Hwa Chong JC student Punch Bus Driver

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It was the hot topic of the week. A Hwa Chong JC student had punched a bus driver and it was reported in the front page news. Following up was the news of his father kneeling down and begging the bus driver for forgiveness.

I was shocked by the news of a top JC student committing such a rash act. But what surprised me even more were his father’s actions as well as the boy’s claim that it was “all an accident”

It was no doubt a touching story. The father’s act of self sacrifice is admirable, and his love for his song moved many. His is acting based on what he perceived as what is best for his son. However, one could not help but question the wisdom in his actions.

First let us look at the actions of the student. What the son did was definitely wrong and unacceptable. No matter how angry he might be at the moment, his anger can never be an excuse for anyone to commit such acts of violence, let alone a student studying in a school where future leaders are being made. Even if the bus driver had been provocative, violence is never the solution to any problems. As a fellow teenager, I can understand the impulse to let our emotions overwhelm us and act rashly, especially when his girlfriend is around. Still, youth is no excuse for such acts. After all, if others of the same age can control their emotions, why cannot he do the same?

Next, let us look at the incident from the perspective of the father. From what I have mentioned above, we can safely conclude that the boy had been responsible for this whole incident. Thus he should bear the full responsibility for his actions and learn from the experience. However, his father’s actions denied him this chance. The one kneeling down begging for forgiveness should not be the father who is totally unrelated to the incident. Instead the one begging for forgiveness should be the son.

Also, from the son’s claim that everything “was an accident”, it is evident that he still does not feel any genuine remorse for his actions. Is this what the father wanted?

In some ways, this incident reflects the approach that many parents take when educating their children. In pursuit of academic achievement of their children, they often forget about the character development of their children. As a result, their children make mistakes that ought to be punished. However, these parents are often over protective of their children and choose to shield from the responsibilities that they ought to take. The result of such parenting is a generation of youth that is irresponsible and weak. This incident is probably just one among the many that happen each day but are not reported. Our parents are forgetting that they cannot accompany their children for the rest of their lives, and that they need to stand up for themselves one day.

Minister Pay Rise Resonable?

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/269330/1/.html

In any organization, salaries are always a sensitive issue. Our government is no exception. Perhaps this is why there were so much opinions, and even outcries, over the pay raise of our country’s leaders. Or perhaps, the pay raise is really a mistake.

To all the outcries over the pay raise just 2 months after the GST hike which itself caused an uproar, PM Lee responded by giving the reason that only a income matching that of the top earners in the private sectors is sufficient to attract talents for the government. He also mentioned that the pay raise implemented was neither to benefit himself or the currently government, but attract future generation of leaders.

However, despite the reasons that PM Lee gave, many, including myself, still remain unconvinced by the necessity of such a high salary “matching that of the top earners in the within the private sectors”

Firstly, the very fact that the government is comparing itself with the private sector is a mistake. The leaders in the private sectors work solely to gain profit, and often neglect the wellbeing of the people below them. Such leaders cannot and should not work in the government.

Secondly, PM Lee mentioned that the purpose high salary is to attract future generations of leaders to work in the government. As a student studying in a school dedicated to nurturing our country’s future leaders, I feel that our leaders should not choose to become a leader to seek wealth, but instead choose to become a leader to seek to improve the lives of the people living in his country.

Perhaps this is an idealistic view of a youth, but should not the genuine desire to improve the country be their motivation for the top talents to work for the government, instead of high pay? If the leaders of our country are motivated by money and greed to serve, how can we trust them to put our country before their personal gain?

Our current government has the heart to serve our country even with the current pay, so why should the future generation of leaders be any different?

I feel that a leader should be the one that is willing to sacrifice a part of his life for the sake of the country. If our leaders are only willing to serve the country only with top salaries that matches the top earners in the private sectors, then what we have would not be a government, but instead merely a group of managers hired to manage our country. Money should never be the motivation for leaders. The reason is clearly prove by the corruption in other countries. A true leader of a country should instead be motivated by his desire to serve the people and improve their lives. Thus, I disagree with the pay raise.