Why we have to speak up for Dr Allan Ooi
March 13th, 2009 | 
Author: By Eugene Yeo and Fang Zhi Yuan
When we first received the email attached with Dr Allan Ooi’s farewell letter in PDF format two days ago, we were initially sceptical of its authencity.
We read Allan’s letter many times again and again which moved us literally to tears. We spent the entire night deliberating if we should publish it. It took an agonizingly 16 hours before we published it.
The mainstream media had launched a smear campaign against Allan since his passing to protray him as a melancholic young man stressed out from work. Various papers had even speculated that the cause of his untimely death was due to gaming or gambling without substantiating their claims.
In the midst of the media frenzy, nobody asked about the role of SAF which had yet to release an official statement other than Allan had AWOLED from his duty last October.
Allan mentioned in his letter explicitly in no uncertain terms that he was very angry with his work which is the main reason why he chose to leave Singapore.
While we are in no position to judge Allan’s decision to end his own life, he was indeed hard done by the mainstream media in its eagerness to deflect attention away from the establishment. They have been most insensitive and cruel towards Allan, his family and friends who have been deeply hurt by what was written.
We were well aware of the repercussions of publishing the letter. Our reputation which we had build up so painstakingly over the last few months will go down the drain immediately if the letter turned out to be a hoax. Even it were indeed true, we will definitely be criticized for infringing on the privacy of his grieving family.
We knew we would find ourselves in this catch-22 situation once we release the content of the letter and we are mentally prepared for the brickbats coming our way.
We do not need do this to drive traffic to our site which is increasing anyway. While we have commercial ads on our site, we plough most of the fees we earned from Google back to our readers in the form of vouchers for their participation in our current affairs quiz.
This blog exists to be a beacon of truth and justice in our society, not to make money out of the misfortunes of others. We are entirely self-funded and we have no problems maintaining and developing the site in the long run without depending on the advertising income.
If you notice, we have not been following this saga at all. Throughout the whole of last week, our focus was on the suicides of the two NTU students. We did not write a single commentary about Allan’s case.
Why did we choose to do so out of the blue? Had we wanted to sensationalize the tragedy for our own selfish interests, we would have done it right from the very beginning. Why now? All we can say here is that there are other mitigating factors involved in our decision to publish Allan’s letter and we are unable to reveal anything more at present.
Fortunately, Allan’s friends wrote to us not long after the letter was published to verify its authencity and to express their support for us.
We were no relation of Allan. Neither do we know him in person. Why should we be a busybodies to speak up for him?
The reason is simple. Because if we do not speak up for him now, there will be nobody left to speak up for us when the time come.
We live in a fascist state where the media is nothing more than the propaganda mouthpiece of the ruling party. There are no credible alternative sources of information for us to turn to.
All the newspapers in Singapore are under the control of one single company headed by a ex-PAP minister, Dr Tony Tan. Its political bureau is staffed by ex-ISD agents. Can you imagine how powerful they are?
By one stroke of the pen, they can turn buffoons into leaders and patriots into villians and there is nobody else to refute them. How many Singaporeans have seen their moral characters and standing in society completely demolished by them without any recourse of justice to turn to?
Yet many Singaporeans are still not aware of the real agenda of the media in Singapore which is to serve the interests of its political master by controlling their minds, manipulating public opinion and keeping dissent against its draconian rule at bay. A dictatorship can only survive on an unthinking citizenry.
Only a minority of us has seen through the charade of SPH’s spin doctors. The rest of the population just simply believe every single word published by the papers without any questioning or analyzing as if it is the gospel truth.
Imagine if it were you who get into trouble with the establishment one day, or your parents, your children, your siblings or your friends. Though you have done nothing wrong, the state media is called upon to demolish you completely to preserve the state’s credibility in the eyes of public and you have nobody else to count on to speak up in defence for you. Isn’t this a terrifying predicament to be in?
