Slap stick comedy accused of being racist

A Singaporean Indian actor was disgusted over his role as an Indian NSman in Jack Neo’s ‘Ah Boys to Men 4’ comedy. He was told by the director that he was not Indian enough, without the Indian accent that the director wanted in the comedy production.

This is from a post in the statestimes.

‘A Singaporean Indian actor was told by the casting director of a new conscription-themed movie by Jack Neo, that he is “not Indian enough”. Actor Shrey Bhargava took to Facebook and said that he put up with the director’s request and felt “disgusted” playing the role of an Indian Singaporean with thick Indian accent. The actor wrote his thoughts about why the state propaganda movie emphasize the need to play on racism to create jokes, and questioned the morality of the Chinese Singaporean majority who find these jokes funny.’

Jack Neo’s comedy is what it is, catering to the masses with the kind of stereo typing not just for Singapore Indians, but for Singapore Chinese, the Chinese educated and the bananas speaking in a contrived English accent that most Singaporeans don’t speak that way. To the little group of baba English educated Chinese, mostly bananas, that is the correct way to speak baba English, oops, that is Queen’s English to them.

In this particular case, the director could not understand that time has changed and the Singapore Indians no longer speak with the Indian accent of olden days or like the Indian Indians that arrived here recently. The 50 years of social integration and growing up together has evolved a generation of new Singaporeans that speak in a common accent, be they Chinese, Indian or Malay. They have a similar accent, very Singaporean and only Singaporeans can undertand and identify with.

The director of the comedy is still stuck in the past, playing on the queer accent and mannerism of the various races as humour. Suck slap stick humour has its own audience and attractiveness, maybe just to churn up the ticket sales but may, like in this case, becomes unpalatable and even be seen as being racist.

Jack Neo and his team should change with the time and reflect the real or new Singaporean mix, the new Singaporean young are different from their parents and grand parents. They have all acquired the Singaporean accent. The new Singaporeans are a new breed from our rojak society. Maybe the director may want to cast the new citizens with their queer accent from their motherland and how they cope with being the minority among the Singaporeans in NS.

There is definitely a distinct difference between the new citizens and the original Singaporeans, Singaporeans born and bred in our multi racial society. When the new citizens open their mouth, it tells instantly. This could be the next theme of Jack Neo in ‘Ah Boys to Men 5’. But beware of being accused of racism as playing up on the new and strange accent, behaviour and mannerism may not go down well on those who are more sensitive than the norm, especially the new citizens who have this obsession that Singaporeans are racist. Do not give room or reason to be accused of racism even if it is a comedy for commercial interests.

Ooi Jin Teck as CEO of Singapore Sports Hub?

Lee Bee Wah is rooting for Jin Teck, the current COO and now acting CEO with the resignation of Sawhney to be the next CEO. Jin Teck has all the credentials to helm this position, a Singaporean, an Olympian, represented Singapore in swimming and won many medals for the country. Why not?

When you read the names of the who’s who in the Sports Hub and those who have left, resigned after Sawhney became the CEO, one would be wondering why all the top management posts were held by foreigners and Jin Teck is probably the odd Singaporean man out? Don’t we have any Singaporeans good enough to be CEOs, or are we waiting to groom the next generation of CEOs in sports so that they would be ready to become CEOs in 50 years time?

I think Jin Teik’s weakest point is that he is a Singaporean, Singaporean is read as stupid, no talent and not good enough. If Jin Teik is a foreigner, his chances of being the next CEO would be much higher.

Would the Sports Hub be asking a foreign recruitment agency to go around the world to hunt for another foreign trash to be the CEO of the Sports Hub and Jin Teik, being a daft no talent Singaporean, is only a seat warmer, waiting to be replaced?

I know where they should be looking for another talented foreigner to be the CEO of the Sports Hub. Go to the little villages in the third world countries. They have all the talents that Singapore needs to run sports hubs and sophisticated modern businesses with skills honed from their little villages. Singaporeans like Jin Teik are just not good enough to be CEOs though they lived in a modern first world city. They just did not have the exposure needed to run modern facilities compare to the villagers.

What do you think?

Milk powder – Remember, you want quality, you pay

This mantra of everything must be expensive and priced accordingly is
probably the biggest culprit in the milk powder controversy. Actually it is
wrong to call it a controversy. The prices of milk powder, especially the
branded ones, have reached the roof and priced like the Mercedes and Rolls
Royce, like luxury items, to be worn on the sleeve.


How could rich parents not give their children the best, the most expensive
brand of milk powder with some even claiming to make the child more
intelligent? With only one child, many parents would give everything they
have to the precious child. Even the not so rich would be hard pressed to
want to give their children the best formula milk to compete with the
children of the elite. And so goes the merry go round and branded formula
milk keep raising their prices to be better by being the most expensive
brand.


And how to tell the mothers that the most expensive brand may not be the
best milk powder for their children? Is milk powder just milk powder
regardless of brand? How to convince the mothers that cheap is also good
when they have always been saying, you want good stuff, quality stuff, pay for
it?


Maybe the govt must start to sing another song, price does not matter and
price is not equated to quality. But what about the high prices of
education, of medical services, of expensive goods and services, are they
really good or no good? All politicians are politicians, sama sama, $200k
or $3m also politician.


