5 things that made us go WTF last week in Singapore
The correct way to use Singlish, the controversy at Les Miserables and other hot topics from last week.
8 years ago
Misery at Les Miserables, the wrath of grumpy citizens and the proper way to use Singlish—all in a week's worth of Singapore news.
The petition against Pink Dot
It was a particularly victorious week for the outraged few in Singapore. Hot on the heels of the biggest ever Pink Dot (the organizers didn't bother releasing numbers as the picnic already exceeded the perimeter of Hong Lim Park), some concerned citizens launched a rather grumpily-worded petition asking foreign companies to stop pushing Western ideals and the government to punish companies that do.The petition was broadly worded but surfaced around Pink Dot weekend, and a release by the Ministry of Home Affairs, in response to media outlets seeking clarification, stating that foreign companies should not get involved in controversial local socio-political affairs, came a couple days after the picnic. Pink Dot's organizers responded by saying that all their sponsors are registered and incorporated locally.
A case for quotations
In response to the Oxford English Dictionary adding some Singlish words to its hallowed pages, the Ministry of Education told The Straits Times the exact circumstances in which using Singlish in written and spoken mediums is acceptable. (Short answer: in appropriate, direct speech scenarios, involving quotation marks.) Amid concerns that Singaporean students might not be able to tell the difference between formal English and Singlish while perusing the dictionary, the OED's World English editor said, "If there is one thing that all speakers of English should be encouraged to do, it is to learn that mastery of the language requires knowing the right words to use at the right time and in the right place."
A cap on hipness for Bedok
To deal with crazy parking and driving conditions around Simpang Bedok and Upper Thompson, the URA announced that it would ban new eateries in the two bustling hoods. While some vendors have complained of problem parking and have even offered valet services to attract customers, others feel an indiscriminate ban is unfair. We think taking the bus is a great alternative!
The next step in our Smart Nation ambitions
In a move that inspired endless hilarity on social media all of last week, the goverment announced that some 100,000 computers used by government staff in various ministries and boards will be disconnected from the internet next May, to reduced security threats. The bad news is that we might soon see a mass exodus of Facebook enthusiasts from civil service. The good news is that nefarious hackers still have a comfortable 11 months to do their thing.
The misery around Les Miserables
In another case of an outraged few ruining the fun for everyone, the LGBT community and musical lovers in Singapore got dealt another blow when the MDA asked Sir Cameron Mackintosh's celebrated production of Les Miserables to remove a same-sex peck from the song "Beggars at the Feast", to keep in line with its General rating. The kiss was missed when the script was initially submitted for rating, but came to the MDA's attention after complaints from the public. At a time when the world is standing in solidarity with the victims of a tragic anti-gay shooting in Orlando, this seems particularly poorly timed.
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