TR EMERITUS

We always think that the truth shall set you free. Do we really mean that? Do we know what that takes? It’s easy to use that on someone, but how about ourselves? Alas, in truth, it is often a freedom most of us would rather avoid so as to embrace a lie we can’t live without. I guess there is some truth when Churchill in wartime remarked, “Truth may be so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.” But, in Leon and Nicole’s case, the only war that is waging is not in the battlefields, but in their conscience. Mind you, the greatest battle of mankind is fought and forged there, for life. And the truth is one they cannot, or dread to, confront because the price to be paid is just too great. You have to be in it, to feel it. Lies are much cheaper to maintain because living in the shadow gives one the feeling that they will not be caught. Darkness thus emboldens, like numbing alcohol, but it is a boldness that is blind to all consequences, even to the ones we long to protect. It is different in the light, where you practically leave nothing to speculation. It’s the glare that uncovers our nakedness. But the glare is not because of the intensity of the light of truth. It is because of the opacity of the darkness we take refuge in, which is intensified by the depth of our denial. That contrast, which is largely self-inflicted, creates the glare, not the gentleness of truth’s light. We know the stubborn trail. Nicole, when asked, denied it. Leon too denied it. Their responses were firm and swift. Instead of a bodyguard of lies, they hired an army of gravediggers to bury the truth. They just can’t afford to face it, or leave the lies behind. That’s quite understandable. It’s an instinctive reaction to self-protect. But over time, it becomes an illusion more believable than reality. And by that time, the voices of the opposition is silenced and our conscience no longer needs any more convincing. Like I said, lies are cheaper to maintain and it perpetuates a pervasive veneer of self-impunity. And thus explains the glare when the recent video of Nicole offering her hand and Leon stroking it as a form of affection was put in circulation. I know parliamentarians are the best of our best. They represent the people with passion, conviction and integrity. They have earned that coveted title and place for fighting tirelessly, overcoming political obstacles. We all respect them for their character, stamina and fortitude. We know they are not perfect. But they embodies what we hope to emulate for ourselves, and our children. We can’t dismiss the sacrifices they have made in their hardscrabble journey for the people, right? These few days, PM Lee and WP Pritam kept reminding us about high standards of excellence for public servants. But what we need now more than ever is moral courage embodied, not a moral signpost planted by the kerb of the human journey. At our crossroad, when the rubber meets the road, can we say what Martin Luther once declared: “Here I stand; I can do no other.” At times like this, I learned much more about moral courage, not from the best of our best, but from a wise commoner, Frankie Wong, 80. He has a good heart and a clear conscience. Frankie is Leon’s former driver for more than a decade. He was terminated because he stood at that crossroad and can do no other. He paid the price for fighting for the truth. He recalled that Leon once told him this: “I remember how we once talked about David Ong, and he said it was stupid for politicians to get into affairs, losing everything because of a woman.” Frankie said that he told Pritam about the affair and asked that he do something about it. But “all Pritam said was okay, and hung up.” Even after being sacked, and threatened to be sued, making that a troop of lawyers, not just bodyguards to protect a lie, Frankie said: “I don’t hate Leon. I hate the party leaders who didn’t help Leon when I told them about the matter, and even until now, none of them has contacted me. Now, Leon’s future is destroyed…Leon is actually a nice guy, he treated me very well.” While we should never judge a person by a fall, or be condemned by it, we should demonstrate moral courage at all times. Yes, it will take time to wake up to what we have done, and the people we have hurt. But it is the courage to own it, to take responsibility for it, that marks the first crucial step, not just for our recovery, but for fighting back our integrity. And I always believe that no one is beyond redemption. But it takes moral courage to take a stand even after a fall, and this time, earn back the trust we have broken and fight to heal from there, for all.   Michael Han * The author blogs on Facebook.          Read More →

Nicole Seah I would suffice that the loss of Nicole (as a party member) is a loss to the face-wanting Wayang Party (WP), that’s all to it. Nicole has struck me as a very sincere and caring person since her debut into politics a decade ago and my view of her (unless proven otherwise) has not changed simply of a short sexual tryst she had with a lao uncle, who allegedly is a color wolf. As I have been saying, a person’s sexual wants and preferences should not be used as a gauge of that person’s ability to perform and I stand by that. There are openly gay politicians in the world and some of them are performing remarkably well. These sexual tryst are an individual's private matters and we have no business poking our nose into their affairs, and even if there are issues, it is still a family affair, best left to the spouse and family members to sort them out. I would opine that Nicole would still be an asset to any oppo party that can look beyond the fiasco and take her into their stable. Alternatively, Nicole could stand as an independent if the other oppos are too afraid of taking her in for fear of losing "face".  I think she would be able to outperform any oppo candidates in a 3-cornered SMC. Unless we are a society still living in the 50s, i.e. lao uncles and lao aunties, I doubt anyone would be bothered with her short sexual tryst and discount her for that. So unless Nicole decides to leave politics for good, oppo parties should seriously weigh and consider enlisting her onto the team, since now that she is ‘available’. The WP, like someone suggested, had never really wanted her in the first place and joining the party was possibly Nicole’s greatest mistake. Let’s all ask ourselves honestly, does it really bother us if a lady that has a short sexual tryst becomes our MP? Or your wife was not a virgin when you married her? Besides, is having a short sexual tryst a Penal Code offence to even begin with? How many of us can thumb our chest and say we NEVER had any sexual trust with someone that is NOT our spouse? People love Nicole for who she is, her mind, her soul, her sincerity, surely not her body (well, maybe some lao tigo). Most of us really cannot be bothered with who she sleeps with, that is a matter only her hubby can cry father cry mother about. There is a saying in China: 我老婆和谁睡关你鸟事啊? 我是她老公, 我都没说话, 你算老几啊? Politics is not about face, it is about the lives of peasants like us. I would rather have a MP who really cares about us, athough she may ONS at times, over someone who is a eunuch and cannot be bothered with whether we live or die. What do you think?   Andrew   * Escalated from a comment by our techie, edited slightly for spelling and clarity. The views expressed are purely of his own and not indicative of the stand of TRE.           Read More →

1) The loss of Leon & Nicole is painful for the whole opposition and democratic development. 2) It takes years to cultivate the fertile ground and groom good candidates who will become Opposition MPs and such loss is really unbearable, especially so when Nicole is just a step from winning East Coast GRC! 3) Fanatic supporters of WP should stop their crazy misinformation and irrational defense of their leaders. It's going to do more harm than good to WP and the rest of opposition parties. 4) While Shanmugan has asked others to leave his family alone, he should also asked PAP IBs to leave the family of Nicole Seah alone! 5) A law was enacted to protect MPs and Ministers from unwarranted spying by private eyes & state apparatus without prior approval, questions should be asked on whether the spying video on Leon & Nicole was sanctioned by the authorities on whatever basis. If not, a formal investigation should be carried out immediately to find out the source of spying. This is a matter on Rule of Law. 6) Current & Future people who want to become opposition politicians must understand that once you start to step into the political limelight, every move you make will be watched. You should not test your luck and think that you can get away with such hanky panky. The price you pay for fooling around will be extremely great in the end!   Goh Meng Seng      Read More →