Sean's 2018 Top 10 Significant Articles

by SEAN LIM

So, it is the time of the year when everyone starts reflecting on what the past year has been for them, putting up milestones and all. I got inspired by The Straits Times top 10 best-read opinion pieces, and I thought - why not I do something similar as well?

Over the course of 2018, I have written close to 80 articles in the newspapers, be it The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, TODAY or the foreign press. Some are bland, some are critical, some garnered huge responses; a rare few made the news. Therefore, as we conclude 2018, I have reproduced verbatim the top 10 most significant articles I have written over the past year. Those picked are the ones I felt, upon my own observation, garnered the most traction and got people talking. That's the objective of having your article published in the papers, right?

So here we go, in no order of preference. I will also include a short commentary on why a particular article is so significant.

1. Disappointed by decision on StanChart robbery suspect 
The Straits Times, 22 Feb

I was disappointed to read the news report on the Standard Chartered Bank robbery suspect (StanChart bank robbery suspect won't be caned if convicted: MHA; Feb 21).

I acknowledge the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was facing a Hobson's choice - either extradite the suspect back to Singapore with no caning or risk not being able to get their hands on him.

Still, MHA should perhaps have challenged the conditions set by the British. David James Roach committed a crime on Singapore soil and should face the same punishment as any other person who commits a similar crime here - which in this case is a crime which calls for a jail term with caning.

What kind of message are we sending if we have double standards for foreigners vis-a-vis Singaporeans? I am afraid this might give a wrong impression to foreigners, thinking it is all right to commit crimes in Singapore since they will not be subjected to the same punishment.

In addition, this has implications on how the international community perceives our sovereignty. Singapore should be seen as an independent state which stands firm on its laws, and not be viewed as a small state that buckles under pressure from its former colonial rulers.

Just like how we stood firm for the 1994 case of American teenager Michael Fay, we should not allow other countries to undermine or influence the laws governing our country. It was our firm stance on the rule of law, not compromise, that brought us here today as a relatively crime-free country.

Commentary: Got a pretty sharp response from MHA, who claimed that my inference to the Michael Fay affair is wrong. This issue gained quite a bit of traction and I was quoted in an opinion piece by a Straits Times reporter. 

2. 'Clean wage' policy should account for overtime hours
The Straits Times, 31 Mar

It seems fair that parking charges are being implemented for teachers in schools in line with the Public Service Division's "clean wage" policy, which ensures that all salaries are accounted for with no hidden benefits (Parking fees for teachers to kick in from August; March 27).

This is reasonable, especially as other workers have to pay for parking at their respective workplaces.

However, while eliminating hidden subsidies and charging teachers for parking appears to be an economically sound decision, I wonder if it is the sensible thing to do. According to the report, the Ministry of Education (MOE) considered input from a professional valuer over parking charges, but were teachers consulted as well?

If the Government indeed wants to charge teachers for parking in the name of economic transparency, then what about the overtime hours - which often go unaccounted for - that teachers put in to grade assignments?

If the MOE genuinely wants wages to be crystal clear, then these unaccounted costs have to be taken into account as well.

Teachers are the bedrock of our society. In the grand scheme of things, such small perks are inconsequential compared with their dedication and selflessness to generations of children.

The onus is on the Government to look beyond the economic considerations and examine suggestions holistically before adopting them. Not everything can be measured in dollars and cents.

Commentary: ST ran this letter of mine on their Facebook, and it got more than 1,800 likes, 198 comments and 574 shares. I am heartened to see such a response because it shows that Singaporeans still feel that teachers do have a place in society, and there should be greater appreciation shown to them. The move to charge parking for teachers in school, while economically viable, was widely seen as a policy that lacks the "heart". 

3. Imperative to keep church and state separate
The Straits Times, 2 May

It is encouraging to read of the formation of the Alliance of Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches of Singapore, which may lead to better coordination, connection and mutual sharing of experiences among churches (Pentecostal, Charismatic and other churches form new body; April 30).

However, I am worried by the suggestion that the alliance's churches "want their voices to be represented on current and international affairs and matters, among other things".