We need to have different voices in our society to balance and counter one another in the court of public opinion. Let the people be the judge. It is both dangerous and foolhardy to depend on only one single source of information without listening to all sides of the story and with the ruling party forcing its own yardstick of credibility right down into our throats.
We are one people, one nation and one Singapore. We owe our allegiance to Singapore and fellow Singaporeans, not to the ruling party.
Let us end by sharing with you a poem by a German pastor Martin Niemoller about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.:
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
Think about it. When they come for you one day, do you want to be alone by yourself with nobody to speak out for you?
Posted in Snippets | 
Tags: Allan Ooi, allan ooi suicide letter, Dr Allan Ooi, Dr Allan Ooi's farewell letter
U did the right thing by publishing the letter. Keep up the good work.
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It is a tough call, balancing between showing people how SPH tries to please its big boss, and respecting some people’s need for privacy.
At Civic Advocator, some of us just write open letters to people, to balance the angle that SPH and their friends who are trying to push, through the state controlled media.
Here’s our latest to Dr Lee Wai Ling.
http://civicadvocator.net/we-are-not-comparing-we-just-think-lousy-performers-should-get-out/
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Truly disgusting monkey business done by SPH! WTF! Someone should write to Dr Tony Tan, Minister of Defense and the PM to come out with the truth! Whoever that decided to cover up the truth from the public should be held accountable and shamed!
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I think alternative media like Wayang Party are here to play a role in balancing the equilibrium of news reportage in Singapore, notwithstanding the disparaging remarks cast its way by the subservient and obsequious government media.
Keep up the good work!
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Come on! Boycott subscribing and buying the 154th toilet papers. We S’poreans have beeen spinning around by the propaganding newsworthless papers to believe day is night and night is day. We S’poreans can’t be a nation of that coward and moronic.
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In Britain, there are newspapers which are biased towards various parties. Amongst the broadsheets, The Telegraph is for the Conservative Party, The Guardian for the Labour Party, The Independent for the Liberal Party, and The Time seems to pro the current govt etc.
One can see and judge for oneself what to believe seeing all the different versions of the same story.
In SG, we have no such luxury. We have one and only one ShitTime.
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I have noticed the ST basically deploys 3 strategies to further their mind bending agenda.
(1) Cast doubt on a persons mental soundness. This is often done indirectly i.e pic of the number of padlocks used to secure a grille. Or directly, by just calling the person a psychopath with medical evidence.
(2) Tell only one side of the story and leave out the other side.
(3) bend the story so as to include other stories to again further its end i.e online anonymity = no credibility / gaming = suicide and violence /
So many of us support whole heartedly what wayang has done. They (ST) created the demand. They cannot blame others now for doing what they should have done. Give us all real news.
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Thanks for linking articles to Sin Ming and the chinese papers, could you also link the straits times articles that have blackened Dr Ooi’s name by portraying his suicide as due to gambling/gaming? Thanks
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i am so glad to know the facts from your website. someone must address this bond issue, our govt don’t hound those foreign students that break bond, but they bend and twist and wear down our own locals. only the most evil can think of publishing names of bond breakers. come on, don’t even talk of a gracious society when you can’t even let your people choose freely.
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Just don’t commit suicide, as you not only hurt yourself, but everyone that love you.
Amidst such respectable achievement in life, an irresponsible act made the fool out of everyone. Let’s stop speculating due to curiosity, let’s add empathy by not adding more pain to his immediate concern.
if you teared off, you must stop writing, as you may add confusing to the situation, after all, who are we to judge.
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Yes u are right that lots of Sporeans including professionals who are bankers, lawyers, doctors think the world of SPH & Mediacorp. The hard copy prints & the TV shows are powerful mediums to sway one’s opinion & twist it to any angle that the political masters here wish. The print & TV medium are simply puppets on strings maneouvered skillfully by the thunderbolt party. I know of lots of professionals who do not have the time to go online to read alternative viewpoints, I am talking about top bankers who head departments, senior partners of law firms etc who just take the print media as the gospel truth. They would just shrug & say that time is of the essence & the hard print would do that is from the Straits Times. The ruling party knows it therefore it exploits it to the fullest extent.
