Why I think Allan Ooi’s suicide should be discussed (respectfully, of course).

Fri, 13 Mar 2009
1 min read
Add Comment

Aaron’s comment:

i don’t understand why allen ooi’s suicide is such big state news. Hundreds of youths die everyday.

My take on this:

I think any death is sad and any suicide is even sadder still. In the latter instance, I think the motivations for the action should be brought to light – I’m of the impression that most of the time, people choose suicide because they feel as if they have no other choice. In this case, it might help to uncover why they felt that way, if it helps right wrongs or improve systems such that people don’t have to adopt the view that the only way out of a problem is to end their lives.

In Allan Ooi’s case, it sounds as though his liberties were denied and his freedom was constrained. From the perspective of most liberals/libertarians – and I’m sure you’d agree with me on this – the loss of one’s right to choose is something highly undesirable in any situation, and we should work together to prevent this from happening.

You have my support.

Sun, 8 Mar 2009
1 min read
1 Comment

From: Laremy Lee
Date: March 8, 2009 6:04:59 PM GMT+08:00
To: Ng Bee Chin
Cc: stforum@sph.com.sg, chee_hong_tat@pmo.gov.sg
Subject: You have my support.

Dear Professor,

I just read Mr Chee Hong Tat’s letter to the ST Forum Page, which I believe was written on behalf of MM Lee Kuan Yew. If anything, the use of a pejorative to emphasise a point which scarcely needed to have been made was thoroughly unprofessional and uncalled for.

More importantly, the bilingual policy may seem to be the most efficient option, but to speak against introducing alternatives is to disallow the freedom of choice. This is an incongruity which has me feeling rather perturbed, since the Ministry of Education is an advocate of “provid[ing] students with greater choice to meet their different interests and ways of learning”, for the ability “to choose what and how they learn will encourage them to take greater ownership of their learning”.

Nevertheless, I’d like to encourage you not to be discouraged. You have my support, along with that of many other Singaporeans, if you’ve been reading the chatter in the blogosphere.

Keep the vision alive.

Yours sincerely,
Laremy LEE (Mr)

Language and the media.

Wed, 4 Mar 2009
1 min read
Add Comment

The whole comparison to water usage is a deliberate attempt to mislead.

The standard telecom contract for data services has been based on bandwidth provided since the invention of data circuits. Indeed, the ISP’s price their services based on the bandwidth to which one subscribes. If I have subscribed for an 8Mb/sec service, how can I be a “bandwidth hog” for using 8Mb/sec of bandwidth? I paid for it, and I have the right to use it.

— Waleed Hanafi, Singapore – ISP’s to customers – “You are evil”

It’s an old article but I think it’s a very good example about how language and the media have the power to shape public opinion, and the media having a responsibility to report the news in an objective way. But if that doesn’t happen, then readers have to develop media literacy and critical thinking skills in order to separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of information and data processing.