Jul 20/21

• TVD’s Picks: PM to Appoint Two in the Legal Service…

  from The Void Deck

• MOE’s reply – Numbers still don’t add up

  from theonlinecitizen

• NMP turns CONSPIRACY THEORIST!!!!

  from Diary of A Singaporean Mind

• From Consumers to Citizens?

  from Singapore Angle

• Art and the Utility of Futility

  from Singapore Angle

• Raising retirement age

  from theonlinecitizen

• Executive interference with the judiciary

  from Hear ye! Hear ye!

• RE Clarifications on University Admission

  from Winter Is Coming

When is “Voicing Out” just Meddling?

We all know the phrase only too well, don’t we? “Don’t meddle in things that don’t concern you?” To paraphrase in Singlish, “why are you so like dat! Don’t be so kay poh la?” But hold on a second, I have a “right” don’t I? To pontificate about why I loath the Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer only because I believe it masquerades some secret plot to glorify Neo-Nazi’s. Yes, the hills were certainly filled with the sounds of Jews being herded off to concentration camps. What about environmental degradation? I have a ‘right’ to voice my view about global warming and rising sea tides. For goodness sake, I stay next to the sea! I have a vested interest! Right? And no one can stop me, I don’t care whether it’s the ISD, Mindef or even his holiness the Dalai Lama in a ducky suit. I have a right! Err don’t I?

Yes, I do!

So I started “meddling”. Granted its hardly impressive meddling, judging from the dismal hits I get in from my articles, just my sister and me so far. Fortunately anyone with an ounce of common sense probably gives as much credence to my ill informed ramblings as the croaks of frogs.

Besides I don’t really don’t count. I am a loser. But what happens: when seemingly influential people who are unelected begin to make comments? I am of course referring to that privilege lot who don’t have to figure out why we all need superglue, rubber bands and sellotape. Folk who don’t have to make do, the likes of film stars, royalty and members of the first family like the Kennedy’s and the Rostchilds of this world.

What happens? When they begin to make all sorts of pronouncements about the common good, architecture, social and political happenings – are they just commenting? Or are they meddling?