April 2008

Lunacy Know No Bounds When You Know Uniquely

Guard against terrorism, we’re told. But a captured JI (Jemaah Islamiah)-terrorist – Mas Selamat Kastari – could escape during detention in Singapore! What’s the freakin’ use of us commoners being vigilant? Want a true slice of Singapore, one that renders the authorities always blameless and faultless? Here goes. A letter to The Straits Times on Mar 1, 08 pleaded: “Tell us exactly what happened.” Oh, don’t worry. Before an explanation was issued, another letter was printed right below the pleading one, saying: “We should unite, rather than cast blame.” I loooooove it! When the authorities commit grave error, it’s “an honest mistake” and we should not cast blame. Ha-ha-ha-ha, how more Singapore can it get?

The following day, The Sunday Times’ main headline was “The face that launched 5.5 million cellphone alerts”, referring to that of Mas Selamat. It’s true, just the night before, I’d sent a text message on my cellphone to a handful of pals about the ‘honest mistake’, the next morning, I got one from the MMS@Police of Singapore! Actually, I’d sent out the message to gauge others’ response. And sure enough, I got an interesting one from one of my pals in high places.

“I smell a rat. If this is for real, the whole Singapore will never be so relaxed. For a change, I think there is a conspiracy, ” she said. Precisely my feelings too. That’s how much faith I have in the hi-security system of Singapore! Hello, we were chosen as the host-country for the World IMF summit last year! But then, let’s just play along… at least for the poor grassroots leaders working their ass off trying to contribute to national security by distributing flyers about the fugitive. Nothing to muster a little solidarity like a national scare of terrorism! And without any arson too to cause real damage for now (at time of writing), how sweet! At a time when the public is most unhappy about rising inflation, it’s the best distraction one can hope for. My, how good can it get?

And how amazingly gullible Singaporeans are! They believe everything they’re told in the newspaper with no apprehension at all. (Of course, we somehow know that and don’t even question why.) Actually, the popular sentiment I get is that, yes, something fishy is going on and perhaps the said fugitive is already dead. But do we get such discussion in the pulp press? This is Singapore, honey! ST is commandments from the mountain!

Ah… wait a second, at the risk of sounding nonsensical, I have another ‘conspiracy theory’. Come to think of it, the JI fugitive’s escape is no fluke. Why? Simply because, at the end of the day, we know what idiocy lurks behind our so-called efficient system. It’s full of incompetent ass-covering digits. So, yeah, he probably did make an escape. How’s that for a win-win indictment! I win by both counts about the truth behind the fugitive. Who needs to know anyway? In Singapore, understanding intrinsically is often better. Besides, we will NEVER know. We only know what the national newspaper wants us to know. And that’s really as good as second-guessing between the lines.

“Minister Mentor says that the escape is a lesson on complacency” – Channel News Asia stated on early Mar 8. Wow, there’s simply no stopping the drop-on-the-floor-must-pick-up-sand rationale around these parts. Since the Home Affairs Minister is still keeping his job despite the ‘fiasco’ in national security, such a reaction from the top is like saying it isn’t really the authority’s fault that everyone else is so complacent! I do love it, you know. Ok, maybe I’m reading it a little out of perspective here.

The Straits Times elaborated on the quote, thus: “MM blames complacency for JI leader’s escape. It is stupid to believe we are infallible. We are not infallible. One mistake and we’ve got a big explosive in our midst. So let’s not take this thing lightly.” Well, I seem to recall that anyone else, who makes a mistake of national import would threaten our country’s industrial peace and must be severely dealt with. Since no one appears to have been severely dealt with, can we be blamed for taking the matter lightly?

Let’s be honest, we are fallible only when the founding father says we are. Would anyone else dare to proclaim this officially and not be censured for disturbing the moral fiber of what makes us upbeat and stable for the good of economic peace?

At this rate, I think we are heading for a uniquely 9/11 for a similar Bush-propping popularity show. Nothing to muster a little solidarity like a national scare of terrorism! Wink-wink, for the next General Election, ya?

Wait, check this out. “Some findings about escape won’t be revealed” – ST reported on Mar 17. Our Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng,, on why the committee (for the escape probe) will work behind closed doors, said: “It is not an exercise at grandstanding or playing to the gallery.” Wow, what a beautiful slice of Singapore’s grandstanding at transparent justification there! (Perhaps now, you can understand why I’m so full of it and why the public is generally all numbed out.) Actually, a simple ‘for national security reasons’ would suffice. Ah, but alas, it’s ALL about justifying for the sake of justifications, isn’t it? Cos a ‘for national security’ explanation may just bring on further queries to explain how so. Perhaps that also explains why “Manhunt: Intelligence efforts ‘invisible but intense’”(ST, Mar 25). Not playing to the gallery, mah!
You have to admit the imagery is consistent! -- X’ Ho