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:: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 ::

A slightly less closed letter to TPL

I can't believe that I'm having to write a caveat for my note, but in light of the observed furore when it comes to politics, it is necessary in order to spare myself and others some pain.

It took me a very, very long time to decide whether or not to release this but I've been itching to write something for a long time, and well, this is the only thing that has inspired me so far.

First off, let me make some things clear:

1) I'm not a supporter of Ms Tin.
2) Neither am I anti-opposition.
3) You do know that one and two aren't mutually exclusive, right?
4) Just checking.
5) I know very little about politics.
6) I don't claim to be highly educated or intelligent and therefore have no leg to stand on. If you tell me about the inadequencies of any political group I shall just smile and nod while my mind drifts off to dwell on my June holidays.
7) I am a civil servant; ostensibly "pro-government" and hence "pro-PAP" but seriously trying to be non-partisan.

If you can't stomach anything even faintly resembling a defense of TPL, then well, this note is not for you. Just don't go any further. Seriously. It's just going to hurt both of us and our friendship (if we still have one at this point?).

If you insist on going ahead, feel free to disregard everything I say (which, well, in that case, means you just wasted a portion of your life reading something that contributes nothing to you, doesn't it?) on the supposition that I am a brain-washed, anti-democracy, vapid, idiotic, doesn't-know-what-she's-talking-about government drone. Now that we've gotten the inevitable name calling out of the way....

I write this tongue-in-cheek while inspired by my distaste of the political circus that my FB has become in recent days. *clutches head* GE is over, people! GIVE IT A REST.

*************************

Dear Ms Tin,

To begin, I would like to assure you that this letter is not another diatribe about why you don't deserve to be an MP and should step down. Nor is it to poke fun at your choice of bags named for digging implements or your inability to make a graceful exit when pressed with demanding questions. I am sure you have more than enough of those to select from if you so wished to have something to keep yourself warm on a cold night. Furthermore, I am nothing if I do not buck the trend, and though I did obliquely refer to these incidents, I do not judge you for them. Much.

If anything, you have my sympathy.

You might be wondering why Singaporeans are so...vehement in their dislike for you. I, too, have pondered this after I saw that reports about you have not ceased since the end of the GE. I believe there to be a few reasons, which I detail below.

Wrong time, wrong place

I do not know your motives in deciding to run as a candidate, but with the current political climate, joining the PAP ensured a swift and decisive judgement the moment you made a misstep. People were just waiting for you to slip up, and they will do so for the foreseeable future. (Scary, isn't it, considering your age and how people seem so gosh-darned unwilling to stop harping on the ... well, I'll not mention that again).

While there is nothing inherently wrong in the people wanting their government to be above reproach, they are unable to temper this view with the fact that you are, after all, human. This, unfortunately, will only be something afforded to the opposition, who will have no difficulty securing sympathy votes as the underdog. I am quite positive that if a young female member of the opposition party had done the same, she would have gotten away with it.

Probably. (At this point, most opposition supporters will chime in with "Ah, but she DIDN'T" to which I reply dryly, "Hence the use of the conditional 'If'".)

My point is that Singaporeans were looking for a target to express their hate of the party. Happily, most of our citizens are not without rationality and therefore must have something concrete to base their hate on. You provided that. And well - take comfort in the fact that you are probably benefiting the populace much more than is apparent. I will explain in my further points.

Jealousy

Now this point might possibly get me into a whole lot of trouble because I am suggesting something unpleasant. Why? Let's look at usage. It's an oft abused retort in the unending war between the Twifans and Twihaters, of which I have been a staunch observer since the series first made it big. (Okay, I confess, I'm Team Carlisle... it's a very small, unsponsored team that usually spends its time watching sadly on the sidelines because everybody overlooks them and nobody ever asks them to take part in the big games.)

Anyway, "jealousy" is often used to dismiss the criticisms leveled against Stephanie Meyer and her perceived lack of writing talent.

It can be used as follows in response to any argument against SM.

She can't write! Jealous.

These plots make no sense! Jealous.

You do know that this story is just a self-fulfilment wish based on a wet-dream?
J-E-A-L-O-UUUUU-SSSSSSS!!!

So let me present my view of this situation. You are young, ... uh... reasonably pretty... You hold a good position at a prestigious firm, have a nice rich husband, made it into politics (which also pays pretty well).

People dislike you because they believe you to be immature, materialistic, privileged and undeserving of your candidacy.