But if things go topsy turvy in Spore should the current ruling party do so thru their continuous myopic policies, these professionals have nothing to lose cause they have all the money they need to migrate with their families overseas.
Sad but true.
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Sigh..it’s such an irony that a doctor can’t even save himself. My condolences to the Ooi family. It’s a tragedy that he choose to end his life this way. My sympathy but at the same y this way? There are many less privilege out there who live each day without food, roof over their head..with sickness..with fear…with violence…with no love but they choose to live on. It’s a pity really…
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Without TWP we all are kept in the dark…Thanks TWP..
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while i must say the leaders have done well in the old days to bring sg where it is today…..i hope the current generation of singaporeans wake up their idea n stop voting for ruling party. I dun understd comments i heard….”opposition party no good, then vote ruling party”…….or civil servants voting for the sake of preserving rice bowl……..i am speechless.
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it’s very sad that journalists in singapore can only write articles to help deceive the public…and that lawyers are mere tools to help the rich and ultra rich……..what’s next? ….singapore seems so good in everything rite?..but why do we “complain” so much? the govt does nt bother…no one does……..
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SPH leeporters are scums of the earth.
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spare a thought for the family would u, using allan ooi to attack the SAF, not the best move.
i was impress with the last time how u attack the other issue with the CEO of NEA and his expensive holidays, but this time I feel u r using the deceased to create a big hoohaa. It is just so disrespectful.
*ps it’s okay if my pov is not publish, that means i know that this website is not better than the local newspaper.
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Hi V,
You got us wrong. We are not using allan to attack SAF. We have no grouses against SAF.
We just want the mainstream media to be fair in their coverage of this matter and allow the truth to be out.
Nowhere did we blame SAF for what happened to Allan. If the media had not spun so many lies to distract attention away from SAF, we will not need to expose them.
The hooha was created by the mainstream media in the first place. For the whole of last week, we did not even touch on the matter.
Because we respect Allan and his family, we can’t stand by doing nothing seeing his name being smeared and distorted by the media.
Are you saying the media has shown respect to him with by speculating blindlessly about his personal life?
The crux of the issue is his unhappiness with work at SAF. You cannot deny that and neither can we dispel the rumors circulating around without bringing SAF into the picture.
We are in no position to judge Allan’s action. Neither do we blame SAF for what happened. What we request is for the truth to be revealed instead of the media circus we had seen over the last few days.
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Thanks for defending the truth.
People deserve to know.
And Allan definitely deserved to let his message get across, and his reputation kept unsmeared.
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Eugene’s quote of Martin Niemoller punched a nail on the head, and compeled me to write on.
When I first penned my thoughts and feelings on Wed, 11th March on what I knew were factual revelation of circumstances causing Allan’s death, I did feel that what I was reading before from the mainstream and other sub journals were nothing more than red herrings and wild guesses, some were insinuating and degrading, others unsubstantiated and finger pointing at wrong targets.
Whether or not there were hidden agenda from the official channels to side track the issue, hoping to avoid having to explain what could be more inside stories of the ways things work in various administrative units, I am not sure, but I do hope time and justice will cause to reveal more truth. This is also the wish of the deceased to want highlighted, alongside with other reasons of his death.
The public needs to know the truth. This is not just a personal matter of the deceased or his family. It is a serious problem, a social problem, now a social stigma, and it involves maginalization and suicide.
The society need to reflect on this. You cant just say,, oh this is just an individual issue, just the foolish act of an over pampered child, even though my first thread could have been somewhat emotionally structured to be misconstrued. So, after considering the need to protect the confidentiality and the sensitivity of the deceased’s family so there will not be further hurt caused to them, we could now look at the subject with a different perspective. The deceased has through his death blew whistle to what is considered, in his own view, but somewhat supported by other contributors to this blog, of possible flaws in the way scholarship programmes are being planned, structured, offered , and administered.
