TR EMERITUS

By Fang Zhi Yuan, Senior writer The unfortunate suicide of A*Star scholar Mr Lin Zhi Qiang purportedly over rejection of love by a China woman has shocked not only his family and friends who are still coming to terms with his unexpected demise, but also ordinary Singaporeans from all walks of life. A*Star stands for the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, a premier research company which is started and funded by the Singapore government in its ambition to make Singapore the research hub of Asia. The Singapore government has a long history of awarding scholarships to the creme la crop of junior college students for them to pursue their tertiary education either overseas or at local universitites. Most of them are awarded on the basis of their academic grades in the GCE 'A' levels examinations though there have been a shift of late towards non-academic attributes such as creativity and leadership skills. The scholarships cover the tuition fees and living expenses of the scholars during their entire course. Upon graduation, they are expected to serve the government agency for a period of 5 to 10 years. Prestigious scholarships include the President scholarship awards, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Overseas scholarship award, A*Star, EDB and the Civil Service Overseas Merit award. These scholars are groomed to be the future leaders of the organization which sponsored their education. Many move on to become future political leaders of the state. Singapore's current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean and Minister in Prime Minister Office Lim Swee Say were all previous SAF scholars. Can we trust the scholarship selection process to pick up potential leaders for the future based solely on academic qualifications at a tender age of 18 where few have experienced the vagaries of life ? It is a well-known fact that many of these high-flying scholars lead a sheltered life ensconced from the usual struggles, bitterness and dog-fights of everyday life. Most come from well-to-do and middle class families and life was a breeze to them from young. With disproportionate attention placed on their academic studies in schools, they may lack critical life skills, experiences and the wisdom called "street-smart" to cope with later challenges and setbacks in life. The scholars have their career paths laid down right for them from the very beginning the moment they are selected. As long they do not screw up badly in their careers, almost all of them are guaranteed an iron rice bowl, attractive pay and bonuses and a cosy retirement awaiting them at the end of their working lives.  There is an unspoken rule within the armed forces that SAF scholars will usually attain the rank of a least a Colonel. All the top plume jobs such as the Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Airforce are reserved solely for SAF scholars. For commissioned officers who are not scholars, the highest rank they can ever hope to reach in their careers is a Lieutenant-Colonel and very rarely a full Colonel if one is especially outstanding. Again in the civil service, the highest posts in the various ministries and statutory boards are all reserved for the scholars and are literally "out of bounds" to the ordinary staff. Meritocracy is practiced discreetly for two different classes of people - the scholars and the non-scholars. With few challenges to their positions and so much at stake should they make a mistake, many opt for the safe and tested route of following what was done by their precedessors, leading to an inevitable stagnation within the organization. As long things are going well, the glaring deficiencies within the system are well hidden under a veneer of respectability. However when the going gets tough, we will need exceptional leaders who dare to think out of the box and take risks rather than conservatives following strictly according to the rule book. Visionaries are not found in the classroom but are nurtured in the school of life where winners are distinguished from the rest of the crowd via natural selection. The movers and shakers of the world are seldom academically gifted scholars. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, was a Harvard dropout. The inventor of the electric bulb, Thomas Edison, never completed college education and worked as a train conductor and a telegraph operator in his early years. Sim Wong Hoo, the founder and CEO of Creative Technologies is not a graduate either. The present "scholar system" has done grave injustices to both the scholars themselves and to those who have failed to qualify for it. To the former, the artifically cloistered environment in which they are put in deprives them of a chance to fulfill their full potential in the outside world. To the latter group, the limits placed on their career advancement does little to recognize or reward their hard work, talents and contributions. It is time for the government to relook into its policy of giving out scholarships funded by taxpayers to the most academically gifted students regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. Only by levelling the playing field between the scholars and the non-scholars will there be real meritocracy in the state bureaucracy instead of a half-baked segmented meritocracy for the two different groups which is the reality on the ground now.  Read More →

