Synthesised GP Blog

Commentary on Ren Ci Charity show

Having just watched the section of the show when Venerable Shi Ming Yi wept on national television, I feel I simply have one thing to write on: Singaporeans are still really compassionate.

The show didn't start on a good note for one. Everyone was still in a fog of distrust towards charity organisations in Singapore owing to the NKF saga. It was so much a loss reputation that all the artists had little hope for a successful charity show. Their only gleam of hope is nohing short of a miracle.

There was no mistake in Singaporean's struggle between justice and sympathy. Halfway through the show, we were so pathetically far off from the targeted 600,000 calls. The meter was jumping wearily at 10 or 20 calls; a speed never once recorded in our charity shows. A lot of questions have popped up after the saga. Should we still donate since 'only' 1% of our efforts go to the patients? Are there more TT Durais in the organisations? Shall we teach the organisations a lesson by sabotaging this show so corruption will cease?

All were made clear in a short speech by the reverend. He spoke about how worrying everyone was to do the show at this chaotic time. How everyone in his organisation and committee for the show had been unjustly mistaken as "cheaters". About how the patients are going to struggle in their helplessness. I can be pretty certain, his tears were evoked by the fact that no one blamed were actually involved! Our independent minds seem to have tipped the balance the other way, we are intending to punish the victims. Something is terribly wrong in this.

Singapore's reputation had been jeopardised with the charity scandal. Countries had modelled after us to start charity programmes and yet the root of these programmes became the rotten one. I feel we have been mocked at enough for this one man's mistakes. The reverend made it clear with the pains from his face and from the depths of his magnanimous heart that the innocent had been hurt enough.

In an instant, these words reverberated through the nation. The gloomy rain surrounding him seemed to have cleared. There was no more confusion.

He has again, touched all our hearts.

It was not a miracle that the society's kindness had been revived. Telephone calls are now jumping by the hundreds now. His simple message doubled the calls from a 200,000 to 400,000 in a short thirty minutes. I am guilty. How could we have compared this man to a corrupted official? He had cleaned up a mess he did not and never would create.

I am praying that we - as a country - would hit the target for too many reasons which most importantly, is the patients. And not forgetting the efforts put in; the shame suffered. Fortunately, we are still a compassionate society now I can conclude. No one judged the mistakes; the purpose of the show was fulfilled. We have showed the foreigners who lent a helping hand that, here controversies are handled with faith here in Singapore, with enough faith in our fellow citizens that mistakes will never be repeated.

In the final scene, with everyone grateful that calls were only 100,000 short from the target, I really think we have succeeded. It could have been worse but it couldn't be better. Some damage had to be visibly done to remind each of us one of the very bases of humanity - being true.

posted by synthesis @ 10:15 PM