The biggest news this week must have been the slapping of Anus Amos Yee. The slapping brings to mind something my father said to me a few decades ago before I was given a spanking:

Better I hit you today, instead of people outside.

I am sure quite a number of people of my age would have heard that when they are disciplined by their parents. It is old style disciplining and one that’s probably disapproved by many educators today. Many years later, I still have not fully comprehend that comment. I used to think that he meant to say that at the very least, he won’t beat me to death or that he will not beat me as heavily as a complete stranger. But this slapping has given me a deeper understanding – it would have spared me a public humiliation at the hands of strangers. I would have felt sad if my kid was beaten up by others in public. For people from my generation, corporal punishment seem to work. After all, most of us didn’t end up as the posterboy for someone to spit on, or to curse our names.

Regardless how we felt about Amos Yee’s cockiness or his attitude, and even if some may actually feel “shiok” seeing the chap get slapped, I believe most of us do not approve of the actions of the assailant. The public slapping is a great insult to law and order. Even more so because it was done outside the courts and to a minor. No one should be allowed to take the law into their own hands, or there will be a day people start killing murder suspects before they are sentenced.

Anyway, here’s a few things I have thought about this whole case:

1. Some people said Amos Yee turned out the way he is because he is talented and he did not have the avenue to express himself and to develop his talent. He turned into what he is because of the way of Singapore’s education system is and what not. Seriously? Just simply because the chap has acted in some movies and got award for what he did? He’s hardly some kind of child prodigy or someone very talented. He may simply be very skilled in video making, but that’s hardly genius or talent. I have my own complaints about Singapore’s education system too, but this wouldn’t be the case for me to voice them.

 

2. No one can help feel that the entire case was politically motivated even though it is spinned by the main stream media as a reaction to the impingement of religious sensitivity. My guess was that if the whole case was presented as one whereby a boy is charged for his less than flattering remarks about the late Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore would look rather stupid to the world. So well, it was more convenient to let the Christians take the “blame”. I was glad when a Christian counsellor offered to stand in as bailor (before he requested for a discharge of that responsibility) to show that Christians are not as vindicative as the media has portrayed us to be. Seriously, there’s enough of things for people to pick on Christianity, and Christians can do better with one less accusation about bullying or persecuting a boy!

 

3. A particular opposition politician whom I chose not to name has even said that the slapping showed that it was politically motivated and in response to Amos Yee’s comments about the late Lee Kuan Yew. He asserted that because the person has said “Sue me! Sue me!” after the slapping definitely suggested that. Going by that argument, if the person was motivated in response to the comments about Jesus Christ, would he then have said “Cruify me!” instead? When my friend pointed out the absurdity of this politician’s comments, I had almost choked on my cup of 3-in-1 coffee. My suggestion to this politician… go put $30,000 where your mouth is, and offer to bail the chap out.

 

4. I heard from a friend an exile had called the charges on Amos Yee an example of Singapore’s lack of Freedom of Speech. Really? I think there are better examples to use to criticise Singapore on this matter. But in general I believe everyone is always free to say whatever they want in Singapore, but there’s nothing to guarantee freedom from a reaction – such as someone pressing charges, making a police report or even throwing a punch. Those reaction maybe unwarranted, unjustified or even criminal, but it is the risks everyone must consider before opening their gap. Call if fear or self censorship for all I cared, but I ain’t the chap who is going to be the object of the reaction so go ahead and exercise that precious freedom. But I guess one can later seek donations online and then earn a vacation to a Scandinavian country after that…

 

5. Lastly, it is my considered opinion that this whole case has been blown way out of proportion. When I consider the disparity in the application of the law on similar douchebags like Jason Neo and Amy Cheong, what Amos Yee has done was nothing compared to a particular Edz Ello. At least Amos Yee wasn’t cursing our entirely country or calling for us to be killed and taken over as a separate province of a foreign nation. Thus, Amos Yee deserved nothing more than a stern warning, and asked to publicly apologise. To charge Amos Yee while letting those two go scot free is in my opinion a great miscarriage of justice. That said, I was relieved to know that Edz Ello will also be charged, though why the main stream media isn’t following up more closely on that is beyond me. I was also understandably annoyed by the troll of a former Nominated Member of Parliament who actually called for the release of Edz Ello and the charges to be dropped while he called for the same laws to come down harshly on Amos Yee. With this level of double standards (if not gross hypocrisy), all I have to say to this ex-NMP is: Calvin-nabu kani-nabu la!

So that about sum up what I think of this whole issue…