By Fang Zhi Yuan, Senior writer The recent Tan Yong Soon fiasco has drawn polarizing opinions from two different camps. While the majority of netizens lampooned and condemned Tan for being insensitive and callous in flaunting his wealth in a national paper, some defended his travelogue as an innocuous sharing of one's unique holiday experience. Even before the dust has settled, a MP - Charles Chong of Pasir Ris - Punggol GRC unwittingly added oil to fire by alluding Tan's critics as "lesser mortals" who are simply envious of him. Though he subsequently tried to limit the damage by offering an ambiguous clarification to queries by a blogger, many remained unconvinced at his half-hearted attempts to appease his critics. There were many calls for the two protagonists to issue a public apology for their indiscretion. In spite of the head of civil service, Peter Ho expressing his regrets about Tan's untimely article, the latter has remained defiantly silent so far. Neither did Charles Chong issue any public statements about his remarks. It appears that both Tan Yong Soon and Charles Chong do not think they have made a mistake and therefore there is no need for them to explain themselves further. Short of an outright apology, the very least they can do is to acknowledge the furore their remarks have caused and expressed regrets over them. Let me draft a sample template for them to follow: Tan Yong Soon: "When Straits Times approached me to write a travelogue for their Life section, I thought it would be a good idea to share with the readers my unique experiences at Le Cordon Beu. It was never my intention to flaunt my wealth or to belittle anybody. Nevertheless, I do acknowledge that some feelings may be hurt and I would like to express my sincere regrets to those Singaporeans who do not take kindly to the words I have used." Charles Chong: "When TODAY called me up for a phone interview about the Tan Yong Soon fiasco, I told the journalist that Tan's article left me with the impression that he was a bit boastful and maybe insensitive to (us) lesser mortals. This may naturally lead to unhappiness and even envy especially during difficult times. However, the way my words were phrased in TODAY gave the wrong impression to unsuspecting readers that I am denigrating Tan's critics as "lesser mortals" which was never my intention in the first place. I have since clarified my stance with the journalist and I would like to express my regrets over this unfortunate misunderstanding which has caused unhappiness among some quarters." Tan and Chong could have brought the matter to a proper closure by a simple acknowledgement of the furore their remarks have caused in public unless they feel it is not worth their efforts to account to those whose feelings are hurt by their off the tangent remarks. During the 2006 General Elections, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong offered an unreserved apology the next day after he made his infamous "fix the opposition" gaffe at a lunchtime rally. Tan and Chong should learn some basic humility and graciousness from the Prime Minister. In other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, it is common to see political leaders and holders of public office apologizing or expressing regrets over their gaffes to soothe frayed nerves. Our leaders and civil servants see themselves as the "master" of the people they are purported to serve and regard public apologies as tantamount to a tacit admission of their shortcomings and subsequent loss of "face". It is time to remind them the meaning behind the titles of "public servants" to hold them to greater accountability and transparency. Though the storm caused by their careless remarks will soon fade away, it will remain forever etched in the memory of aggrieved netizens who will revive it at the next earliest opportunity  Read More →

Translated from Wanbao by Cheng Siew Peng An A*Star scholar jumped to his death from 9 storeys after his love was rejected by a China girl. His parents were devastated at the scene. Both the China girl and her boyfriend kneeled down in front of them to beg for forgiveness. The A*star scholar Lin Zhi Qiang (25 yr) and his good friend both were going after the same China girl. The China girl eventually chose his friend which devastated Lin. Lin then ran to her place (blk 407, sembawang), hoping to change the girl's mind, but was rebuffed.  He then jumped down from 9th floor outside the girl's flat. Lin died immediately. According to Lin's father, when he and his wife heard the news, they went to the girl's place immediately. She and her boyfriend (Lin's good friend) were there too. The couple were in tears with heavy heart. When the couple saw Lin's parents, they felt sorry and knelt down in front of the parents and apologized. However, the couple didn't say anything about the whole incident. Mr Lin asked them what was the cause of his son's death but the couple kept quiet. When the reporter asked Mr Lin if he would forgive the couple, the devastated Mr Lin did not reply. Mr Lin said that earlier, he had asked his son to let go. But it was a pity that he son did not which resulted in this tragedy. Father: "Son never had a girl friend, didn't expect him to be so stupid" The deceased father said his son had never had a girlfriend for the past 25 years. His results were especially good and was a gifted student. The family never expect their most obedient son to break their hearts like this. "Zhi Qiang from small till now had never fallen in love. I had never heard him spoke about any girl he liked. If not for last year's incident in which he fainted and went into coma for 48 hours after being rejected by the China girl, we will never know he had a sweetheart and he loved her so deeply." Mr Lin said he doesn't know the existence of the China girl except that her son knew her through a mutual friend when he was studying in the United States. "From what I know, the China girl and my son's good friend were from the same university, I didn't expect that both good friends will end up going after the same girl." Mr Lin believed that the China girl was his son's first love and he thought after counselling him several times, his son is able to accept the reality of him being rejected. Maybe the trauma was too big for him to bear, leading him to take the wrong step. From Raffles Institution to Hwa Chong Junior College, academic results had always been excellent The deceased is the third child in the family and is the smartest of all the 4 children. Mr Lin said his son was very smart and his academic results had always been excellent from his secondary to junior college days. "He was the pride of my family. The two sisters were proud of him too." Mr Lin said his family's cohesiveness is strong. His eldest daughter who is working as a teacher and youngest son who is studying are currently preparing for Zhi Qiang's funeral and his second daugther who is working in the United States has already booked a return flight to Singapore to attend her brother's funeral. Source: Lianhe Wanbao EDITORS' NOTE: If you happened to know the deceased or the PRC girl and her boyfriend, please email us at [email protected] to share the story with us. We will pay you an attractive honorarium for the information provided.  Read More →