One of the five stars: Equality!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The following opinion piece appeared in today's ST. It's a article
extremely worth reading, and to reflect upon.
Indeed, all Singaporeans should be treated as equal. Our Singapore pledge itself demands that we "build a
democratic society, based on
justice and
equality". If so, why should certain segment of the society be castigated because they believe in a system of check-and-balance, have a dissimilar compass reading, endowed with disparate talents, or simply different just because they are who they are?! While the society may never come to a consensus on many issues, yet the basic respect and right should be accorded to each and every individual. Building an inclusive society - that's what we have advocated and proclaimed to the world. Let's truely walk the talk, and show greater graciousness to each other.
=============================================Doing what's right without fear or favour by Dr Lee Wei Ling
I WAS born and bred in Singapore. This is my home, to which I am tied by family and friends. Yet many Singaporeans find me eccentric, though most are too polite to verbalise it. I only realised how eccentric I am when one friend pointed out to me why I could not use my own yardstick to judge others.
I dislike intensely the elitist attitude of some in our upper socio-economic class. I have been accused of reverse snobbery because I tend to avoid the wealthy who flaunt their wealth ostentatiously or do not help the less fortunate members of our society.
I treat all people I meet as equals, be it a truck driver friend or a patient and friend who belongs to the richest family in Singapore.
I appraise people not by their usefulness to me but by their character. I favour those with integrity, compassion and courage. I feel too many among us place inordinate emphasis on academic performance, job status, appearance and presentation.
I am a doctor and director of the smallest public sector hospital in Singapore, the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI). I have 300 staff, of whom 100 are doctors. I emphasise to my doctors that they must do their best for every patient regardless of paying status. I also appraise my doctors on how well they care for our patients, not by how much money they bring in for NNI.
My doctors know I have friends who are likely to come in as subsidised patients. I warn them that if I find them not treating any subsidised patient well, their appraisal - and hence bonus and annual salary increments - would be negatively affected. My doctors know I will do as I say.
I remind them that the purpose of our existence and the measure of our success is how well we care for all our patients - and that this is the morally correct way to behave and should be the reason why we are doctors. In NNI, almost all patients are given the best possible treatment regardless of their paying status.
My preference for egalitarianism extends to how I interact with my staff. I am director because the organisation needs a reporting structure. But my staff are encouraged to speak out when they disagree with me. This tends to be a rarity in several institutions in Singapore. The fear that one's career path may be negatively affected is what prevents many people from speaking out.
This reflects poorly on leadership. In many organisations, superiors do not like to be contradicted by those who work under them. Intellectual arrogance is a deplorable attitude.
'Listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story,' the Desiderata tells us. It is advice we should all heed - especially leaders, especially doctors.
I speak out when I see something wrong that no one appears to be trying to correct. Not infrequently, I try to right the wrong. In doing so, I have stepped on the sensitive toes of quite a few members of the establishment. As a result, I have been labelled 'anti-establishment'. Less kind comments include: 'She dares to do so because she has a godfather'.
I am indifferent to these untrue criticisms; I report to my conscience; and I would not be able to face myself if I knew that there was a wrong that I could have righted but failed to do so.
I have no protective godfather. My father, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, would not interfere with any disciplinary measures that might be meted out to me.
And I am not anti-establishment.
I am proud of what Singapore has achieved. But I am not a mouthpiece of the government. I am capable of independent thought and I can view problems or issues from a perspective that others may have overlooked. A few months ago, I gave a talk on medical ethics to students of our Graduate Medical School. They sent me a thank-you card with a message written by each student. One wrote: 'You are a maverick, yet you are certainly not anti-establishment. You obey the moral law.' Another wrote: 'Thank you for sharing your perspective with us and being the voice that not many dare to take.'
It would be better for Singapore's medical fraternity if the young can feel this way about all of us in positions of authority.
After the Sars epidemic in 2003, the Government began to transform Singapore into a vibrant city with arts and cultural festivals, and soon, integrated resorts and night F1. But can we claim to be a civilised first world country if we do not treat all members of our society with equal care and dignity?
There are other first world countries where the disparity between the different socio- economic classes is much more extreme and social snobbery is even worse than in Singapore. But that is no excuse for Singaporeans not to try harder to treat each other with dignity and care.
After all,
both the Bible and Confucius tell us not to treat others in a way that we ourselves would not want to be treated. That is a moral precept that many societies accept in theory, but do not carry out in practice. I wish Singapore could be an exception in this as it has been in many other areas where we have surprised others with our success.
Labels: humanity, inspiration, nation, news
by order of HRH .
@11:21 AM
when i grow up...
Saturday, July 26, 2008
My current earwax:
When I Grow Up by The Pussycat Dolls
Labels: music
by order of HRH .
@11:57 PM
Hot release this week
Thursday, July 24, 2008
DISTURBIA by Rihanna
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Labels: music
by order of HRH .
@11:06 AM
Who wants to be a millionaire?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
A new game show has hit the shore of Singapore, with prize amounting to $1 million up for grab. This new show has been strongly endorsed by the Singapore government, althought the question of whether the prize is tax-free remains unanswered as yet. And for the first time, you do not need to sign up to participate in this game. All you need to do to become an instant millionaire, prior to tax deduction, is to spot this man!