Would the promotion of such scholarship to bright scholars at the age of 18 be looked at in a similar light akin to the selling of lehman bonds in the financial markets? Should there be more control on the way these are being offered, and that there should be more explanations and time given to the potential candidates to think over?? Is there cooling period for one to opt out of a contract once it is signed?? Are there provisions for breaking bonds?? I think this may be time for the relevant authority to review and evaluate on subject.
I have been reading most of the threads here since March 11, and particularly it was gratifying and mind nurturing to read the huge influx and contribution of many quality threads from yesterday onwards. And most of them are very objective and sensible, though there are occasional let loose of wild thoughts. This is understandable and as long as they are not unduly negative, they are like garnish to the making of a palletable meal.
I read with most of the threads with an open mind. Particularly, amongst friends of the deceased who spoke in defence of him, SAF Doc, LOKUN, Pandora, Sandman, Anonymous, you guys are his mates,, and you all know him, from the way you describe things. All of you have put forth your threads most objectively and truthfully and I salute you guys for the valuable input and this makes me want to read more.
Anonymous, you have sum it all up. I fully agree with all the points you have raised. Of significance, you have mentioned that in order to work overseas, especially as a doctor, one needs to be underwritten. This is true in my knowledge, and a point which till now I have fought shy to suggest, for fear of diminishing the image of a scholarly dead. But this is an important piece of knowledge for the public, and also being the cornerstone of the case, I know this to be a risk the deceased had not factored in his departure when he severed ties with Singapore.
Now, the facts have all surfaced, Allan has paid for his mistake with his own death. In his mind, he thought he was performing hara-kiri to attenuate further shame that can be brought to himself, his family or his fellow doctors and scholars. He did it honorably, at least he thought he did. There is no need to comment anymore unfavorably against him. Let him rest in peace.
Agape Xue
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death is really uncalled for…no matter what hap in this case…..we can only hope this case will get the govt to “wake up their ideas”…….then only it is “worth it”. if not, by suicide and having the incident being covered up by relevant parties….the msg that he wants to bring across ( abt saf bonds etc ) is wasted isnt it?
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MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games)
This is a separate note to deal with the media’s suggestion of possible link between MMORPG and online games and Allan Ooi’s suicide.
I fully agree with Lokun when he lash out “As for the media, you guys have hit a new low. Online games? Gambling? Stop spouting nonsense. You all are not fit to be called journalists. I can only hope there remains a conscience to plague you.”
Also, Sandman said “BY THE WAY, he was a “gamer” more than half a decade ago. He is hardly on the computer wiling away his time. and if he so happened to get really good at a game without much effort, it is his abilities and not his time he wasted getting there.”
I wish to express my own views, my own experience. I am a babyboomer – cohort 1 category. I have been in MMORPG for a few years, and I consider myself, through playing computer games with fellow gamers in the internet world, I have become abreast and knowledgeable of world technology “. Compared with many other people of my generation who are not able to enter into the minds of their children, I have no difficulty understanding their mind track, traits, and intereact with them on their level and people of their generations , Gen-X, and Gen-Y, in the internet world. I understand computer lingo better, and together with my next best, we are able to observe, monitor, guide, and share our experiences with our children through use of various computer related channels, like games, facebook, downloads, msn, emails, blogs and other web 3 virtual environments. We are constantly in touch, even though some of us are thousands of miles apart.
I do not stop my children from playing computer games. In fact I have accepted the suggestion from my children that computer and cyber related games are a necessary and indispensable part of today’s education. You can afford not to listen to radio, or watch the television programmes, but you cant afford not to play computer games. Playing computer games train the mind to be more attentive, more focus, more vigilant, sharper, more precise and value conscious. When we talk of overall personal development, we look at physical, and mental, which includes soul, spirit and mind. And playing computer games can help in most of the areas, if guided properly. There are adverse aspect of personal development of course, if unrestrainted.