Milk powder is just milk powder? How to tell the mothers to go for the
cheapest brand, the house brands of some super market chain? They are
equally good. This really needs a lot of convincing to do to tell the
people that cheap is good, that cheap can also be good quality.


During my time, many of my generation’s babies grew up on condensed
milk like Blue Cross, Mermaid, General brand, if I could recall. What milk
powder, branded ones some more, never heard of. Then again, maybe that was
the reason why they are so daft today and unable to see shitty situation
they are in. If that is so, there is more urgency and need for branded milk
powder to make the next generation cleverer and able to think a bit better
than their unthinking parents.


What do you think, higher price, higher fees better or not?


This milk powder crisis is another unbelieveable story that went unheard,
unnoticed while the price of milk powder shot through the roof. Perhaps
everyone was thinking, you must pay for quality what. Obviously this has
reached a beh tahan point and there is political anger to demand the
situation be righted before it becomes another dangerous asset enhancement
thing when at the end everything becomes nothing.

Singapore China relations – Damage control mode

The last few weeks Singapore leaders have been gloating about the good relations between China and Singapore, going back to the days of LKY and claiming all the credits for Suzhou, Tianjin eco city and telling China that we are old friends, honest and reliable, we have common interests, that our good relations have deep roots and small differences should not derail this relationship.

All the negative reports and articles about China have disappeared to a trinkle, though still one or two appearing to irritate the Chinese. There was no need for such pleadings to remind the Chinese that we used to be good friends if only our diplomacy was based on more sensible approach, knowing our place instead of being khongcum and everyday wanting to punch above our weight, to poke China in the eyes. Oops, no we did not do that, according to Tommy Koh and several other highly talented Singaporean diplomats. Even Vivian has been saying all the nice things about how honest we are in our dealings with China and the South China Sea dispute. No, we never do anything bad or harmful against China. And the Chinese are so stupid, thinking Singapore was anti China!

See, relationship with China is now on even keel, back to normal. Everyone is smiling now. Forget about the Terrex incident or the non invite to OBOR. These are normal things and would soon be blown over.

Let’s see how long we can keep the media and the politicians and diplomat’s mouths shut. Let’s see how long Singapore can restrain itself from wanting to punch above its weight and wanting to poke China in the eyes. In diplomacy, they don’t invent such words called diplomatic for nothing, everything is about being diplomatic and not about punching above one’s weight when there is no need to.

Did Singapore learn anything from the hot headed cocky approach prior to this damage control exercise with China?  George Yeo better tell his former colleagues to know their places and stop being ‘boh tua boh suay’ in the international arena. The rule of the game is different, oops, in a way the same as domestic politics except that the person holding the big stick is not Singapore, so be prepared to be clobbered if one steps out of line

The horse has bolted from the barn, is it a bit too late to close the gate? Oops, more military exercises in the South China Sea, this time anti submarine exercise with India. 

Is this a friendly or unfriendly act against China? Why not anti submarine exercise with China’s navy in the Indian Ocean?

Lim Tean – NSP Secretary General quits in less than 2 years

When Lim Tean came on as NSP’s secretary general, there were many questions asked by those in the known, who was Lim Tean, where was he coming from. The story behind NSP’s changing of Sec Gen is like changing clothing daily and would Lim Tean be different? Many thought, well, another one of those things. I will be more surprised if Lim Tean last longer than 2 years. If he does, I will close my book on him.

After appearing in the last GE, Lim Tean came through as a very promising opposition leader, articulate, confident and spoke sense. He did not come across as another of those things, you know what I mean. Many regarded him as a good catch by NSP or any political party. I see him very likely to be a white swan in a pond of black swans. My question is whether he is just another black swan or a genuine white swan.

Lim Tean’s sin was to speak out on major issues like the EP and the 30% water fee hike, things that respectable politicians should be talking about. Any politician that shunned such topics should join the ruling party, keep their mouths shut and happily collecting the MP allowance of neary $200k per annum.  Lim Tean went one step further, to speak at the Speaker’s Corner on the same sensitive and taboo subjects. Many must be shocked of what Lim Tean did.  I too and knew that his days were numbered if he is a white swan.

Now the white swan has found that black swans are not comfortable with white swans and either he behaves like black swans or leave to find company with other white swans.

Any decent opposition party wants to open their arms to this man Lim Tean? It takes a lot of guts and bravado to welcome someone that has very good leadership potential into their wings. Lim Tean is one of the better politicians thrown out by this stale, staid and barren political landscape.  Who is going to offer him an olive branch and throw him a welcoming party? Any big man out there to take this man of substance to fight another day or thinking that Lim Tean is too good for him and would threaten his own position as leader of a political party?

This is the umpteen times that the people are expecting the alternative political parties to get their act together, put aside personal ego and ambition, to bring together the few good men and women to put up a reasonable team to challenge the ruling party. Or would they continue to muck around thinking that they have all the time in the world to stay as has been minnow political parties that would stage a pretentious fight in every GE only to prove beyond any doubt that they are perpetual losers, meaningless and a waste of the people’s time?

Would the losers acknowledge that they are losers from the start and change tact, to build up a stronger team to make a meaningful fight in the next GE or everything will be as before, a lot of noise but no substance and the electorate increasingly giving up on them?