Yellow ribbon on the big oak tree

There was a big campaign to educate people on the need to help those that went astray to return to the main stream of life. Many have spent time behind bars for all sorts of reasons. Some petty crimes, some drugs, and some fairly serious. Everyone deserves a second chance. Chance must be given to those who are willing and want to return to normal life. It is not an easy path, and must be approached with caution as not all will want to or are able to return to live normally. Then there is this one that forged his degree to get a job here and was found out. He had proven that he was a good worker and had won the confidence and trust of his employer. His case deserves some special attention from his track records. His employer paid his legal fees and fines and wanted to fight for him to be given a second chance. this is a heart warming fight by Ivy. On an individual case, people may be warmed to the worker and may want to help him as best they could. But how would this affect the bigger picture? Would every potential offender find our laws so compassionate that it is ok to repeat the same offence? We can afford to deal with a handful of cases. But where should it stop? It is bad to think that just because Hsien Loong mentioned of a case that could deserve a different treatment, probably tongue in cheek, it should not be used as a justification that committing an offence here is pardonable. No sweat. As long as one can contribute in some way to the economy, we can close one eye and be compassionate and human to such offenders. These are social problems of the poor. When people are poor, they resort to petty theft and crime to get by. Some of the crimes committed are so petty and pathetic. It is not easy to past judgement on such cases. To make an exception or to apply the law will have its advocators and detractors.