Considering that Singapore is a secular state, the involvement of churches as an actor in local politics inevitably raises eyebrows. It could cause a blurring of the distinction between church and state.

Although I am a Christian, I do not find it acceptable to use religion as a tool to influence political decisions.

It is good for religion and state to complement each other, where religious morality is used to shape ethics. Values such as compassion, integrity and respect, which are well-promoted by religions, form the bedrock of our legislation. However, it is a different story altogether to pursue a political agenda with religion as a platform. It may lead to a slippery slope, where every religion craves to influence politics.

This goes against secularism and will shake our tenuous religious harmony. The separation of church and state is a widely accepted doctrine.

It is imperative to maintain secularism as the foundation of our society because it gives us peace and social stability. No religion, directly or indirectly, should take over the national agenda.

Commentary: Madness. It got my African politics professor emailing and asking me if I wrote this, and said it was a pretty solid piece for her to share in a lecture for the subsequent semester when the topic of religion in African politics is broached. It got former ambassador-at-large Bilahari Kausikan sharing this letter on his Facebook too. Statistics (it was published on ST Facebook): 566 shares, 70 comments and 130 shares.

4. Keep cultural significance of Geylang Serai bazaar
The Straits Times, 2 Jun

I am concerned about how the Geylang Serai bazaar has evolved in recent years. It is at risk of losing its identity.

Whenever the bazaar is mentioned, the image of stalls selling songkok, satay and a wide spread of kueh comes to mind.

This should be the case because, after all, it is meant to be a congregation of stalls selling items for Muslims to usher in Hari Raya Puasa and purchase traditional Malay fare for the breaking of fast.

Instead, there recently has been a significant proliferation of stalls selling hipster food - fanciful food products such as edible helium balloons and rainbow tacos.

While it is commendable for such creative stalls to inject vibrancy into the bazaar, I wonder if it has been overdone.

A general observation of the bazaar shows that the number of stalls selling traditional fare has dwindled and, on the flip side, there are many stalls selling food with no relation to the festivities. Such a trend is worrying because this bazaar has a cultural distinctiveness for the Muslim community.

To perceive and treat the Geylang Serai bazaar the same as other ordinary bazaars is doing an injustice to its unique identity, and there is a risk that its spirit will be eroded in the long run.

This issue was also highlighted last year, when The Sunday Times ran a report on how the bazaar has gradually lost its flavour as a Ramadan bazaar (Changing tastes of Geylang Serai Bazaar; June 11, 2017). This year, the online voices lamenting the erosion of the bazaar's identity have become louder, especially from the younger generation.

Hipster food can be served at other bazaars all year round, but let us keep the Geylang Serai bazaar as a Hari Raya marketplace and not turn it into another ubiquitous pasar malam.

The bazaar committee should look into this and ensure that the cultural significance for future bazaars is not compromised.

Commentary: Statistically, it is not too bad - 67 comments, 138 likes and 43 shares on Straits Times FB - but what is significant about this article is the traction gained among the Malay community. A close friend of mine alerted me that she read about this article in a closed-group FB page. In that page, many Malays were complimenting me for fleshing this out and they felt the same degradation of the pasar malam, whereas some said that it had to take a "Chinese brother" to raise the issue and they criticised Berita Harian for not doing their job as the voice of the Singapore Malay community. But many said it was good for me to raise this because if raised by their own race, it might be perceived as conservatism on their part.

5. Alumni support also crucial in building a school's brand
The Sunday Times, 1 July

I concur with Dr Lee Siew Peng that it takes time to build up the reputation of a school (Time needed to build up a school's brand; June 23).

However, it goes beyond falling enrolment and hence a school's reluctance to develop its brand. It is more than just the lack of a "creation myth". Alumni support is needed as well.

The so-called elite schools tend to maintain strong connections with alumni, resulting in a strong culture where former students are willing to contribute to their alma mater and even send their children there to study.

This explains why old boys and girls of those schools maintain their school's ties and traditions even when the campus is relocated.

