If the recent Ris Low saga is anything to go by, then it reveals that
Singaporeans have a long way to go in being a gracious country.
Netizens have by and large -- almost in knee jerk fashion --
turned into an ugly mob.
Mean spiritedness, small heartedness and judgementalism is the order of
the day. Even a minister of parliament has been quick to weigh-in on the
saga, calling everyone's attention to the fact that Ris Low's crimes
are serious and that she should not represent Singapore internationally.
It looks like the Ministry of Home Affairs campaign at giving ex-offenders
a second chance did not make an impression on the minister in question.
'Using another person's credit card is a very
serious offence. Honesty and integrity are very important.'
Yes, that's true.
So is this:
Through the Yellow Ribbon Project, we hope to promote a more accepting society,one that is willing to give ex-offenders a second chance at making good. It is important that we help unlock the second prison for our inmates, even as we let them out of the physical one.
Something even more disturbing than the mob mentality that seems to
have taken ahold, is a deeper question. What are are our values? Have
we placed appearances above kindness? Is this really about integrity
or is it more about 'saving face'?
I suppose it may well be that the strongest proponents of stripping
the title away from Ris based on her poor spoken English are those
who see good spoken English as more of a status symbol than as a
means of communication. I see many Netizens even correcting each
others grammar on forum sites! I think that there is a deeper need shown
here within the psyche of many. It does appear that we're compensating for our national inferiority by taking it out on someone who seems to display traits we are all ashamed of.
Then what about her criminal record? Bear in mind that the
crime took place 2 years ago. And we are talking about a very young person here who suffers from bipolar disorder. I wonder if those who have judged her measure themselves by the same yardstick? It would appear not. Even if integrity is a principle that we swear by, not tempering it with kindness turns one into an onerous oaf!
So at the end of the day, what is beauty? Is it more than skin deep?
It has been synoymous with graciousness, poise, kindess. If there
was a beauty contest for countries, how do you think Singapore would fare
on the world stage?
We seem to have the aesthetic qualifications. But with a very ugly
personality. It's ironic, because these are the very same things
we're accusing Ris of. It's time we took a look at ourselves.
What have we become?
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