New Social Faultline-Increasing intolerance of a more self centred generation

Singapore and many of us have lost our way along the way ......

  

"(Amy Cheong's) comments reflect a deep seated racist attitude coupled with contempt for those who are less well off, or who wish to spend less. There are deep fault lines in our society, based on race/religion." - Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam

"I live in Holland Village, and I just can’t understand why people from the heartlands want to come here. We people are cultured, and you heartlanders are definitely not cultured.” -a Samantha, caller on 91.3 FM’s The Married Men show

   

Remembered the "Holland V not for heartlanders" incident? With the increased affluence, people living in the public housing are no longer the poor or under-privileged like in the past. And with a ever more educated and more vocal generation of HDB dwellers, we are increasing witnessing many frivolous complaints from these dwellers, from burning of incense papers (Taoist's practice), noise, building of aged care facilities, to the latest incident of a heartless neighbour who complained about a dying neighbours reliance on two dogs to pass his dying days. While Singaporeans are no doubt getting richer, they are getting more nastier and more repulsive. The materialistic pursue that the Government has unintentionally cultivated is going to do more harm to this once lovely and beautiful country that we call our own. The Singapore we once knew and the Singapore of today present stark contrasts.

 "To me, the Government has chosen the path of monetary and materialistic emphasis, plus enhancing its global image, over its citizens’ quality of life. The surge in population, which strains infrastructure; rising costs as people compete for jobs, goods and services; and the emphasis on casinos and wealthy foreigners to drive growth, all impress on young people the need to increase their material wealth, and they are then trapped in a rat race to achieve this.” - A new citizen Kenneth Ling

Perhaps what Acting Manpower Minister, Tan Chuan-Jin, wrote in his Facebook about how he embraces and celebrates Singapore’s diversity best sum up what we mere mortals should emulate:

“As I write this, prayers from Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, our oldest Mosque in Singapore, are being broadcasted. This is part of our life. It is part of our landscape…together with the burning of offerings, void deck funerals and weddings, increased parking during Friday prayers or Sunday morning worship.

“Yes, there are many of such activities that can seem to ‘intrude’ into our personal space. Individuals write in to complain.

“But we all give and take. Most live and let live. Many are proud of this colourful tapestry that we have here. This is part of what it means to be Singaporean.

“The reaction of some individuals do not reflect the values that the rest of us hold on to.

“I for one embrace and celebrate our diversity.”

F1 reveals ethical dissonance

Source: 4 Oct 2012,  The Straits Times

THANK you, Ms Anna Quek, for so eloquently expressing the concerns about the Government's decision to extend the hosting of the Formula One (F1) race for another five years ("S'pore GP: Full disclosure, please"; last Saturday).

Singapore risks evolving into a country of contradictions.

We welcome casinos and try to teach values in our schools.

We host a clearly environmentally hostile race, while we make increasingly loud noises about sustainability.

We also claim great pride in our reputation for integrity.

Yet, integrity is about doing the right thing, even if it costs one personally.

It means having to make financial sacrifices in order to preserve and build a long-term reputation.

I am increasingly concerned that we are unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices because we cannot see beyond dollars and cents.

If we do not watch it, we may one day be called ethical pragmatists, which is an oxymoron.

Mak Yuen Teen

Use halls properly, or enclose them to minimise disturbance

From Helen Lim

Source:  Oct 08, 2012

 

Many of us may have had bad experiences when events were held at multi-purpose halls in public housing estates. My worst encounter was a birthday celebration near my block. The users had turned the hall into a private discotheque, with music and shouting that could be heard blocks away. Empty beer bottles littered the lift lobby and stairs.

My neighbours and I finally decided to contact the town council for assistance. However, we were told to contact the police instead for the noise disturbance.

It is puzzling why the town council does not take responsibility or action to ensure that users of the multi-purpose halls adhere to the rules, especially when they receive feedback during the event.

Police resources can be allocated to more important or emergency matters. In our case, the situation continued till close to 11pm, and we had no choice but to call the police. The event stopped after two officers came.

Working adults usually look forward to a peaceful night and the weekends for a good rest. 

For families with children, the worst fear is to face such a situation during the examination period.

There will always be inconsiderate people. If town councils cannot ensure proper usage of multi-purpose halls when they rent out the place and are unable to resolve problems on the event day, the halls should be converted into enclosed, air-conditioned halls.

This would make the event more comfortable, and the noise level would be minimised.

