A Strong Singaporean Woman In Power

Why is there a presumption that Singaporean women are somehow inferior to men when it comes to leadership?

Most of the Singaporean women I have met are highly suited to such a cause; intelligent, articulate and with a passion to make the country succeed.  Some like Mdm Halimah Yacob (who I watched on local television) are already in politics and others I have met professionally are not, but should be encouraged to be.

You may well ask why I pose this question in the first place?

There has been a report today in TodayOnline which covers a recorded conversation with PM Lee.  In it he is reported as saying:

“I think Singapore will have to get used to the idea that you have people come in, you have a leader who has not been there quite such a long time, you have to operate in a different sort of way but he can make it work”.

The issue I have is with the last part of the statement “he can make it work.”

Now while I realise that this is but a small snippet of a broader conversation about leadership succession (and probably a Freudian slip), one would like to think that field will remain open for female candidates to take the reins in the future.

And that future might be as the next Prime Minister after the incumbent, Lee Hsien Loong,  steps down.

Tutu Much

Image: Singapore Dance Theatre

The much anticipated tour of the Singapore Ballet troupe to Malaysia has been curtailed due to a late imposition of a sanction and more conservative elements of the host country labeling the ballet costumes as obscene.

Now while it is true that traditional ballet costume brings a new interpretation to the "the battle of the bulge", it should not be forgotten that this discipline uses the body as a form of creative expression.

Hence the tight costumes which show off the poise and grace of the movements to a greater degree. And I hasten to add, there is nothing inherently obscene about the human body.

History teaches us that the greatest Civilisations are those that celebrated diversity, welcomed innovation and encouraged cultural expression.  It also teaches us that those who follow a great dynasty by trying to impose restrictions, narrow the breadth of personal expression and punish those that step outside the norm are doomed to failure.

The earlier courts of India, China and Europe bare testament to the rise and fall of dynasties that were alternatively embracing and then restrictive in their rule. Singapore under the former PM Goh Chok Tong underwent a cultural renaissance of its own in the 1980's. Malaysia by comparison seems to be getting more conservative and restrictive despite the best efforts of its current Prime Minister, Najib Razak.

However the Tutu Tale doesn't end there. The Malaysian government in response to the universal derision that this ban engendered has been quick to say that "it did not receive a permit application for a Singapore ballet troupe to perform here despite organisers claiming the performances had been barred with no reason given".

Now I find this very hard to believe, even though the Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim has personally stated that he "“I love all forms of the arts and theatre. Ballet should be encouraged".

Someone, somewhere, clearly decided to withhold the license for the Singapore Ballet to perform. The troupe applied for the license months before it was due to tour and had performed across the Causeway for the last two years without causing a ruckus.

The end result of this spat is that 'Ballet Illuminations', for this is the name of the performance, will not be illuminating anyone in Malaysia over the weekend.

Related articles

• Malaysia calls off Nutcracker over claims of 'indecency'
• Malaysia denies tutus to blame for nixed ballet
• Too tight for Malaysia: Ballet tour banned over costumes

General Election 2011 - NZ Style

Image via WikipediaI have just discovered that all of Mediacorp's radio stations now stream their programmes online so I have been enjoying the classical musical programme from the Singapore studios today; Symphony 92.4FM to be exact.

Yesterday I listened to Love972, the Chinese contemporary channel but today I was out of 'love' and more interested in soothing melodies.

The New Zealand election is next weekend and the shenanigans of the politicians and the media are less than edifying.

Much of the past week has been dominated by the Media trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, or more correctly "a mountain out of a teapot".

After a journalist has broken the law by hiding a tape recorder in a cloth bag and secretly recording the conversation between the Prime Minister and a candidate from another party, the media then got on its high horse when the PM refused to answer questions about the conversation.

To his credit he put the matter in the hands of the police which means that the contents cannot be revealed.  But frankly, who really cares about this sorry saga except for the media themselves?

Here we are in dire financial times, recovering from a major earthquake and all the media seem bent on covering are the so-called "illegal tapes". Even our Inland Revenue Department has resorted to issuing bad cheques so times must really be tough.

Such a load of rubbish would not be allowed to occur in Singapore and while there may be some who may decry the government control of media in the Republic, at least the larger issues confronting the country get air time.

The freedom of the press comes with responsibilities but too often in New Zealand the media gets caught up in its own hype and forgets that the public want substance, not dross.

In addition to the election next Saturday we also have the opportunity to vote on a referendum which will determine whether we wish to keep our proportional representation system, MMP, revert to the tried and true First Past The Post, or adopt a new system of  proportional representation.

Having observed in recent times how minor parties of little consequence can hold the country to ransom, I shall probably opt for a return to our older system of First Past The Post.  I stress that not all minor parties fall into this category, but a number do.  This election campaign the Greens have impressed me as have the Maori Party, although I will be voting for neither.

National will hold on to power with an increased majority if the polls are to be believed. The Labour Party will suffer even heavier losses that the last election and the Greens will capture their largest chunk of the vote ever.

Which all goes to explain how the soothing music from Singapore's classical music station will help bring my blood pressure down over the next seven days. Now if I could just get to walk down Orchard Road and view the Xmas Lights I would be even happier.

Related articles

• 'Illegal tapes' row erupts in NZ (bbc.co.uk)