The Nan Hua schools are a good example, where many have a strong sense of belonging. It was reported that well-known film director Anthony Chen - a Nan Hua alumnus - even flew back from London to Singapore for the school's centenary last year (100 years of Nan Hua through the eyes of alumni; July 10, 2017).

My secondary school, located near Khatib, has made a lesser effort to build up a strong alumni community. It is not as welcoming towards younger ones who return to their alma mater to help. Hence, it is hard for former students to identify with the school.

With weaker alumni support, the school finds it difficult to take its reputation to greater heights. In contrast, my primary school - Qihua Primary School - places more emphasis on building connections with its alumni. It may be a neighbourhood school, but because of the strong alumni pillar, the school identity continues to develop and has become one of the better-established schools in Woodlands.

Staff and students come and go, but the alumni remain permanent. Instead of just blaming declining enrolment and school closures in relation to building a school brand, schools should not underestimate the impact their alumni have on developing their reputation.

Commentary: Nothing to boost about statistically, but it got tongues wagging in CCHY. An upper secondary student read it on ST. Teachers whom I am familiar with approached me and asked if I wrote this piece - I smiled, and they smiled too. I gave them face for the first round by not naming the school on record. 

One of them chatted with me about this and agreed with my observation. As someone who is in CCHY for decades, she felt that the school isn't the same as she remembered it to be (though she told me to be cautious because she still wants to see me back in CCHY and not have any animosity with school management - but anyway my arch enemy is out of the school so no worries about that anymore). See also - Lianhe Zaobao, on alumni being barred from entering the school due to dyed hair, by yours truly.

6. Govt should walk the talk on clean wage policy
The Straits Times, 30 Jun

The revelation of MPs enjoying underpriced parking fees has raised eyebrows as, ironically, it goes against the clean-wage policy preached by the Government itself (Elected MPs pay $365 a year for HDB parking; June 26).

The rationale that MPs "do not park overnight or full day at their constituencies" and at Parliament House does not justify the subsidised parking fees.

Teachers also do not park overnight in schools, but they will be paying market rate parking fees soon (Parking fees for teachers to kick in from August; March 27).

Singaporeans usually pay $1.20 per hour at public carparks but MPs pay $365 for an annual permit. This boils down to about $1 for a day's worth of parking at their constituencies or Parliament House.

Based on simple calculations, it appears that this fee is underpriced as $1 a day amounts to only 50 minutes of parking at a public carpark.

Even at Housing Board carparks, people pay around $100 monthly for season parking. Technically, most people do not park their vehicles there for a full day either, assuming those with cars drive to work and are away for about 12 hours a day.

Moreover, parliamentary sittings are usually long and, with Parliament House located in the city where parking fees are high, the amount in subsidised parking enjoyed by MPs there is significant.

The problem is not about whether free or subsidised parking is justified for anyone.

The issue of the "hidden perks" that teachers and soldiers gained through free parking should not have even been brought up in the first place as it is not significantly detrimental to Singapore's economy.

But as it was raised and a can of worms has been opened, all eyes will be on the Government to reconcile the issue.

Commentary: If I had to choose one article for 2018, this has to be it. It literally got the town wagging. My primary school teachers deemed the article to be so critical that they warned me that the government gonna blackmark me, whereas my secondary school teachers egged me on and said it was a good job done to push them. People were surprised this article was even published in The Straits Times, widely known as a pro-government paper. But it did, and I'm proud of them. 

Statistically, ST recorded 518 shares of the online article. A rather influential activist/blogger/commentator Andrew Loh photographed my article in print, uploaded on his FB and it gained another 1,175 shares. The article was the talk of the town for that weekend. I guess it is because of how the government was deemed to display double standards here - telling teachers to abide clean wages for parking, yet they themselves pay subsidised parking fees when parking at Parliament House and Housing Board estates (Ultimately, got to thank Straits Times opinion editor Chua Mui Hoong for her Sunday Times expose on this earlier this year). I would love to believe that my letter and the uproar it created (together with the scoops by ST) helped to result in an adjustment of the fees recently)

7. How did Kevin Kwan succeed in giving the authorities the slip?
The Straits Times, 25 Aug

Like many Singaporeans, I was surprised to read that Kevin Kwan, the author of best-selling book Crazy Rich Asians, absconded from his national service obligations (Kevin Kwan wanted for defaulting on NS obligations, Aug 23).

