A Question Of Morals

Horikoshi (not his real name) liked to complain that he was dumped in Singapore, robbed of the opportunities to hob-nob with the corporate elites at head quarters in Tokyo. His cardinal sin, as he imagines it, was having spent two years working with a gaijin outfit in America. Has he stayed faithful to the careerist route of graduation through retirement, he would not have lost out in the mad race ascending the corporate ladder.

Once Hori had to play host to Takagi - another fictitious name to protect the guilty conscious - a top dog from HQ sent to inspect the regional offices. After making the rounds of Bangkok's notorious night scene, Takagi wanted a lady for the rest of the evening. Hori discreetly left his boss at the Royal Orchid Sheraton foyer. Unfortunately for Hori, Takagi was stopped cold at the lift doors - hotel security was strict about female companions allowed access to guests' rooms.

Presumably the faux pas would not have happened in Singapore. Our under aged hooker seems to experience no problems sashaying into the hallways of the best-of-the-best hotels in town - Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental, St Regis, etc - to chalk up another mission accomplished. And she has the envelopes to prove it too, envelopes which the UBS executive stuffed dollar bills into to pay for services rendered, even if not remembered in open court.

Islamic morality police in Malaysia arrested more than 80 Muslims in an operation to stop them celebrating this year's Valentine's Day, which the government-run Department of Islamic Development says is "synonymous with vice activities" and that it contravened Islamic teachings.

Well, our very own Commissioner of Police has set a higher standard, equating dalliances outside of marriage as tantamount to corruption, "reprehensible acts" which "tainted the whole police force". One is reminded of Lee Kuan Yew's own strict morality benchmark, which was intolerant of divorce among cabinet members, causing much grief to Goh Keng Swee's personal affairs. So will the top cop be gunning for Michael Palmer next, and - gasp, gasp - the Minister of Law K Shanmugam?