Minister Lim Hwee Hua’s remark that ‘the comparatively low level of representation in higher political and corporate office does not belie the fact that women can attain such office on merit[1]‘ set me thinking about my perception of women MPs in Singapore. I admit not knowing any woman MP personally so my perception of women MPs here is based primarily on what I read about them in the local papers and on the Internet. I gather that there are many like me who also form their perceptions similarly.

The term ‘merit’ suggests some praiseworthy quality. The recent table-tennis episode – in which a woman MP first publicly showed her anger at a coach’s handling of his charges and then in a later incident publicly questioned his suitability for the Best Coach award only to lie low when the aggrieved ex-coach returned to Singapore to seek clarification of her remarks — left me wondering whether in spite of the Government’s efforts in trying so hard to attract women MPs into service, it is still experiencing difficulties in attracting good candidates that once in office can withstand the scrutiny of the public eye and still come out tops. I remember a capable woman MP who stepped down from the public eye after an incident in which she was seen washing her hands following some handshaking with hawkers at a wet market.

For all MPs, merit is not only about competence at work. It is also about being seen publicly as doing a good job. This is not the civil service or some corporate body where you are accountable only to your superiors. This is politics where you are rated by people in your constituency and are always in the public eye. This is where perceived slips of judgment can mean a loss of votes in an election year. That certainly is not good news for the MP or for the party the MP belongs to.

For a lesson on how to handle public perception, look at how Minister Khaw Boon Wan is handling the H1N1 flu situation. Also, look back at how he led us through the difficult NKF episode. Such bright sparks are not nurtured. They are born through fire — going into a crisis and coming out unscathed. So finding the right MP, whether man or woman, is not about merely scrutinising short-listed capable people and getting them elected into Parliament. It is about letting them go through the baptism of fire in the public eye. If they succeed, good news for Singapore. If not, the Government just has to go on trying till it gets enough of these MPs, though this will be difficult to do with such a small population to sieve talent from. And with women MPs, it just may be more difficult.

[1] Source: The Straits Times Forum Page A24, 18 Jun 2009

Reading Neil Humphreys’ article today in The Straits Times[0] on how he will ‘address the thorny issue of my mortality’ by planting a sapling in Toa Payoh Town Park so that he might have the answer to how might his ‘daughter come to remember her nomadic parents’, I could not help but be amused to find that this Angmoh, hailing from London, had, perhaps, become convinced that he now had ‘Toa Payoh roots’ since he had stayed in Toa Payoh while being stationed in Singapore earlier. This idea which he nuanced in his reference to a suggestion about planting a sapling in Toa Payoh Town Park and then thinking ’my family’s trees will literally grow roots in Toa Payoh’ does not sit well with me.

Of course, literally, when such a sapling is planted, and subsequently does grow into a tree, Neil can think that when he comes back to visit Toa Payoh, he is ‘going back to my Toa Payoh roots’ as the title of his article today suggests. 

But, as a Singaporean who grew up in Toa Payoh long before the Angmohs and other foreigners invaded the satellite town, I turn squeamish when thinking Neil actually had Toa Payoh roots. Here when I use ‘roots’ I was more thinking of ‘the place or culture that a person or their family comes from’[1]. When I first saw the heading, ‘Going back to my Toa Payoh roots’, of his article, that was indeed the first thought that flashed across my mind. Of course, on reading the article, I realised it had more to do with marking Earth Hour in Singapore today.

Nevertheless, Neil’s article has given me an excuse to put words to feelings which otherwise might have difficulty finding their way to print and might have remained thoughts weighing on my mind.  Today, in Singapore, one in four residents are foreigners. Whilst I welcome foreigners into the HDB heartland where I have been living since a young boy, and whilst I also do accept such foreigners becoming citizens in due course, I cannot help but be concerned that the safe Singapore I have been living in might turn into a place where it may no longer be safe to walk in the streets anytime of the day or night. Newspaper reports of the elderly being robbed in lifts and void decks, and of our greying men, particularly those past 55 years old, falling prey to China nationals who eye these newly rich men’s wallets, reinforce this perception. In Hougang, where I now live, day in and day out, when I walk around my neighbourhood, I see elderly Singaporean men sitting in void decks, whiling their time in coffeeshops or strolling along the streets — all in the company of younger female China nationals, some of whom look half the men’s age. 