Logically, given that defaulting on NS obligations is an offence under the Enlistment Act, he should have been detained the moment he touched Singapore soil.

Instead, this appears to have gone undetected for the past 28 years or so, during the occasional times he is believed to have returned to Singapore as reported by The Straits Times last year (Writing is 'a healing experience'; May 14, 2017).

It appears he managed to give the authorities the slip, and the various agencies need to explain why there is this loophole in the law.

I was surprised that he was not even detected by our immigration officials, given the tight security and scrutiny at our borders.

It was also reported that "the Singapore Film Commission and the Singapore Tourism Board threw their weight behind" Crazy Rich Asians, which has been made into a movie (Made-with-S'pore Crazy Rich Asians a big hit; Aug 22).

Unless properly justified, it does not reflect well on these official agencies which, knowingly or unknowingly, supported a wrongdoer.

It also shows that these agencies have to shore up their screening procedures on individuals and organisations before giving their support.

NS is a sacred institution and the bedrock of our national defence. These are looming questions of public interest that the relevant authorities have to answer soon so that the public's trust and perception towards NS will not be undermined.

Commentary: For those who had read the papers and followed through the developments, this is a question one would naturally ask, esp when ST reported in 2017 that he came back for wantan noodles and all. So I put up this query, and it elicited a response from MHA which was published in the top news pages on ST and also picked up by other media like TODAY. The response garnered further uproar from the public when MHA said it is too much of a pain to track down records before 2000 and based on records for the past 18 years, there were no records of Mr Kwan - who is connected to former cabinet minister Richard Hu - entering Singapore. Cover up? Laziness? We never know, I suppose.

8. NRIC numbers still appearing in public notices
The Straits Times, 23 Nov

The Classifieds section of the newspaper yesterday carried a notice from the Official Assignee's office listing the latest group of people to have been discharged from bankruptcy.

There was also a High Court notice about an individual on a creditor's bankruptcy application. In both these notices, the NRIC numbers of the individuals involved were printed in full.

With future changes on rules guiding the use of NRIC data (Stricter rules to protect NRIC data from next Sept; Sept 1), can the Personal Data Protection Commission clarify if such a move to publicly print NRIC numbers in full is acceptable?

I understand that in recent years, NRIC numbers have no longer been printed in full on public notices, be it lucky draw results or advertisements, with only the last four digits and letter listed.

On this note, one may recall that newspapers in the past used to carry notices with NRIC numbers published in full.

These old newspapers are available at resource centres like the National Library Board (NLB), as they have been archived on microfilm and the NewspaperSG database.

Will NLB be looking into the NRIC numbers published in their old newspaper archives, especially the digital collection? An ill-intentioned person could simply do a cursory digital search on the NewspaperSG database to retrieve and abuse the NRIC data of the people mentioned in those newspaper notices.

Commentary: Proud of this mini scoop of mine, though it isn't some mind-blowing significant news. Fleshed this out from the Classifieds page which nobody really reads. But it got a pretty robust reply from three organisations - MinLaw, Supreme Court and National Library - which is quite rare for a reply. It also made the news in a Home article the same day, and it got former ST associate editor Bertha Henson sharing it online as well. 

