Can We, The Singapore Society, Accept Them?

Juz watched the Channel U’s show, Let’s Shoot 3. This week topic was abt “Whether or nt We Can Accept Those Ex-offender Back to Our Society”.

I watched n took some notes, wanna share with all of you… Here are some questions and opinions that I found interesting and rather new… Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions okie? =]

1. Once the offender has accepted and finished his punishment under The Law, does that mean that he has been responsible of his own offences, and therefore shdnt be biased by society anymore?

One of the panelists, Mr Chai Shen Jiang, the Vice-Editor of “Wo3 Bao4” (My Paper), said that:

“There are 2, or even 3 layers of punishments, namely, Law, Society and Moral! Even if the offender has finished his/her punishments under The Law, this didn’t mean that he has done the same for the Society and Moral responsibilities.” In other words, even the offender has take up his/her responsibilities for the offences under The Law, it may not necessarily means tt that’s the end of the story. The real punishment only starts when you step urself out of the jail.”

Wont it be too cruel to the offender?

2. The other panelist, Mr Wong Ming De, said that, “When we were young and made a mistake, our parents would always say as long as we admitted the mistake and remorsed, then our parents would forgive us and give us another chance. Why cant we further broaden our love and forgiveness to a larger picture?”

I believe all of us had heard “The Story of Mr Washington”, we want other ppl to forgive us and give us chances, why cant we do the same to others?

If you are the family member of the victim, will you still forgive the offender?

3. Singaporeans are nt very forgiving, bt are very forgetting. =x Maybe a while later, we wont even rmb who are Mr Durai and Mr Richard Yong and wad they had done liao…

Will we? =x

4. You cant give yourself any excuses to make a mistake or commit a crime. You cant expect ppl to forgive you, even after you have been punished under The Law.

I think this was very true. Sometimes I myself also made some mistakes and gave some excuses. Hm… I was a shallow person honestly, I nd your opinions, if nobody forgives us even after we have been punished, then wads the use of punishment? Juz for punishing so that the victim will feel fair? Or juz simply to deter ppl from committing crimes? (Eh, dont gt me wrong, Both are important, can is that all?)

5. Once you did a bad thing, no one will rmb all the good things that you have done…

Mr Durai has done extremely well for the fund-raising, making the NKF the richest NGO in Singapore. I nt sure when did he start to do all the bad things, bt I am sure at first, he was quite okie, isn’t he? If nt he wont be appointed to be the CEO at the first place rite?

If Mr Lee Ming Shun has been jailed and maybe nxt time be the “Road Safety” Ambassador, I think we will accept him bah… Bt if Mr Durai is back and be some “Charity Ambassador” or sth, can we accept him??? Hm…

6. One of the guests, Mr Jacky, was an ex-offender. He didn’t mind to show his real face in front of the national tv, bt at first he was behind the box because he said that he has to take care of the feeling of his family members and company, even though he said that his family, sons, or company have accepted his past.

Then Mr Chai Shen Jiang mentioned, “ Isnt it an irony, his family members, friends and company said that they have accepted his past, bt DO mind that Mr Jacky shown his face up in the national tv… Hm…

(Mr Jacky eventually shown himself up in his real face. Kudos for him! =))

The question is: The offender himself doesn’t mind, it is his family and friends mind… So whose problem is it? The offender himself? Or our society is simply nt forgiving enough? =x

7. I found this rather interesting… I found out that the most of the ex-offenders are employed only for the low-skill jobs. I think of this, “If you are an ex-offender, and you have a degree, can you still find a job in office and companies?

Muz Complain Then Will Work??? Hm...

Okay.., finally, I noe my application result for the SIM-RMIT course liao: Rejected. =( lol.. Okay.., I gt to be honest, I already prepared to accept that result on ytd anyway… So nt very sad lah… Expected it anyway.., so yah…, okay okay to me…

Bt wad surprised me was the fact that I waited for such a long time, called also called liao, emailed also emailed liao... Bt all replies told me that the application result was nt ready… Hm…

Finally, I had it enough. Ytd afternoon, I emailed to them, telling them how I feel about the whole application process. Their officers are nice and friendly, generally I am okie with that. I juz don’t like how come the application took so long for the result to be out... One and a half mth... Too long le bah… =x Some more is like only one week b4 the commencement of the course, like that even I was admitted, I also wont have the time to apply my student pass.. =s

I was so upset that I emailed their manager ytd late afternonn. Surprisingly, the manager replied me the nxt day, this afternoon. Wah… So effective and efficient... =s lol... When I told some of you that the SIM was slow in replying, some of you were suggesting juz emailed or sent them a complain letter or juz called them and blasted them off. I thought it was too harsh. So I didn’t do that... Bt now.., I hav to re-think that... Is it only when there is a complaint and things will speed up??? Hm… And this is nt the 1^st time already… My past experience also told me that only when you sent some complaints or feedbacks that thing will gt done.