As a disinterested passer-by, I have no doubt in my mind what these women are up to. But, I can’t help feeling sad for my fellow Singaporean men who have found their second spring, so to speak. I first wrote of these China ‘dolls’, as I call them, in July 2004[3]. Today, the situation remains the same or is perhaps worse. I still think that ‘as long as our Singaporean men are willing and eager to flirt with these China dolls, whether they be prostitutes or study-mums, the problem won’t go away. It’s simply supply meeting demand’[3]. And I still believe that  ’our post-middle-age Singaporean men want to feel attractive. They want women to ingratiate themselves with them — something that might not be forthcoming in their homes. Most of all, I think they all want to feel young again. And these China dolls do know how to make them feel young and attractive.’[3] Despite the passage of five years, the problem of educating our greying Singaporean men to make them ‘realise that they are courting trouble both at home and with the law’[3] remains unsolved.

As one who will shortly be wearing that ‘newly rich’ title by virtue of the fact that I will be eligible to draw on my CPF savings at age 55, I have occasionally wondered whether I would slide into the routine that these elderly Singaporean men have come to accept as their rejuvenation. Would I become a target of these friendly foreign women? Truly, I wondered about this a week ago when I received more-than-warm reception dished out by a non-Singaporean hairdresser while getting my hair cut at a neighbourhood salon. I guess I must be looking old now to have attracted this woman’s attention. For years, I have been trying to fight growing old. I pull out any white hairs I see in my hair on a daily basis. I try not to dress like an ‘uncle’ [4]. But, I end up being called ‘uncle’[4] by every young person I meet nowadays. It must be true. Much as I deny it, I am on the threshold of becoming a senior citizen.

So, what can I do to ward off these dangers lurking in the heartland? I am fortunate my wife is much younger than me. I have been lucky to have the PAP government minding me and my surrounds for the past half century. But I hope the government will take notice of the dangers that have surfaced since it relaxed immigration rules in 2003. I am grateful to be in good health. Mike Ellery once said that on turning old, ‘you begin to notice that girls stop turning to look at you over their shoulder with a wicked look in their eye. Then, you realise that even if they did, you’re too old to do anything about it.’[5] Thanks to Mike, I am reminded that these China dolls really are not interested in me but in my money. With all these going for me, I guess I will likely age safely and perhaps gracefully.

Coming back to Neil’s article, I venture to say that he might have been clearer if he had mentioned ‘putting down roots’ instead. Putting down roots suggests ‘making a place their home, for example, taking part in activities there or by making a lot of friends there’ [2]. Hey! I am comfortable with him and his family putting down roots here and eventually becoming Singaporeans. After all, my parents also had their roots elsewhere, in China that is, but chose to put down roots here in Singapore. For this, I am truly grateful to this day.

Notes:

[0] ‘Going back to my Toa Payoh roots’ by Neil Humphreys. The Straits Times Page E6 28 Mar 2009

[1] Collins Cobuild English Dictionary: You can refer to the place or culture that a person or their family comes from as their roots.

[2] Collins Cobuild English Dictionary: If someone puts down roots, they make a place their home, for example, taking part in activities there or by making a lot of friends there.

[3] Monday with the Editor Invasion of the China dolls, 5 Jul 2004

[4] uncle: an informal way of addressing a man who is past 40 years old

[5] Mike Ellery in ’The Gift Of Age’, a book written by already-old Singaporeans for Singaporeans who are growing old, as well as for the younger generation. The Gift Of Age ISBN 981 232 213 2 Published by RSVP Singapore in 2001

Everyone’s been talking about how the world recession is affecting Singapore. It seems there’s no end to the bad news hitting us from abroad. Nobody knows when the avalanche of bad news will bottom out. Every few days, a new high-profile scam is exposed elsewhere in the USA. Such news impact us badly because the sooner the financial systems of the world get back to their feet, the earlier the business world, including the banks, can pluck up the courage to take risks again. And the rest of us small-timers can get back into the band-wagon to ride on any up-trends in the stock markets. This will surely kindle interest in stocks on a wide scale and lift up the markets which have been in the doldrums for many months.

We depend on a rising stock market for it spells good news to everyone — from the businesses to the retailers, from the professionals to the construction workers. A rising stock market means more money moving around. That encourages sales which in turn increases employment. This means more money to bring home to the family. With more income, there will be more retail purchases, people will find it easier to eat out with their families, and donations to charity may get a boost. Once the spin starts, we will be able to gettison out of the recession.

