Credibility that convinces, above anything else.

Dear Madam/Sir,

I refer to the letter “Experience that counts, not looks” (April 23).

As a matter of full disclosure: I, too, will not be able to vote in Marine Parade GRC.

However, I would be offended if the writer is implying that most Singaporeans are unthinking when it comes to assessing the suitability of political candidates to represent them.

From my observations, the support that Ms Nicole Seah has received thus far has been mainly on her own merit.

Ms Seah has been successful in demonstrating her honesty and reliability in offline interactions with friends, colleagues and ordinary Singaporeans prior to her foray into politics. This is evident from the high regard which people hold Ms Seah in when they narrate anecdotes about her principled personal beliefs and professional work ethos.

Furthermore, recent videos of Ms Seah speaking in interviews have been circulating on social media networks. Her intelligence, clarity and persuasion in these videos have been critical in convincing Singaporeans that Ms Seah is a credible candidate.

In light of these two key factors, there is no logical reason why Ms Seah should not receive the support she has garnered. Likewise, there is no evidence to the contrary as to why Singaporeans should not look to Ms Seah for future political representation and leadership.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Laremy LEE (Mr)

(Published as “She has earned the support” on 25 Apr 2011 in TODAYonline.)

Hanuman moving a mountain.

Image of Hanuman moving a mountain on the side of a van.

So I was riding along Bendeemer Road one day when I saw this van headed in the direction of Little India.

I quickly whipped out my mobile phone to take a picture of it because I was quite pleased by the symbolism of the image/advertisement.

Why?

  • The name of the company that owns this van is Sri Ram Exports Pte Ltd.
  • The image on the van is that of Hanuman moving a mountain (click on the link and read the entire page to understand why Hanuman is moving a mountain).
  • Ultimately, the story of Hanuman moving a mountain is supposed to demonstrate his devotion toward Ram.
  • Whoever commissioned the advertisement wanted to portray the Export company in a similar light i.e. we’ll get your goods to you in good time even if we have to cross oceans to reach you.

That’s quite clever, right?

(On hindsight: yes, it’s clever – so long as my assumptions are correct i.e.

  • For all I know, whoever commissioned the ad could’ve just done so without making any of the connections I mentioned above.
  • Also, my knowledge of Hindu mythology is quite limited so I could’ve got the interpretation wrong.)

Stuff you must read today (Sat, 16 Apr 2011)