May 2005

Singa-Noia: The Mighty Might With A Super Resort

Last month, The X'Ho-Files began with a report on the suspension of the Nation (gay) party because some Health Minister thinks that such an event might spike Aids cases in Singapore. It certainly isn't an isolated case of SINGA-NOIA, as the following more than proves.

“Docs' ads allowed, so why not discount scheme?” – the headline of a letter written by one Danny Tseng published in the Forum page of The Straits Times on Apr 13, 05.
According to a previous press report on Apr 5, the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) was concerned that the scheme might breach a soliciting clause in the Private Hospitals & Medical Clinics (Publicity) Regulations. Tseng's letter on Apr 13 highlighted a contradiction: “Isn't the purpose of advertising to get more business? Why allow advertising and yet stop doctors from soliciting for more business? The use of a third party's website to promote doctors' services is just one method of outsourcing the advertising service.” Sigh.

Y'know, Tseng, you're right about advertising, but this is Singapore! You forget that we're unique. So advertising could just be about… well, spiking creativity, perhaps. Donch forget too that if the medical association gets too liberal and allows doctors to have an unfettered play at advertising, things might get out of hand. Such kiasu -ness, you'll understand, is really for the nation's industrial good and economic peace .

Once you let go of those medicated OB-markers, people will run circles around them and play truant. In fact, they most certainly will in Singapore, we know that for a fact. Anyway, who doesn't understand NATION-BUILDING in these parts? Our Masters are only playing God for that noble reason.

So Tseng, understand the complicated issue of doctors advertising. Besides, on more protocol terms, we have to appear somewhat prohibitive ‘til no one complains, mah . It may look like a real backside-covering strategem, but in the Singapore context, it's extremely wise a national move. Don't under-estimate the mighty might . All these years of nation-building could be jeopardized or undone by ignoring one little might .

Boy, do I feel like a good mentor to the hip new youths who probably think that OB markers refer to o-biang (naff) highlighters. To my detractors reading this with a mighty scorn, I'll have you know that there is a local TV program on Channel U titled Yue Hua Chiu Zhiang (Speak Up If You Have Something To Say). What do you think I'm doing here?

“MM Lee voices two regrets – 1. Not allowing Formula One Racing, and 2. Discouraging international institutes from locating here in the 1970s.” That was a headline in The Sunday Times on Apr 17, 05. It wasn't so long ago when his great person regretted leaving out maverick-thinkers and thinking-out-of-the-box when he was busy building the nation. What magnanimity it is to admit to more honest slips.

The report also stated that the Minister Mentor “was equally frank about how he had forgotten ‘pop culture' in his bid to turn Singapore into a first-world city in a third-world region”. That's amazing how something could be explained away as sheer mind-slip when it was targeted as insufferable object of annihilation! ‘Males with long hair will be attended to last!', remember? But s illy me. Of course, when the annihilation has been so efficacious, no one remembers much about pop-culture or how it existed in the first place! Not that there's no difference between forgetting and denouncing.

Anyway, considering the unctuous reason given now, we must surely understand the required sidestepping of logic there. The reason given for the regret? “I didn't see that the money was in pop culture. I think I was dim-witted then.” Oh my. I have to pinch myself hard to believe that statement. Then again, I shouldn't pinch myself over anything uttered by the System here. The moon could well be square if that's what nation-building dictates. So… maybe money should always remain invisible when there's a need for Asian/family values to be trumpeted. And when the money issue is put paid to shove, we can always blanket those values and everything else under economic peace . Gee whiz. How uniquely strategized. I hope the mentally flaccid youths of our nation will learn as well.

BTW, not seeing and refusing to see is such a fine line we'll have to leave it as benefit of doubt to the regretful. The MM “shared this lesson to explain why Singapore needed to overturn past decisions – such as the old ban on casinos”. Ah, all the more understandable then, when our nation's big need now is to have a world-class casino to attract mega-rich tourists.

A siow friend remarks in plainer language: The reason for the regret is not so much one of narrow mindedness but that big bucks  are lost! In other words, at end of the day, it is only money that counts. All the family values, culture, art, liberal thinking and societal harmony etc. are just secondary issues at best… !
    
Well, yeah! Got it down now for posterity, luv.
    
And so, on that fateful day, Apr 18, 05, the poor old be-all of decisions-all named family values (of the uniquely Singaporean kind) was dimly cast when the PM helped his Cabinet to decide that building a casino here is of great economic urgency to the nation. The same team that trumpeted this Asian-value, that family-values and all those religious issues in between ( no one asked them to do so in the first place but they did ) felt not a tinge of self-contradiction in all the arguments about having a casino amidst a mega resort here. All conscience allayed by the MM's cue, no less. MM, you know! Surely top-notch of the supreme MM-PM-SM trinity.
    
The verdict: “Yes to two mega resorts – creating the buzz of a global city – 35,000 new jobs & huge gains to economy”(ST, Apr19, 05). (Any surprise that, discreetly, there's no mention of casino in the headline?) My siow friend is right. It's all about the money when they say it should be so. Oh, when will Asian/family values make a comeback? I can hardly wait. After all, we can be sure that high-handed moral stance will not be discarded altogether to silence us morally tuned and law-bound citizens when it's needed.
    
“Opposition MP & party chief Low Thia Khiang draws fire for ‘playing politics'. He and his party earned a rebuke from Mr. Lim Swee Say (from the PM's office) for rejecting integrated resorts. He accused them of putting politics above the nation's interests.” (ST, Apr 21, 05). Aiyah , no lah . I think he is into gardening and golfing only lah . Playing politics? Why would an opposition party leader be into playing politics? Nuff said. (As I've mentioned before, you know ridiculous?)
    
BTW, we all know that when it comes to our nation's interests, we are surely in the safe hands of Big Brother. How else can he remain in his Efficiently Controlling office? We also have utmost faith when he lets fly a term like industrial peace to keep us all in check!
   
I was a little dismayed at the decision to have a casino in Singapore. Not because I'm an uptight goody-two shoe who thinks that casinos will ruin lives. But because I'd thought that accepting our populace' decision about the casino issue would have mattered more in this so-called ‘open society' of Remaking Singapore. And Lord knows there were enough objections from the religious right to close the subject on these sanctimonious shores.
    
A pious Muslim cab driver remarked about the decision: “I don't gamble, so the casino means nothing to me. Let the tsunami come and wash us clean.” Ooh, telling! But the win-win rationale given by Big Brother now is that opening a casino is not a religious issue. Religion at one's disposal, how convenient! Let me tell the Lord to go take a hike for economic peace . There, the REAL answer on Singapore's awesome success as a developing nation, for those wondering how we do it. REALLY. If only envious countries know how to tell the Lord to take a hike and STILL LOOK JUSTIFIED. Truly, our secret for success in a nutshell!
    
Goes to show – speak your mind about important social issues? Show-show, lor . Or, as my siow friend beckons: Climb aboard, Satan! (Not that He hasn't already.) It's open season for Shylock as win-win merchant gunning for gold by the pound for the city. What price conscience, when thousands of jobs are at stake, yah?!!
    
Just what Satan wants to hear. I should know, now that I've also learned from Big Brother to play God. Did someone just utter shameless? You mean you know shameless? – X'Ho