No Laughing Matter

According to an Associated Press report from Washington, Singapore is well-known for its efficiency and order, but the city state's prime minister displayed a less advertised attribute - humour.

The misconception about the second part is understandable. The "Sticker Lady" and her "partner-in-crime" had to practically throw themselves at the mercy of the court for - goodness gracious me - trying to introduce Singlish humour to the world at large.  The people in charge, for reasons best known to their humourless lives, decided to spare no expense to remove the offending street art (officials quoted cost of damage at $3,857 and $3,723) and drag both of them to court. Come on, if you can't laugh at stuff like "No Need To Press So Many Times" reminders at pedestrian crossings and the cheeky phrase "My Grand Father  Road", you seriously need to have your head examined. Or, to quote Robin Williams in the "Good Morning Vietnam" movie classic, "You know... you're in more dire need of a blow job than any white man in history."

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was obviously not ready for a second career as a stand-up comedian. According to the same report from Washington, he drew laughs - and some groans - with his quips, including this one about China's environmental problems: "Beijing residents joke that to get a free smoke all they have to do is open their windows!"

China recently made it known that it had sent four ships carrying troops and helicopters to the southernmost tip of its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Specifically, she said its warships had sailed all the way to James Shoal, some 80km from Malaysian waters. China is also less well-known for its sense of humour.

Maybe that's why Ng Eng Hen is all about ready to splurge US$2.8 billion (S$3.5 billion) for the 12 F-35Bs. We may need the hardware to protect us from bad jokes.