9. 谨防学生通过社交媒体鼓吹极端主义
《联合早报》9月20日

现在很多初级学院学生流行在社交媒体平台Instagram上，以学校的名义开设模因账号（meme account）。他们的原意是要通过模因账号，分享校园生活、幽默图片、表达创意、发泄课业压力等，不是什么大问题。

可是，最近有学生在模因账号上载的内容让人担忧，尤其是那个跟南洋初级学院扯上关系的账号@nyjcmememachine。

9月11日是美国“九一一事件”纪念日，当天这个账号的负责人上载一张图片，有恐怖分子奥萨马和飞机冲撞纽约世界贸易中心双子塔的画面，和英文字句“坚持信念，即使那意味着牺牲3000人和两座铁塔”，还配上耐克的标志和口号“放胆做！”（JUST DO IT!），有鼓吹恐怖主义之嫌。

@nyjcmememachine是南初学生在Instagram的首个模因账号，这个账号于9月16日被关闭，学生18日设置了新账号@nyjcmemegenerator和@nyjcmm。

如果负责管理账号的都是初院学生，我不晓得他们是否了解上载那张图片的后果。就算这是尝试分享幽默或鼓励人心的账号，但十七八岁的初院学生应该足够成熟，知道那样的图片不够敏感。他们的账号在关闭前，有将近1万个追随者，任何图片上载都会带来不小的影响。

然而，这些学生并没有我想象中那么负责任和成熟。他们在华初的模因账号@tkk.jc上诉苦，说上载的图片“只是开玩笑，何必当真”，还因为账号关闭失去1万个追随者而有复仇的心机。他们似乎不知道上载这张图片的问题在哪里。

图片在一些人看来也许有趣、幽默，可是它表达的信息显然是“恐怖主义是可以接受的”。这样的图片已不只是敏感不敏感的问题，而是它所带来的潜在危险和威胁。

南初的模因账号有这么多人追随，若有人受到鼓舞，自我激进化，最终威胁国家安全就不妙了。去年副总理兼国家安全统筹部长张志贤说过，因自我激进化遭拘留者，多数未满30岁。现在这些追随模因账号的人都是不到20岁的青少年，思想不成熟，确实令人担心。

九一一事件对现在的学生来说，也许就只是电视画面，但对我而言，这起事件给我们带来了莫名的恐惧，也改变了那之后的生活，出门在外常常面对更多保安措施，以及随之而来的不便。

此外，外人无法知道，那些模因账号负责人，究竟是学生，还是不怀好意的人。因此，学校和警方应该进行调查，告诫学生错在哪里，也提醒社会大众，这种行为是无法接受的。

Commentary: This great expose literally made me the talk of the town for a few days, and it wasn't exactly very pleasant. After this story was published, it had both The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao contacting me to get quotes and all, and both papers ran a story of it. It ended up having an MP's comment, principal's comment and lines from the police. 

It angered many kids in the junior colleges (understandable since they deem it as a threat to their lame source of entertainment) and had people trying to do online vigilantism on me and all, having alternative media run damaging, defamatory stories about me etc (fake news by the way - some like the failing Mothership didn't even bother reaching out to me for comments, which showed the kind of dodgy reporting they do)  - which showed the kind of despicable, cowardly and lowly behaviour those people were, doing things behind the keyboard anonymously, and the extent people (and fake friends, whom I have deleted) would go to bring others down. The jury is still out on this - some agreed with me that such things should not be joked upon, but some felt it was overboard. 

Turn back time, I would still write this article - but of course, stay low profile and not show it off. That was the mistake I made. And perhaps reporting to the police wasn't a good idea. Given the enormity of the situation, maybe the ISD is more appropriate?

But lesson learnt - stealth is key.

10. 特金会促进新加坡国际声誉
《联合早报》6月16日

特金会举行时，我们一家人在日本北海道旅行。与当地人接触，我注意到美朝峰会确实提高我国的国际形象。

6月13日，我们在一个询问中心了解一些详情，一名职员问我们来自哪一个国家。当我们告诉她我们来自新加坡时，她马上兴奋起来，以简单的英语惊呼：“哦，新加坡！大新闻！特朗普！”。她也拿出当天的报纸《北海道新闻》，给我们看封面头条的特金会新闻，并特别指出她知道圣淘沙和嘉佩乐酒店是峰会场地。

