The Great Singapore Massacre

The Great Singapore Sale just started today. But I wonder how many of my fellow Singaporeans are aware that the Great Singapore Massacre has started long ago.

According to the Singapore Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society, 14,000 abortions were carried out last year. President of the society, Dr Lee Keen Whye was reported to be disappointed that the number of tertiary-educated women going for abortions has tripled in the last 16 years. Doctors say it is shocking that abortion rates among tertiary-educated married women in Singapore are still high, since educated women are supposed to comprehend the importance of family planning. They think that more education on family planning methods is required.

I believe that this will not work because the real issue is not about ignorance but about values.

As long as our society, and that includes men and government leaders, do not believe that a fetus is a living human being that can breathe and feel pain, and that abortion is equivalent to killing, things will not improve. As long as we tell ourselves that, since we cannot see the baby inside a woman’s womb, we cannot hear it crying, then it is not alive and can be disposed of as and when we want, then things will not improve.

Yes, education is required; but it should be education on the real facts of life; for both men and women. I urge all readers of this post to go to the following website and find out the facts for yourself: www.justthefacts.org



If you knew the facts, then you will not be like those readers who wrote to the press after last Tuesday’s news article. Instead of grieving for the loss of precious lives, they bemoan the “waste” of babies because our country is facing a population decline.

If more Singaporeans knew the facts, then maybe in addition to the tears that they shed at the passing of our former president and the pope, they will shed a tear or two for those 14,000 unknown, unnamed babies who died last year. Both Dr Wee and Pope John Paul lived to their eighties; but I wonder how many of the 14,000 lived up to 80 days.

If more Singaporeans knew the facts, then maybe we as a society will feel some shame for the fact that our country has one of the most liberal abortion laws in the world.

I know from my visits to many Singaporean blogsites that most young Singaporeans value life and that’s why they oppose the death penalty. I suggest that they divert some of their sympathy for convicted murderers to innocent babies.

As you enjoy the Great Singapore Sale over the next 40 days, please remember that during that 6-week period, another 1,611 babies would have been killed.



I end with these words from Dr Jerome LeJune, genetics professor at University of Descartes in Paris; and discoverer of the Down’s Syndrome chromosome.

“I have learned from my earliest medical education that human life begins at the point of conception. I submit that human life is present throughout this entire sequence from conception to adulthood and any interruption at any point constitutes a termination of human life.”

The Judge is Judged Guilty

Every year, the US State department publishes a report card on the human rights performance of other countries. Many countries, including our beloved Singapore are regularly criticized. Even her prominent citizens like Richard Gere like to pass judgment on the perceived human rights abuses of other countries.

In the case of Saddam Hussein, the judge went beyond criticizing. The proud dictator was apprehended, judged and soundly humbled.

But it appears that the judge has himself been found guilty of the same crime. In a BBC article dated 25 May 2005, titled, Amnesty Accuses US Over Torture, it was reported that; “In a 300-page annual report, the group accused the US government of damaging human rights with its attitude to torture and treatment of detainees”.

One of Saddam’s crimes was his use of chemical weapons against the Kurds in Iraq. But then, the US has also been found guilty of using chemical weapons for mass destruction, albeit of trees and foliage. On 29 April 2005, the BBC in an article entitled, The Legacy of Agent Orange, reported that during the Vietnam war, the US army sprayed 80 million litres of poisonous chemicals in Vietnam and Cambodia. The tragic results are felt even today.

I guess it’s a case of beholding the speck in another’s eye but perceiving not the beam in one’s own eye.

Wasted Anger

Ah; it’s the Vesak Day Holiday, and finally I could settle down in the quiet of my room to enjoy the cd of Simon and Garfunkel’s greatest hits which I bought yesterday. But alas, my enjoyment was marred by the incessant ranting of my neighbour against her maid. As you might expect, it was over some trivial matter about mopping the floor, or something equally serious.

The beautiful music of my favourite duo was cruelly mutilated by repeated accusations of, “you are so selfish”, “you have an attitude problem” blah blah blah ….. And this went on for nearly 10 songs before I decided that I couldn’t take it anymore. No I did not yell to ask her to shut up; although I wish I had the courage to go over to her house and ask her to cool down and invite her to listen to the Sounds of Silence. Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would. Instead I put on my headphones.

And then ironically, song number 9 came on; Seven O’clock News/Silent Night. It was a beautiful rendition of Silent Night with the solemn voice of the news caster in the background reading a chain of bad news culminating in a news item about Vice President Nixon clamouring for more funds for the Vietnam War. Now that’s an appropriate song for today’s America.

If I have a good voice, I will record my version of Silent Night with my neighbour’s ranting in the background. So much pain and injustice and evil in the world today. So much bad news on the doorstep everyday. So many things to get angry about. And she has to get all worked up over something so trivial.

And here’s to you Mrs Tan, heaven holds a place for those who pray, …………..

If We Decide to Go Ahead

Everytime a minister utter those dreaded words, I fear its more bad news on the doorstep.

For the past one year, during the 'Great Casino Debate", every minister who spoke on the subject used these dreaded words, promising to take care of the people who become addicted to gambling etc. etc. And then they went ahead to announce the decision to build 2 casinos.