The reason why I feel jealousy is a more valid point than in the above Twilight example I gave is that the criticisms used against you are more about your station in life and how you have presented yourself rather than your actual competence. To be fair, it could be argued that a Kate-Spade-toting, Principal-Private-Secretary-to-Prime-Minister-marrying, unprepared-for-interviews candidate is one without substance because everyone knows first impressions gleaned from sensationalized stories and viral hit blogs always accurately predict how well you're able to do your job.

Certainly, landing a job by riding on the shirt-tails of others is far from admirable, but it isn't uncommon, and doesn't absolutely mean that your ability is questionable.

I love playing social networking games for pre-pubescents. I indulge in MMORPGs that involve violently exploding your opponent's head and indeed derive quite a bit of satisfaction from the imagined visceral sensation of being able to sink your sword hilt deep into someon...ahem. Sorry, got carried away.

I also have an interest in Twilight that borders on the unhealthy as evidenced quite clearly by anyone who has read the rest of my notes. I have written angst-ridden poetry, and wallowed in self-pity countless times with a barely controlled anger at cold, cold, cruel world.

I think you would agree that all the above would suggest someone immature; possibly even a social misfit with a borderline violent personality disorder. And yet people laugh it off when I reveal my true self to them ...possibly because I AM a sad, immature social misfit and they feel sorry for me (My death glare is losing its effectiveness). On top of that, no one has ever called for me to leave my job even though I come into contact with impressionable youths every single day. No one has ever suggested that I am a game-obsessed geek who will be an incompetent worker because I won't be able to finish my work efficiently.

Perhaps there's no comparison there because I obviously have no influence whatsoever over the future of our nation, but ultimately, people are dismissing my flaws because no one is jealous of me.

My point is that I do think some of your haters pick on you because you have what they wish they had too. Why pick on the insufficiencies of a sad-sack besides to make them feel worse about themselves? That's like kicking puppies. But you, well... People need to make you more fallible so they can feel better about themselves. They don't have money. They don't have Kate Spades. They don't have a nice husband. They don't have power. What they do have is pride in what you're not - which are the flaws that they've pointed out about you.

Making fun of you engenders a vague sense of superiority in some people, which is crucial in easing the burden of their Kate-Spadeless lives. If you're not that great, you're not that perfect or wonderful, people can have the hope: "If she can, why not me?"

I'm sure you already know this, so I shall not belabor the point further.

Entertainment and bonding

Here I come to another reason why everything that happened to you actually benefits Singaporeans. Let's face it. Singapore is without a doubt, a pretty boring place to live in and this is the most interesting thing that has happened in, well, months. I mean, when was our last epidemic?

Next, a little known fact, but Singaporeans love complaining. They gather at coffee shops and talk about everything that's wrong with their lives. This is where they find common ground and fraternity through the exposition of shared misery.

Misery...CREATES company.

One of the lesser considered techniques of leadership is the ability to give someone a focal point of hatred. Nothing creates fellowship or camaraderie more than a common enemy. Singaporeans are bonding over bitching about you, complaining about you, and making fun of you. They derive mirth and entertainment from your ...antics, and further schadenfreude from the creative masterpieces that feature your innocent sound bites looped relentlessly into a catchy dance track. When people bring you up, they feel good about themselves. They're cool because they're hip with the latest comedy offering that exploits your mistake. And everyone has a good ole chuckle together because they're on the same page.

To sum up: You give Singaporeans a reason to laugh, a reason to strengthen ties, a reason to feel better about themselves.

If you can get Singaporeans to rally around a shared dislike of you, well, that's actually a positive thing overall. Not for you, certainly, but it gives people an opportunity to bond over what they see as a common "enemy".

I'm sure there are other issues about you that have genuinely earned the disgrace that you've received. Maybe you're regretful about those. Maybe not.

I don't really know much about you. I haven't followed your political career with that much interest and have barely skimmed over the web-pages that denigrate you.

I feel sorry for you because I don't think you deserve the cruelty of mockery (and I'm quite frankly tired of it), but human nature is as such and will ever be so. Fortunately, human nature also dictates that we have a pretty short attention span, which means that jokes about you will have become stale by next year. You'll be forgotten until your next big scandal, or failing which, the next General Elections, should you choose to stand for it again.

I do think that you could become worthy of respect (at least mine) if you were able to serve the populace despite the rampant derision people have shown of you, because this would embody what I feel is important in your new role as an MP - sincere service to the people. Do this because you genuinely want to make a difference in Singapore, regardless and in spite of current sentiment. What people think of you is important in politics; less so in governance.

However, the people of Singapore are going to be merciless if you do something wrong in your term. There are no second chances in politics, not for the PAP and especially not for you.

With that I wish you all the best.

P/S: Do be careful with how you use social media. It's a double edged sword.

:: And that's all she wrote 1:37 PM [+] ::
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