在许多商店和餐厅，我注意到很多日本人在收看电视新闻节目，新闻报道无时无刻都在报道新加坡和峰会。

除了电视节目，很多当地报纸也在封面报道特金会和新加坡在峰会所扮演的角色。连我国外交部长维文和教育部长王乙康与金正恩自拍的照片，也刊登在报纸上。

身为一个小国，能上外国媒体的头条新闻，并不是常见的事。我们因为特金会而知名，的确振奋人心。

当我们身在国内时，无法完全了解峰会对我国名声的正面作用。也许因为这样，一些国人认为峰会是在浪费金钱和时间，给民众添麻烦。

此次峰会刚好身在国外，我才真正认识到，不能小看特金会这种国际重要活动对新加坡的影响。虽然峰会花了2000万元，也动用不少人力资源，但对促进我国名声的作用是非常大的。

看到新加坡在国际社会得到肯定，真的让我感到十分自豪，以新加坡为荣。

Commentary: I was quite touched when this Japanese staff at a tourist information counter exclaimed "Oh, Singapore!! Trump-Kim summit!!" and took out a newspaper showing us Japan's coverage of the mother of all summits. I just had to snap the moment, and yes, that's the picture you saw in the papers. We had some Singaporeans grumbling about the summit because it poses an inconvenience and all (must be the so-called 30 per cent anti-government agents), but it is only when you go abroad that you realise the impact of the summit and the recognition it gives to our country. Some benefits will only be felt in the long run.

Bonus - Special Reports

A. 回到母校的怀抱里
《联合早报》7月25日

在写这篇文章庆祝母校80周年时，我有一种似曾相识的感觉。毕竟，我在15年前的校庆当学生司仪，现在又见证到多一次的校庆，好像圆满达到一个结局。

2002年开始在这所“峙立在绿林葱葱，海港弯弯的当儿“的学校——启化小学——念书，会有一丝的惧怕。书局的老板娘是老爸的朋友，阿姨又是那里的老师。他们都暗着监督我。因此，在学校捣蛋，一定死路一条。

但又不是说小学生活是沉闷的。例如，小一时，我以为不见了橡皮擦，心急起来，小题大做，跟级任老师大闹。她就拿我没办法，搜同学们的书包。我的妈呀，大头虾的我发现橡皮擦其实一直在口袋里，摆了乌龙。一肚子火的老师就惩罚我，要我个别跟每一位同学道歉，面子也不晓得丢到哪里去了。

最“欠打”应该是SARS危机时。当时学校已经停班，而那个时代也没有电子学习之类的措施，老师也只以寄信方式布置少数功课罢了，没一下子就做完。刚巧我也是首次从玩伴们那里知道愚人节的存在，又觉得闷，所以发简讯给级任老师，作弄她我患了SARS，正在陈笃生医院，把老师吓坏了。当大家恍然大悟时，老师大骂我一顿，母亲也请我的八月十五“吃炒粿条”。

当时也做出很多愚蠢的事。好像有一次的家家酒，同学们当媒人，把我和P同学“搞”在一起。真的佩服他们的想象力——用稿纸做请帖和原子笔里的弹簧造了一个结婚戒指。也许我不想泼大家的冷水，才同意跟他们一起闹。他们把我们“两夫妇”带到院子，要我们“发婚礼誓言”，然后到食堂“喝喜酒”。虽然如此无聊，又事过多年，P同学也已经交上男朋友，我们老同学聚餐时，还是会拿出这件事来怀旧。

时光匆匆，到了2016年，我重返启化当兼职的代课老师，也算是为“回馈母校”尽一分力吧。相隔多年后，校园一草一木虽然有些变化，学校给我的感觉却一样，有那种暖暖“回到原点”的感觉。看到熟悉的脸孔，听到一样的铃声，似乎重温小学的日子。

在代课时，我从学生中看到自己的影子。在不能使用智能手机的情况下，我再次见证到童年的单纯：看到顽皮的孩子们丢纸飞机，有的悄悄用字条传话。这些举动在班上是无法接受的，该学生也会被罚。但身为过来人，我心里却感到欣慰，这些曾经做过的事依然流传下去。