Today I heard those dreaded words again. The transport minister promised in parliament that if the transport companies are permitted to raise their bus and mrt fares, the government will make sure that the poor will get help etc. etc.

Looks like its another foregone decision. Afterall the transport companies put up a convincing argument. They have not increased fares for ages - the last fare hike was in practically in the last century, in year 2002. Costs of everything has gone up; and one of them only made a profit of $34 million last year.

I wish I could do that in my business; increase prices because costs have gone up.

Management Accountability: Difference between Japanese and Singaporeans

One thing I admire about Japanese managers is their sense of responsibilty and ownership.

In yesterday’s report about the train accident in Osaka, we read that the top management of the Japanese railway company immediately submitted their resignations to bear responsibility for the tragedy. In today's BBC News website you can see a picture of the company chairman bowing and apologising to the public.

Some years ago, when a Japanese airliner crashed in Japan, the CEO of the airline also went to the crash site to apologise to the relatives of the casualties. It was reported that he received a mouthful from the grieving relatives.

Sad to say, we do not see this type of sense of responsibility and shame when things go wrong in Singapore. Consider the case of the national serviceman who was literally tortured to death during combat survival training in 2003, or the collision involving the RSS Courageous with the ANL Indonesia in 2003, or the Nicoll Highway collapse last year. In each case, did we see the top management apologize? Were they taken to task? Sadly, no. Only those directly involved were charged and punished.

On the other hand, whenever the top guns at these organizations, such as the ministers and deputy ministers, or permanent secretaries resign or retire, the newspapers will publish a long list of the achievements that took place during their term of office as if they were the ones who deserved all the credit.

And we wonder why Singaporean workers are so “disloyal”? And the HR managers accuse Singapore workers of changing jobs for just a few extra dollars.

The Secret of Effective Government

An old couple who had been married for decades were asked what was their secret to a successful marriage.

The secret is compromise, the old man replied. Whenever my wife and I have a disagreement, we compromise. We will each present our arguments and then we compromise and do it her way.

The Singapore government is widely recognized as one of the most effective governments in the world. Numerous experts and surveys, like Beri have rated our government highly.

And their secret? They listen to the people.

After one full year of listening to ordinary citizens, religious leaders, civic organizations and even parliamentarians, plus an unprecedented petition carrying 30,000 signatures argue against the idea of building a casino in Singapore, they announced last week to build not one but two casinos.

The surprising thing is that nobody was surprised.

Paul Simon was right. After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same.

Who Is A Winner?

I read about two types of winners in yesterday’s newspapers.

In the Straits Times, there was a commentary on a new book, Winning by ex-GE boss Jack Welch. Like his other books, this one was described as a “runaway hit”. As I read the article, I cannot help thinking that this man, whose motto is, “winning is great”, is a real winner; that was until I came to the part which mentioned that the co-writer was his ex-mistress and wife number three.

Can a person with two failed marriages be called a winner? (I am assuming that the previous two marriages ended in divorce; my apologies if I am mistaken). Not if you ask the next writer, James Dobson of Focus on the Family.

In the Today, James Dobson narrated about a man who gave up hopes, dreams, and bank account for family. Here is what he wrote:

In 1985, Tim Burke saw his boyhood dream come true the day he signed on to pitch for the Montreal Expos. After four years in the minors, he was finally going to get a chance to play in the big leagues. And he quickly proved to be worth his salt, setting an all-time record for most relief appearances by a rookie player. But along the way, Tim and his wife, Christine, had adopted four children with very special needs – two daughters from South Korea, a handicapped son from Guatemala, and another son from Vietnam. All of the children were born with very serious illness or defects. Neither Tim nor Christine were prepared for the tremendous demands such a family would bring. And with the grueling schedule of major-league baseball, Tim was seldom around to help. So in 1993, only three months after signing a $600,000 contract with the Cincinnati Reds, he decided to retire. When pressed by reporters to explain this unbelievable decision, he simply said, “Baseball is going to do just fine without me. But I’m the only father my children have.”

Heroes are in short supply these days, but I’m happy to say that I’ve met one of them.

A Dung By Any Other Name

Shakespeare wrote that a rose by any other name smells as sweet.

The opposite is true. Many people try to cover ugliness with euphemisms. Yesterday’s news about how the Japanese government tries to whitewash history by glorifying her wartime past and glossing over the atrocities committed by the Japanese military in the last war is a good example.

In a newly approved history textbook written by the Japanese Society for Textbook Reform, the Nanjing Massacre of 1937, where hundreds of thousands of civilians were murdered was referred to as The Nanjing Incident. Thousands of women who were raped, tortured and forced to become sex slaves to satisfy the lust of Japanese soldiers were called “comfort women”.

Other less offensive examples are aplenty in our newspapers. The other day, a reader wrote to the forum complaining that numerous karaoke lounges and massage parlours have opened recently in his neighbourhood. Everybody knows, he said, what really goes on behind the closed doors of these places.

Next week, our government will announce its decision on whether or not to build a casino in Singapore. I wish they will stop referring to it as an ‘integrated resort’; as if it is a good, wholesome place to bring our kids.

A dung by any other name stinks.