 

Neighbours complain, so man dying from cancer can't keep his 2 beloved dog

Source: STOMP, 11 Sep 2012

STOMPer Bernard sent in a video about an old man dying of cancer who is forced to give one of his two dogs away due to his neighbours' complaints. He feels that HDB should let the man have his last wish -- to live with his two dogs.

Bernard said:

"The man in the video, known as Mr Tan, has been diagnosed with lung cancer and his only companions are his two Schnauzers but each HDB flat can only keep one toy breed dog, so he has been trying to stay under the radar.

"However, his foreign neighbours kept making groundless complaints about his dogs being a nuisance. Now he is forced to send one of his dogs away.

"Although it is against the law to have two dogs but I feel that in circumstances like this, concessions have to be given.

"I sincerely hope Mr Tan will be given a chance to live out his days with his two dogs."

STOMPers Sharon and Ester also commented on the dying man's plight.

Sharon said:

"I came across this article and felt that this is not fair for the dying man.

"HDB would rather want a person who may have the possibility of death to give away his dog than leave the dog in a home filled with love.

"What has Singapore and our society become? Tearing families apart and only listening to one side of the story?

"Please be flexible. You are only listening to one side of the story and not even helping our fellow Singaporeans.

"You should learn to look at each case individually and not just follow your rules and regulations!"

Ester said:

"How compassionate are we? A dying old man with lung cancer only wants to spend his last days with his two beloved dogs.

"But this is not allowed? He may only have another six more months to live.

"Can't the law be more lenient towards a dying old man? How much stress is this society giving to this poor old man?"

 

  

The Amy Cheong Incident

extracted from Yahoo!News, 8 Oct 2012 

 

"In her post on Sunday evening, (Amy) Cheong had put up a public status on her personal Facebook timeline, complaining about a Malay wedding that was being held at a void deck near her home.

Among other things, she related Malay weddings to high divorce rates, and asked how society could “allow people to get married for 50 bucks”, peppering her post with vulgarities.

In a separate post, she also allegedly wrote, “Void deck weddings should be banned. If you can’t afford a proper wedding then you shouldn’t be getting married. Full stop.”

She has since been fired from her job by NTUC and also made multiple apologies after her profanity-laced post went viral online, triggering an angry backlash from both Malay and non-Malay communities alike."

Past Incidents of Religious Disrespect in Singapore

Askmelah's Note: In a multireligious society such as Singapore, one should be mindful and respectful of each other's religion. There are always certain religion's practices that may look ridiculous in other religion but there is no need to belittle or disapprove their practices. As a Budha saying goes: "Buddism does not require other religions to be wrong in order for Buddhism to be right." 

(this page is still work in progress)

Disclaimer: Askmelah is a free thinker. This post is not intended to target at any one religion. Do email me any other such incidents which have been reported by the mass media which I may have missed so that this post will be more inclusive.

NUS group's 'disrespectful' mission trip posters

Posters and online comments denigrating other religions have sparked an outcry at the National University of Singapore (NUS), leading to their removal and a reminder by the university's provost yesterday to respect the religion and beliefs of others.

The posters and comments were made by the NUS Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC), which has since apologised and promised to be "watchful of future actions". The Singapore CCC is a Christian non-profit organisation active in tertiary campuses.

The posters were to spread awareness of the group's coming mission trips and contained comments about the pervasiveness of Buddhism and Islam in Thailand and Turkey respectively. (Source: Todayonline)

• Outrage over NUS disrespectful mission trip

Paster Rony Tan

2010: Pastor Rony Tan made headlines when videos of him belittling Buddhist precepts such as rebirth, karma and nirvana were circulated on the Internet, creating an outroar. This led to the authorities warning him, after which he apologised.

• Pastor Rony Tan Demonized Buddhism
• Video of Pastor making rounds

Pastor Mark Ng

2010 (2008): Pastor Mark Ng has apparently made insensitive comments on traditional Chinese beliefs.  In the 10-minute audio clip (which has since been removed at the request of the church) was posted on YouTube. In it, the church pastor, Mr Mark Ng, can be heard joking with the congregation about Chinese rituals; in one instance, he compared praying to Taoist deities to 'seeking protection from secret society gangsters'. 

The church later apologised on his behalf: 'Pastor Mark offers his unreserved and unmitigated apology to the public for his insensitive comments... He humbly appeals to those whom he has offended to forgive him for this serious indiscretion.'