Hm.., do you think that only when one complains then things will gt done???

THINGS WE LOVE TO HATE

Dont you hate:

• Ppl who point at their wrist while asking for the time. "I know where my watch is, buddy. Where is Yours??"
  
• Ppl who are willing to get up and search the entire room for the TV remote, bt they juz refuse to walk to the TV and change the channel manually. =s
  
• When ppl say, "Its always in the last place you look" Of course lah, why the heck would you continue to find if you have found it??? =s
  
• Ppl ask a question, "Can i ask you a question?" Hello, you didn't give me any choice here, did you? =s
  
• When sth labelled "New and Improved" Hm.. If it's new, then there has never been anything like this before. If it's an improvement, then it must not be the first loh! =x
  
• When a traffic police pulls you over and then asks if you know how fast you were going? Wouldn't you love to reply, "Eh.., you shd noe rite? Since you pulled me over?" =s lol..
  

Quoted from The New Paper, 16 July 2007, spotted by Celia Francis

BAD DAY... =x

Woke up liao 1st thing to do: Call SIM. Wanna ask for the result of my application. I applied like more that a month ago on 6th June. The website said would be replied within a month, so I emailed them on 6th July and they told me nt ready yet, hopefully next week. Okie, I waited for another week. This morning, I called them again, and the officer said my application result nt ready yet, yet! Plz call them back on Fri, they said my result shd be out. I was kinda upset. Why nt ready yet? I applied more than one mth ago, nt ytd leh... Even if my application is unsuccessful, shd also tell me earlier mah.. Like that i more happy to accept it than keep telling me not ready yet.. =s

Okie.., honestly speaking I gave up hope already. I ready to accept the fact that there is slim chance, or no chance, for me to be admitted. So in the afternoon I went to PSB-Academy at Tiong Bahru to apply for Uni of Newcastle, Aus, de Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Financial Accounting). paid $183 for the application fee.. =x Bt the school building is quite nice. Staffs are also friendly.. =] Hopefully can gt in bah.. Its my best choice, option and hope now... =x

After that went to Tanjong Pagar to World Vision de office to send my photos for the 30-hr Famine Camp 2007. I nv been in the International Plaza b4, i had a hard time trying to look for the lift.. =x lol.. When I went up, saw the UNSW de Singapore office. 1st thing i thought of Dian, my IJC Econs genius. Coz she going to study Medicine there. Haiz.., this coming de 31st Dec would be the last time we would gather at Dian's place. I missed her mum's fried rice. The prawns like alot and all big big that kind... =p lol... I will miss her de, and i think the whole 05S13 class will miss her too, for her Dian's Blast! =p lol...

Anyway, back to the topic. Walked into the WV's office, simple kind. bt everyone looks so buzy. So bz that no one realise that i was inside already.. =x lol... They invited me for the BBQ this Fri.. So nice... =] After that I went to the nearby Bestway Building. I was studying at a language sch there, so I went back there.. Realised the school no longer there le.. Kinda sad, sudd think of some old memories and old friends. I couldnt recall their names, bt can still rmb how they looked like... Wondering, nxt time round in the future, Will I still rmb some of you?

Went to pick up my GF then, both of us were tired. She was tired bcoz of the long sch dayz, I was bcoz I travelled alot 2day. Along the way we discussing the SIM stuff. She did okie for her Block Test. I was happy for her!! lol... Zai4 jie1 zai4 li4 okie? You can do it de!!! *Jia You* =]

Then went to AMK to meet Li Kai, my sec sch best friend. I was getting his Bio redspot tys for my GF. He was nice, willing to lend me FOC lol... Thanks... =]

Finally, one day over le.. When I was on train, I sudd sms Puay Kuan, my IJ friend, who applied to SIM almost the same time as me. I was happy to hear that she was admitted! =] Wad shocked me was that she was admitted to the course that i was applying two weeks later, while I was waiting it for one and a half months??! Okie I gt to admit, her result good, BBD, so gt in immediately. Acceptable. Bt I felt upset as in I waiting for so long and yet they told me no outcome yet??! Okie, I noe my chance is low, bt I felt like being fooled ard..

Along my way home I was really upset and sad. So so upset and sad. The feeling of hopeless coming back to me again. Luckily my GF was there and gave me a lot of moral support! Thanks.. *LL* =] Also gt Li Kai. Chatted with him on msn. Some of his words really woke me up.

"You shd count yourself lucky liao, at least you can still afford to go private. I noe alot of ppl are in worse situation than you. Result nt good, also cant afford to go private..."

He was right, I shd really count myself lucky in this sense. I really wanna thanks the two of them for their timely support! Thanks! =] Oh yah, in any case if you gt trouble and feel sad or upset, can also sms me or sth.. I know moral support and a listening ear will be useful and timely.. Yup..., dont hestitate if you nd my help.. =]

Wish you all to have a Great Day and Less Worries.. =]