So, playing computer games is like reading a book. To say that playing computer games can lead to suicidal inclination is like saying if you read too much, you can get blind.
I would say if you read too much, you get tired,, and you wont want to read anymore, as it can affect your eyesight. Similarly this is true of playing computer games. Over indulgence can lead to bad eye-sight, neglecting school work, career development, picking up some bad habits. You can pick up bad habits from reading wrong materials too.
My children have influenced me to play computer games. And I am pleased that they have shown me how they have grown to be street smart and learned to be more responsible and have strong ties with their net-work friends in the process. As for their studies… haha,,, I am very very proud of all of them. As to their sense of independence, maturity, and responsibility to themselves, to their peers and to the society, they have all shown to be respectable.
So, please give the gamers a break…. Don’t fool the gullible parents…
Agape Xue
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Yup, I agree with you Eugene.
Please hang in strong. For what you did now, will be remember in the future..
Those narrow-minded commenter voiced short-sight comments about letting the matter to rest..
Meaning letting the SAF bond issue off..??
Just hope in the near future, there wont be another SAF MO follow the same footstep of Dr Ooi..
If this happen.. IT IS YOUR FAULT !! Because you let it happen again !!!
Truly Singapore
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When I first heard the news, I refused to believe it. I thought it’s one sick joke because of all people, of all the friends of my batch, Allan is the last guy who would take his life. And to think the media is saying that it’s all because of online war games/gambling/relationship issues?! Come on. Give us Singaporeans a break and don’t assume we’re all that stupid.
Thanks Eugene Yeo and Fang Zhi Yuan, for having the guts to publish this letter, and for this article which shows that now, more than ever, we have to speak out for ourselves.
This is just another classic example and reason why I have chosen to leave Singapore and live in another city which deserves my hard-earned money. I can speak out freely here, I can march on the streets, I can criticize (constructively) against the government or corporations or whatever that is doing anyone/anything injustice, and I will not be thrown into jail without trail.
Singapore government, listen up. There is a real drain to the talent in Singapore – people who are well-educated, who are earning a lot, people with a conscience – essentially, people whom Singapore needs. We’re leaving Singapore, or are leaving or have left, simply because we can’t stand it there anymore.
For those who are still in Singapore, fight on. We’re behind you for a true democracy.
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Dear Eugene Yeo and Fang Zhi Yuan….THIS IS WHAT I’M GOING TO SAY TO YOU GUY!
keep up the good works! AS LONG AS TRUTH AND RIGHTOUSNESS ARE BEING SEEK FOR…..just do it!
it is about time that you guys finally showed up to us who really desperately need to counter ‘THEM’.
GOD BLESSED!
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The quote as the end by Pastor Martin Niemoller is TWP being melodramatic. You are a no better alarmist than the leaders who always use the phrase that there are others who “want to do us in” whenever they would like to justify some policy.
I had hoped more from TWP, but like so many other times, am disappointed by the reactionary alarmism you guys are spouting.
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the asiaone article is here.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20090312-128084.html
it appears to focus on his comment of love rather than work. reading through the article gives one an impression that he suicided because of relationship problems.
reading his email gives one the impression that he was upset, angry, frustrated because of work and the inability to leave it all. here is a job from which you cannot resign. a bond which you cannot break.
i read this website because of the reliability over the sph media. years of being fed altered information have led me to realise i need to seek more reliable sources.
the straits times has headlines like “GIC cuts losses in one fell swop”, and was still reporting on GIC losing only 25 percent when CitiGroup’s stock price had been around USD1 for days(over 60% losses). it would be good to be truthful.
i begrudge not those who seek a better life for themselves. but please be truthful. don’t lie to me. don’t lie to us.