• Pastor poked fun at Chinese beliefs

The unhealthy tuition phenomenon

Many parents in Singapore give their children tuition not because they can not cope but to get better (hopefully prefect) scores. No wonder enrichment classes and tuition centres is a billion dollar in Singapore here. Sometimes I wonder if the role is reversed and the parent is the student who was asked to attend all kinds of tuitions and enrichment classes, will he (mostly she the mother) like it? Why does something to the children what they themselves would not like to treated that way?

Related links:

• The Sunday Times (Jun 3, 2012) "My Child is GIFTED"
• The Sunday Times (May 6, 2012) "'F' for childhood" - "Pushing such young children too hard can often have deleterious results....According ti IMH, more than one in 10 primary school pupils here had emotional and behavioural problems in 2010.... The lesson for parents is this: Let children enjoy their childhood, before it is lost."

Too many foreign maids died unnecessarily

photo:KUAH BOO INN (Souce: AsisOne)

Relate articles:

• Low mentality of some Singaporean employers (and the Government) in treating maids
• The downside of maid culture in Singapore

Yet another maid had died unnecessarily, this one fell from 8th floor condo to her death. Over the years, there were simply too many maids fell down from the apartments. Some are accidents, some are oblivious to the danger of cleaning the windows of high rise flats, but there are definitely a sizeable clean-obsessed employers who ordered their maids to clean the windows despite knowing the danger. How often do you hear of Singaporeans and residents falling from their flats accidentally due to cleaning or otherwise? It is time for these unscrupulous employers to do serious soul searching. As for the maid, they are protected by law to not to endanger their own lives, it is simply not worth the money to lose one life over a few hundred dollars a month, much less if you consider one has to pay 8 months of their salaries to the agents.

"Declining to be named, she told The Straits Times on Monday that the desperate woman's eyes, wide with fear, have been seared into her memory."

[Updated 4 Apr 2012: Todayonline - the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday rejected calls for stricter work safety legislation for the FDWs as doing so would not address the root of the problem. The MOM instead pledged to enhance safety training for new FDWs. It also called on employers to be more vigilant and supervise the FDWs more closely in their work.... According to the MOM, there were six fatal falls - all involving maids who were cleaning windows or hanging out laundry - in the first three months of the year. In comparison, between 2007 and last year, there were a total of 24 such cases.]

related articles:

• Indonesian Maid Dies in 30-Storey Plunge in Singapore  - "the maid had lost her balance and fallen out of the window, but managed to cling to it. She shouted for her employer, but fell before the woman could reach her."
• Maid falls to her death from Jurong East condoYet another maid falls to her death, 8th case this year

• 9th Indonesian Maid Falls to Her Death in Singapore This Year

• Make homes homes safe for maids (The Straits Times  May 12 2012)

Employers 'must work with maids'

Control the costs, not more subsidies!

The writer hits the nail right on the head. Why tax the poor citizens with high GST then give them offset packages and vounchers to offset his sufferings for a few years! Isn't that more works for the civil sevants unless the intention is create more jobs! Likewise whenever there is an increase in utility bills or school fees, this Government is always quick to announce 1) offset package to help the citizens 2) an increase in bursary and proclaim that "no student will be deprived of education due to cost". But a small increase here and there will not kill the frog instantly, if I may draw the analogy, the poor frog just got boiled slowly in a cooking pot until such time before it realises it, it has been cooked.

 

The Budget and what citizens want: Lower costs

Letter from Peter Loon Seng Chee

Source: Todayonline Feb 21, 2012

 

There are steps in this year's Budget to improve the lives of the elderly and the less well-equipped in dealing with the rising cost of living. The plans to lift incomes are also welcome.

The main question is: Will these incomes keep up with costs? I think more can be done to keep costs stable, especially those within the Government's control.

For food prices, this could be achieved by controlling the rental process at hawker centres.

In public transport, the additional buses are welcome, but fares for buses, trains and taxis could also be kept low if taxi rentals were lowered and the costs of the new buses and trains are not passed on to commuters.

In public housing, the authorities should tighten controls on the sale of flats and release them at affordable prices.

If such essentials are left to the market and profit-driven private operators, there would always be a lag between wages and living costs.

If we constantly fight to stay afloat, we would never be gracious but entrenched in the mentality of fending only for ourselves.

Unhappy people are not productive, and they do not make babies, either.