学校庆祝80周年，请了教育部长做大会主宾，非常隆重。学校去年也迎来钟蔚芬新校长，为学校带来新风气。我通常不喜欢改变，校长的更变也不例外。更何况，当时我获知她是南洋小学的前校长，害怕她会带来名校那种压力。可是我错了。就如有家长在《联合早报》交流站写过，钟校长做事脚踏实地，早上会在校门口亲自跟学生问好，周会时也会分享个人生活的故事，改变了我基本上对校长们“活在象牙塔”的印象。

此外，跟我的中学相比，钟校长很欢迎校友回返母校，让他们有饮水思源的机会。就拿这次的校庆，她乐意地欢迎校友们来帮忙和庆祝，也让全体学生有机会参与，培养大家对学校的认同感。维持校友的支持和学生的归属感很重要。因为最终，老师们会离开，学生也会走，但校友永远会存在，也是学校的流动代言人。学校的名誉是否能继续爬升，要靠校友的支持，不能把他们排斥一旁。那些所谓的名校，也不就靠校友多年的支持，才能达到现今的成功吗？

最终，在学校最重要的回忆还是这些不起眼的点滴，为校园生涯增添色彩。以前那六年的日子我当成理所当然，现在终于体会到“人往往等到失去后，才懂得珍惜”的真谛。虽然如此，想起当年风光过，已算是活在当下，就把“不在乎天长地久，只在乎曾经拥有”当成安慰吧！

Commentary: Was overwhelmed with happiness and nostalgia in the midst of Qihua's 80th-anniversary celebration, so I decided it would be a gross injustice if I did not pen my thoughts down. This article was also my first time in five years where I submitted it to Zaobao's student supplement, and they ran this 1,000+ words article. Of course, I enjoyed the $60 which they paid me for this particular piece, but what is priceless was the reactions I got from the teachers and principal - they read the story and had good things to say about it, even posting it on the school's FB page. End of the day, it is the response I get from readers that warms the cockles of my heart. Non-Chinese readers can read a similar (and more comprehensive actually; the Chinese article was abridged due to limited real estate in print) piece here.

B: How long will Mahathir Mohamad hold those grudges against Singapore?

South China Morning Post, 15 Dec

I refer to the article, “Malaysia refuses to back down over air and sea boundary disputes with Singapore” (December 10).

It is disappointing to see the Malaysian government resorting to old threats and tactics to score cheap political points with their electorate, at the expense of their neighbour Singapore.

Ever since Dr Mahathir Mohamad took over the reins in May, he has been making things difficult for Singapore, including delaying the construction of a high-speed rail connecting the two countries and restarting debate on the price of water it supplies to Singapore. Such tactics are not new to Singaporeans, who bore the brunt of it during first premiership between 1981 and 2003.

The idiosyncratic Dr Mahathir has always borne a grudge against Singapore, perhaps due to his partially negative experience as a university student in the country and the historical enmity surrounding Singapore’s political expulsion from the Malaysian federation in August 1965.

Singaporean media has reported on his fond memories about his classmates from the King Edward VII College of Medicine, but also about the “distance” between big-city Singapore and kampong-bred students from Malaysia, as well as how a taxi driver drove him to the kitchen because he was Malay.

Taking the issue on airspace sovereignty, as an illustration, I am unsure of his agenda this time to protest about it in southern Johor, when it has been managed by Singapore since 1973, under an agreement with regional states including Malaysia. It was approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation then. So what’s the rationale of changing the status quo now?

I hope Dr Mahathir can stop such tactics and behave respectfully as behoves an elder statesman. There are many other problems for him to solve – such as the massive national debt incurred by the previous administration – instead of politicking in the foreign policy arena, distracting Malaysians from domestic problems and making Singapore the political bogeyman.

Commentary: This is one of my few pieces this year that was aired in the foreign press. Prior to this, I had pieces in The Japan Times, Bangkok Post and The Nation, but are quite municipal and minor in nature. But this got me pretty elated because SCMP is a rather prestigious and renowned newspaper, and having my article published in its weekend paper definitely gave a boost to my morale, especially on a serious geopolitical issue.

(Cover pix from SBMania.com)