The contest is now on! So, keep your eyes open for this man and you will be able to win the top prize of
$1 MILLION!!! Labels: nation
by order of HRH .
@10:20 AM
COURAGE!
Monday, July 21, 2008
To live is to experience,
To experience is to explore,
To explore is to step out,
To step out is to have courage.
Some men were born to be courageous,
Others were forced to be so.
In the face of adversity, man's courage is what will keep him on.
May we all find the courage within us, to be who we are!
Prince nick@2008
Labels: writing
by order of HRH .
@1:09 AM
Pot calling the kettle black!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Came across this most interesting article in Today's Straits Times:
==========
July 14, 2008
Gay Italian man wins lawsuit over driving test
AN ITALIAN court has ruled that the government must pay 100,000 euros (S$215,000) in damages to a man who was told to retake a driving test because he was a homosexual.
When Mr Danilo Giuffrida, 26, told doctors he was gay at his medical examination for military service, they passed the information to the Transport Ministry, who told him he must repeat his driving test or have his licence withdrawn due to his 'sexual identity disturbance'.
Mr Giuffrida passed his driving test again, but the ministry renewed his licence for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality.
The judge ruling on the case in Catania, on the southern island of Sicily, said the actions of the defence and transport ministries showed 'evident sexual discrimination' against Mr Giuffrida.
His lawyer said the case marked the first time the state had been punished for sexual discrimination, and he hoped Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would 'summon Giuffrida and apologise to him on behalf of the state and all Italians'.
REUTERS
==========
And the West is trying to lecture us on our human rights?! What a joke!! Even our transport ministry doesn't do this. Singapore may not be perfect, but at least we are trying to improve. One thing for sure, we aren't a pot calling the kettle black.
Labels: nation, news
by order of HRH .
@12:01 PM
FACE-LIFT COMPLETED!
Monday, July 07, 2008
Finally, i'm totally done with the face-lift. Oh, i did it myself, in case you are wondering. Err... to be more exact, i modified a template i got from the net. Changed some stuffs here and there, until i got this final look. Pretty pleased with this new look. I like it very much. Hope you guys will like it too! =)
Labels: blogging
by order of HRH .
@12:21 PM
a new look?
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Time to give my blog a NEW look.
This 2nd template has been in use for more than 6 mths
Lazy though to redo the layout and all.
Any kind soul out there who's good at revamping blog?
Hahahaha!
Labels: blogging
by order of HRH .
@11:29 AM
"Night" - a MUST read!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Recently, I've been getting into the habit of reading again. I'm currently reading two books simultaneously. One I will carry in my bag, so I can read while I'm on-the-move. Another is my "night snack" before I retires for the night. I wouldn't classify myself as a bookworm, simply cos I dun really read as often as I should - unless u count newspapers as "books". That being said, I do find reading a pleasant activity, especially when all I want was to be alone.
Among all the "count-able" (as compared to countless) books I have read, one stood out the most. I used to have a blog entry on that book, but I have since deleted that entry due to royal decree no 2 (Pls check archive if you're wondering what's decree no 2!). I do recommend everyone to read that book which illustrates the sense of insanity and lack of humanity that we humans could become in times of darkness.
I was introduced to this book by Oprah Winfrey. Hmm... okie... to be more accurate, I knew of this book through the Oprah Show - not that I'm a personal fren of Oprah, though I will definitely love to have her as a personal fren! haha... The author appeared as a guest on her show, and they discussed about this book.
The book -
"Night" by Professor Elie Wiesel - is a true account about the horrors of the Holocaust during the WWII. It's the life story of a young Jewish boy who was sent to the German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, along with his family whom he subsequently lost. A simple, but powerful, book which will touch the core of your humanity. One quote from the book which enlightened me is
"Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented". So often, we think staying neutral in times of conflicts is the right thing to do. Yet, by our own inaction, we are actually encouraging the oppressor.
Well, because of this book, I have listed a visit to the Auschwitz camps in Poland as one of the things I must do in my lifetime. 1.1 million people, which is like a quarter of Singapore's population , perished at the camps. I've been to the Yad Vashem (Hebrew: "Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority") in Israel before. The Yad Vashem is the official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. There, I saw the faces of the victims - some as young as infants. It was there that the Holocaust was, to me, no longer a story about WWII, but a true occurrence which could always happen again.
Of course, besides the Jews, there were also other victims during the Holocaust, such as the Slavs, ethnic poles, disabled, gay men, Freemasons and Roma. Since ancient civilisation, man has always use some form of classification to distinct one other. Even today, we still use classifications in many things that we do, like "Upper Income", "Lower Income", "Chinese", "Eurasian", "Cosmopolitans", and "Heartlanders". Yet, we forget, at the end of the day, we're all humans - the same species!
"I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?--fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?"
- Shylock in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Labels: humanity, inspiration
by order of HRH .
@10:43 AM
Our race
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Next stop: 26th Singapore River Regatta.
Labels: rowing
by order of HRH .
@9:26 AM
And so it ends... our first race for the year! 