How Compliant are we? The Singapore syndrome!

[scroobal]

I think we are all know that there is something that is fundamentally wrong with the way we behave. But we really do not know how bad it is.

A few years back a school in Jurong with more than 1,500 student declared its entire canteen halal. With only 20% of students who were Muslims, it was one of the bizarre events in our short history. To enforce the new ruling, teachers were asked to check lunchboxes of students entering the canteen. Even more bizarre is that only 4 parents complained.

1) Why did the teachers not say anything.
2) Why only 4 parents out of 1,500 students complain
3) Why did a Principal with such a senior position make such a fundamental error
4) Why no one made a flap when it appeared in the press

There has been no other events as bizarre as this before or after and there is no other event that best portrays how compliant we are.

 

[byleftcan]

I think we are all know that there is something that is fundamentally wrong with the way we behave. But we really do not know how bad it is.

A few years back a school in Jurong with more than 1,500 student declared its entire canteen halal. With only 20% of students who were Muslims, it was one of the bizarre events in our short history. To enforce the new ruling, teachers were asked to check lunchboxes of students entering the canteen. Even more bizarre is that only 4 parents complained.

1) Why did the teachers not say anything.
2) Why only 4 parents out of 1,500 students complain
3) Why did a Principal with such a senior position make such a fundamental error
4) Why no one made a flap when it appeared in the press

There has been no other events as bizarre as this before or after and there is no other event that best portrays how compliant we are.

People were terrified of offending Muslims. And everyone had to be politically correct in the multiracial mindset, never mind that in a democracy, it means the majority has its reasonable say.

 

[kingrant]

If you are the MFA officer taking notes that day when Harry met Hilary and you distinctly heard him said that Islam is a venomous religion, what do you do:

a. pretend you didnt hear that portion
b. record it down but check with him afterwards what to do
c. record it first and then delete it before filing it
d. of course you dont record it since it is a career ending move
e. dont record it and also make sure the U.S. side disregard it.

 

[steffychun]

I think we are all know that there is something that is fundamentally wrong with the way we behave. But we really do not know how bad it is.

A few years back a school in Jurong with more than 1,500 student declared its entire canteen halal. With only 20% of students who were Muslims, it was one of the bizarre events in our short history. To enforce the new ruling, teachers were asked to check lunchboxes of students entering the canteen. Even more bizarre is that only 4 parents complained.

1) Why did the teachers not say anything.
2) Why only 4 parents out of 1,500 students complain
3) Why did a Principal with such a senior position make such a fundamental error
4) Why no one made a flap when it appeared in the press

There has been no other events as bizarre as this before or after and there is no other event that best portrays how compliant we are.

In my friends camp, only two soliders were Muslim. Yet to so-called "save on logistics and admin matters", all meals were placed as Muslim meals. So Chinese soliders couldnt enjoy the non-Halal food and had to wait till breaks to line up at the canteen or mess to get proper food.

 

[kingrant]

The perfect example of the Emperor's new clothes syndrome.

I think we are all know that there is something that is fundamentally wrong with the way we behave. But we really do not know how bad it is.

A few years back a school in Jurong with more than 1,500 student declared its entire canteen halal. With only 20% of students who were Muslims, it was one of the bizarre events in our short history. To enforce the new ruling, teachers were asked to check lunchboxes of students entering the canteen. Even more bizarre is that only 4 parents complained.

1) Why did the teachers not say anything.
2) Why only 4 parents out of 1,500 students complain
3) Why did a Principal with such a senior position make such a fundamental error
4) Why no one made a flap when it appeared in the press

There has been no other events as bizarre as this before or after and there is no other event that best portrays how compliant we are.

 

[glockman]

Islamophobia. Not just in Singapore, but all over the world.

Defined as "Prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or Muslims"

 

[scroobal]

Somehow I felt that even it was not an issue of religion, we tend to follow blindly do things. If trained teachers with a responsibility of looking after the young are checking lunch boxes for pork sausages and pork buns, something is fundamentally wrong.

People were terrified of offending Muslims. And everyone had to be politically correct in the multiracial mindset, never mind that in a democracy, it means the majority has its reasonable say.

 

[scroobal]

That is exactly what happened in the 2006 GE when Straits Times took it upon itself to write different version of what was said by LHL during a rally speech when he made Freudian slip. The PM's office however sent a clarification on his comments and stated the correct version and ST looked like a bunch of prostitutes which they are.

If you are the MFA officer taking notes that day when Harry met Hilary and you distinctly heard him said that Islam is a venomous religion, what do you do:a. pretend you didnt hear that portionb. record it down but check with him afterwards what to doc. record it first and then delete it before filing itd. of course you dont record it since it is a career ending movee. dont record it and also make sure the U.S. side disregard it.

 

[scroobal]

These are things that we should ask ourselves if is right. We should not accept such things. I have no issues if it is not public enterprise but a private enterprise like some of the food court and one has a choice. My sense is that Govt is more interested in cutting costs and the people making the decision are not going to be impacted. They probably dine at Iggys.

In my friends camp, only two soliders were Muslim. Yet to so-called "save on logistics and admin matters", all meals were placed as Muslim meals. So Chinese soliders couldnt enjoy the non-Halal food and had to wait till breaks to line up at the canteen or mess to get proper food.

