for the residents at Kovan. It is also convenient that the Heartland Mall of Kovan falls neatly into the jurisdiction of Aljunied GRC. We await with unabated breathe as the insidious minds plot to snare AHPETC into the web of the latest transgression of the law.

To dismiss the notion of picking on opposition wards only, the mainstream media took pains to highlight that since 2011, the NEA has taken action against the operators of 16 unlicensed fairs located at Tampines, Toa Payoh, Simei, Clementi, Kovan City, Bukit Merah, Kampong Glam, Chinatown, Serangoon North, Rivervale Walk and Tanglin Halt. Quietly, of course, without the fanfare of nasty publicity to drag anyone through the mud.

If only the NEA was more focused on fighting dengue. From 1 January 2014 to 8 March 2014, a total of 3,122 dengue cases were reported, representing a 25% increase over last year's figure of 2,503 for the same period. Last year was the annus horribilis with a record high of 22,170 diagnosed cases. Then again, it must be more fun harassing vendors escaping exorbitant rentals - and passing the cost savings to the consumer - than dealing with the pesky female Aedes mosquito. If the platelet count of Baey Yam Keng continue to fall below the recommended threshold for dengue patients, perhaps the NEA may just sit up and resight its cross-hairs on the right target. No way will they want to be blamed for the horrible prospect of another by-election. Meanwhile Baey is assuring his adulating grassroots supporters that "I am sure with a strong will, I can make it." That guy will do anything to post another selfie.

The Scholar System Is Broke

On 24 January 2009 at about 11pm, a scholar gained notoriety by strolling down Lorong Mambong in Holland Village on a crowded Saturday evening with nothing on but her birthday suit.

An alumni of the University of Cambridge at which she studied in 2003, she was sent on an A*STAR National Science Scholarship (NSS) to study infection biology in Sweden's Karolinska Institutet  in 2007. A MENSA member with an IQ of over 148, she was also a champion skater who had represented Singapore at Skate Asia, the largest ice-skating competition outside the US.

Together with Jan Philip, 21, a Swedish student on an exchange programme, the attention getter was charged in court for appearing nude in public. Philip was offered bail of $5,000 and his passport was impounded. But the Singaporean did not have to post bail and her passport was not confiscated. Being a scholar has its privileges.

Despite being fined $2000 for breaking the law, A*Star in its infinite wisdom, chose to give her a warning only, and allowed her to keep the full scholarship. Now in 2014, the streaker makes it plain she is not interested in her bonded employment at all, but is merely marking time to serve out her bond instead of having to face paying, as of 30 September 2014, around $741,657 in order to quit.

Instead of working hard towards a cure for an infectious disease, say Ebola, she decided to go into song and dance and fund art projects "in all genres, including (but) not limited to fine art, visual art, dance, music, circus, theatre, film and literature” with a $1,000 a month grant. Money deducted from a salary that is paid by honest taxpayers, meant to finance a professional obligation she has no intention to fulfil.

The people who vetted and selected her for the umpteen years of expensive overseas education - we assume it must be the Public Service Commission or similar - are caught between a rock and a very hard place. In the private sector, such a maverick will be shown the door in a jiffy - with penalties to match. But to kick her out means admitting they made a bad mistake and committed serious error of judgment. The same judgment with which they have appointed other scholars to high office in various statutory boards and government linked companies, or even into parliament. Come hell or high water, they will never admit the emperor is not wearing any clothes.