The horrible attack on MP Seng Han Thong shocked me when I was told the news just as I touched down on familiar soil. Apparently some mentally unstable chap set the MP on fire during a walk-about. And he’s now down and out for 12 months with 15% burns.
Catching up with the local news unveiled quite abit. Several salient points stood out.
First of all was the clear and blatant bid for sympathy by the mass media for this attack. Granted being burned is no trivial matter, but the mass media painted a picture of horror and suffrage that drama’ed the entire episode. Ok… so he got burned 15%. Ouch. But let us not forget the heroine of SQ006, Ms Farzana, who was burned over 45% of her body while trying to save lives. She endured 11 skin grafts and years of pain, but pulled through with a new life in Malaysia. Or the 2 SAF personnel who survived the Taiwanese jet crash in 2007? IIRC they suffered horrible burns then too, much worse than 15%. What’s the word on them? So yes, the mass media is guilty of over-selling the sob story. That’s pro-PAP print for you. But is it because he’s an MP? Hold on there.
The other thing that stood out was that there is some talk that the MP deserved it, that all shit politicians should be burned or worse. This is ridiculous. There is a proper way and a I’m-gonna-break-your-balls-if-you-try-it way. The proper is and always is with the ballot box. The IGBYBIYTI way is anything other than voting the chap out, including this horrific attack, or punching the dude for that matter. If you do the IGBYBIYTI way, I for one am fucking glad you got your balls broken.
There’s talk of some encouraging this form of reprisal. What do you think is going to happen if you even suggest his? Well, you might want to accuse the government of neanderthal tactics or abuse of police powers or whatnot, but let’s face the facts, he’s an MP. It’s different. Over the months of the US election campaigns, there were numerous threats of death against President (tomorrow?) Obama’s life. All of them were investigated by the US Secret Service. Recently one was arrested for making the same kind of threats. This is the US of A, not China or North Korea mind you. So even they are wary about attacks or even suggesting attacks against their political leaders. It might not even have to be Obama, but I believe their law enforcement does not take kindly to threats against any of their political leaders be it Governors, Senators or Congressmen.
So if you start spouting nonsense, be prepared to be whacked with a huge hammer on your head. And if you do spout or get whacked, don’t come running to me about abuse of police powers. This is serious business.
And finally the last thing. is all this attention because he’s a PAP MP? Well, see above. It’s different. It’s like this, when thousands die in Sichuan we read the news, pop a few dollars in a box and flip the page. Yet when John Travolta’s son dies, the whole world weeps. It’s all a matter of perspective. You read stories and flip the page. But when it happens close to you, it matters. But from a general perspective an attack on an MP warrants more attention. Just enough of the sob story already.