 

[neddy]

we tend to follow blindly do things.

(1 cent thought)

In other countries, there is this thing to be politically correct, which is why the UK and some parts of Australia stop Christmas celebrations in order not to offend the non-Christians.

Some countries in Europe like Spain chose to be politically divided and the McDonalds will serve McBacon.

But in Confus-ious influenced China and Singapore, silence is golden - except after bullet train crash and Wikileaky.

But we live in an increasing complex world and the barrier to change things are perceived to be too disruptive to their lives. Eg How many of us are Climate Skeptics and dare to tell the Europeans?

 

[KuanTi01]

In my friends camp, only two soliders were Muslim. Yet to so-called "save on logistics and admin matters", all meals were placed as Muslim meals. So Chinese soliders couldnt enjoy the non-Halal food and had to wait till breaks to line up at the canteen or mess to get proper food.

Knn. Is it true or not? SAF is so gian png despite its billion dollar defence budget? If really want to save on logistics and admin matters, let the 2 Muslims be posted to other camps lah!If minority is so power, then majority might as well go fly kite! Army also becomes halal as if non-halal is such a dirty thing! Respect is mutual!

 

[mojito]

4) Why no one made a flap when it appeared in the press

People here want to hear the answers, not questions. Nobody asked:
1) why it is important to have a halal canteen for Muslim
2) why we cannot have a halal section in a canteen instead
3) why it is necessary to accommodate Muslims need to eat separate from non-Muslims
4) why the majority group must accommodate the minorities

Ask yourself these and other questions, and you may have the answers to your query. Truth is, I don't know the answer to some of these questions myself. The education system has conditioned Singaporeans to answer questions, not to question answers. Examiners ask questions, authority demands answers. "Who are 'peasants' to ask questions?" they might say.

What I detest about Singapore is how much the government is like an cheating spouse. I have to give the government and the administration the benefit of the doubt when they screw up, and they expect me to dream up all the reasons ('right answers') why they may have good intentions in the first place. When the policy was implemented, did the administrators communicate it well to all stakeholders? Either the administrators are lousy communicators that this piece went to the press, or it's plain bloody screw-up from groupthink, which may well be the case as you suggested.

I feel "Singaporean-style compliance" is not conclusive from the case evidence you presented even though we know it exists. Furthermore in every case you can always blame it on administrators not communicating well with stakeholders. They will never do that well enough without critical thinking and ethics.

 

[kukubird58]

hahaha...how we know this is not another BS in the first place????

 

[zhihau]

But we really do not know how bad it is

bro,

even when the soup started boiling and the frogs would still swim in it

 

[QXD]

Back in my NS days when food was still cooked by Hokkien Pengs, going to the Muslim cookhouse was a treat compared to having to eat crap served in the other one.

 

[Char_Azn]

In my friends camp, only two soliders were Muslim. Yet to so-called "save on logistics and admin matters", all meals were placed as Muslim meals. So Chinese soliders couldnt enjoy the non-Halal food and had to wait till breaks to line up at the canteen or mess to get proper food.

Last time(10 years+ back) is all across is liddat. Got split Muslim and non-Muslim cookhouse. If suay suay kena got muslim in your camp and only got 1 cookhouse then all muslim food liao. Nowadays not like that one liao lah at least not for most camps. They got a separate Muslim section in all cookhouse.

 

[Char_Azn]

Knn. Is it true or not? SAF is so gian png despite its billion dollar defence budget? If really want to save on logistics and admin matters, let the 2 Muslims be posted to other camps lah!If minority is so power, then majority might as well go fly kite! Army also becomes halal as if non-halal is such a dirty thing! Respect is mutual!

This kinda thing almost 100% not SAF gian png is some idiot lazy don't wanna do more work. I remember last time I NS coz attach out most of the time so no meals. KNN go back to own camp also cannot eat at cookhouse coz the lazy buggers too lazy to indent coz must plan 2 weeks ahead of time.

 

[groinroot]

I think we are all know that there is something that is fundamentally wrong with the way we behave. But we really do not know how bad it is.

A few years back a school in Jurong with more than 1,500 student declared its entire canteen halal. With only 20% of students who were Muslims, it was one of the bizarre events in our short history.

Reminds me of the McDonalds episode.Some time ago, McDonalds was handing out figurines of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Suddenly one smart Alec felt that Muslims would be offended if they included the pig. Subsequently it was removed and a mini hoo-ha erupted.

 

[HedgeTrader]

Both Chinese and westerners use piggybanks for kids savings. Offensive or not?

 

[glockman]

Reminds me of the McDonalds episode.Some time ago, McDonalds was handing out figurines of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Suddenly one smart Alec felt that Muslims would be offended if they included the pig. Subsequently it was removed and a mini hoo-ha erupted.

Precisely what I was saying, its Islamophobia. Another example, in the vicinity of mosques on fridays and hari raya, cars are parked all along the sides of major roads. Everybody is inconvenience and such parking is very dangerous. This happens at Pasir Ris Dr 3 because of the Masjid Al-Istighfar mosque. Halal cars are parked stretching at least 1km on both sides of the road, effectively reducing the road to one lane traffic. BUT, seems the authorities are not doing anything.....Try that with chinese/hindu temples and churches, there will be hell to pay.