So is the rising stock market going to happen soon? I doubt it. The retail price of gold has hit S$57 per gram for 24K purity. The USD is hovering around S$1.53. What do these things mean? Likely that people and funds are finding refuge in safe-haven things such as gold and the US dollar. But, the US economy is in bad shape so why is the dollar not moving down? Perhaps, that is because people in unstable countries have taken to hoarding the US dollar instead of their local currency. For one thing, the US dollar is considered safer than most currencies in the world, and for another, it is acceptable almost everywhere in the world. Also, China’s massive reserves are parked in bonds in the USA.

One thing is for certain — squeezing credit anywhere and adopting protectionist policies are not going to help the world get back onto its feet again. We should learn from the mistakes made by governments in the Great Depression.

So, what of Singapore? The Government is pumping money into the economy to try to lift it. It is also giving some to help us citizens through the bad times. But, I can think of two areas in which it needs our help:

1. Not hoarding money: We should carry on with what we had been doing — go shopping, eat out, and take the kids out for a fun time. Spend money within our means and not hoard it.

2. Putting slack time to good use: If we are unemployed, we should make use of the free time to take up a course, and learn new things. Stop being reticent and get on with filling our free time constructively. We may even feel better when we are busy and so do not have time for depressive thoughts.

Of course, some of the money pumped into the system goes out to other countries, through the remittances of foreign workers and maids. But that can’t be helped, for ours is an open economy, with heavy dependance on foreign labour. I am sure the Government must have figured out which areas of our economy have got leaks and taken steps to ensure minimal outflows.

So, do I see a clearing of the stormy weather sometime soon? No lah. I think the stormy weather is in for the long haul, and we may not see clear skies till 2012, perhaps. But, you never can tell. With so much money being pumped in around the world, and with governments committed to rescuing their countries’ economies, there just might be a miracle in the making.

Receiving a new kidney or heart is receiving a gift of life. Those on the receiving end are generally patients who are facing a life or death situation — people who have had to endure a long long wait for an available organ for transplant into their bodies.  The lucky ones at the front of the queue get a chance at a new lease of life. The others have to hope against hope that they will be able to live to see the day when an organ transplant becomes available for them. In many cases, it is a wait in vain.

So, it doesn’t come as a surprise to me to hear of patients trying to secure an organ illegally here in Singapore. These patients have exasperated all ways and means of getting an organ transplant legally and have found themselves in a desperate situation in which their health has deteriorated to such a stage that they are now being kept alive with the help of machines and medication. In other words, they won’t be able to live a day longer without such things. Simply put, they are at the end of life itself.

The recent news about CK Tang chairman Tang Wee Sung is an account of a man trying to prolong his life with a gift of life from a willing seller who will be well paid for parting with a kidney. It is willing-seller-willing-buyer situation. The seller willingly parts with a kidney and gets an amount of money which helps put him and his family into a better standard of living. The buyer willingly parts with a sum of money in exchange for a gift of life. Both parties stand to benefit. No one is exploited here.

But the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) makes it an offence for such a transaction to take place and so Mr Tang has found himself in court. Sadly, the law is punishing a man who has done no criminal act. He has not deprived anyone of his rights. What he had done was something that anyone of us healthy chaps would also have done if put in his shoes — he was merely a dying man clutching at a straw. But though he was desperate, he had not pushed anyone underwater in order to reach the straw which could save his life.

So, I think it is time for the law to be changed so that it allows the ethical sale of organs. It would significantly increase the number of lives that can be saved. There are people among us who would disagree with my suggestion. Some may feel that everyone should queue up and get an equal chance. That’s typically Singaporean. But I wish to remind these people that this is not about queueing up for an HDB flat or the latest iPhone. Lives are at stake here. And there are people who may think that it is morally wrong. I venture to ask if these persons would still hold such a view if they find themselves in similar dire straits and stand to lose their lives.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said recently that ‘even as we take action against those involved in illicit organ trading and unscrupulously exploiting the desperate and the vulnerable, we will take a sympathetic approach to the plight of the exploited donors and the basic instinct of kidney failure patients to try to live’.

But, we should do more. And quickly. Mr Tang needs our help. So do more than five hundred patients waiting for a kidney. Live and live live, I say.