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To Eugene Yeo and Fang Zhi Yua
Did the family allow this to go onand on.
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Kindly respect the family’s Privacy
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I just came across TWP website 2days ago. From then I have been following up on the threads.
Refering to previous thread on the family privacy issue, I feel that without TWP, the main stream media not only invade the family privacy but at the same time, seriously add insult to the dignity of Dr Ooi, who died honourably.
The MSM misled ppl into thinking that Dr Ooi ended his life due to relationship or gaming is so disgusting. I support TWP on this issue. You guys did not distort the facts and reported it professionally.
I’m neither government nor opposition party supporter. I am just a normal Singaporean who loves Singapore.
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Hi the bat,
Thanks for your feedback.
We are not being melodramatic. This is the reality on the ground.
Ask yourself two simple questions:
1. Are Singaporeans afraid of the PAP?
2. Is the PAP afraid of Singaporeans?
You and I know the answers.
The government is afraid of the people in a truly democratic society.
Only in a dictatorship will the people be afraid of the government.
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Hi there,
We will be publishing a short statement to clarify matters shortly.
We respect the privacy of Allan’s family, but we also respect Allan’s name and dignity at the same time.
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Hi twp admin,
Thanks for using you for showing us that you are using this as a bully pulpit. You’re just as bad as those who you “pretend” to oppose. If this is one big conspiracy, as you claim, how do we know you aren’t part of it? Ever heard of wolf on sheep’s clothing?
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Remember remember the 4th of November.
People shouldn’t be afraid of their media alarmism and hypocrisy.
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Kindly stop this sort of behaviour,enough is enough, you people are no different from St or Media corp
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“you and I know the answer”
Don’t purporte to pretend to think for me. Otherwise, you’re just as bad as those you fight.
And is it fear or submission. If it’s submission, by choice, then the people have spoken.
“the voice of the people is the voice of God” I dare you to tell me who said that.
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Eugene Yeo and Fang Zhi Yuan, perhaps you can put this quote on your “About Us” page.
“Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” – Elie Wiesel
The longer we sit quietly, the more it will encourage the PAP…
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my last statement on this. i believe the saf doctors who are dr ooi’s superiors know much more than us. and they can definitely shed light on what happened. what were the exact attempts which he tried to leave the saf? what happened during his last big argument with CAMO(chief airforce MO) before he left and AWOL? i am not a regular. but yes i have orded. happily. so many flaws, so many laughable events about saf medical. its funny how they wanted NSF drs to pass ippt while they can’t do so themselves. oh wait…how many of you saf regular drs are medically downgraded? why not publicize a list and let the people know how rotten it is inside?
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I think we should not waste time celebrate what SAF, RSAF or NSAF Days..They are all craps and nothing worthless to celebrate for such disgraceful organization.
I really thanks GOD that I have “downgrade” myself after my NS. If not, I might be the next victims “Killed in Action” in this great wayang Singapore Armed Force.
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To the bat:
Why didn’t you come forward and say something when the media is writing nonsense about the case? Stop being a hypocrite!
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batwing,
At least with the media, I know who I’m dealing with, and the agenda on it’s plate. With TWP I have no idea.
The devil you know is a whole lot better than the devil that you don’t.
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thank you wayang party. hopefully this is one important step in bringing the backward-looking singapore establishment kicking and screaming into the light of the 21st century,and out of the darkness of feudalism.
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Dear TWP,
Thank for showing the truth.
Singapore lost a good and bright son — Dr Allan Oii, I am surprise Govt has no comment.
20 years of nation’s investment gone to waste. Why?
From the beginning I know main stream papers, including on web news, are not reflecting the full story. for many years I can’t be bother to read them. Now not even subscribe to any SPH papers.
Anyway I love Singapore and hope our nation will be always peaceful and prosperous.
Regards,
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Hi All,
I am a health care worker and have many many colleagues who are bonded under the Scholarship scheme. Many of such colleagues live in misery and are silently resentful of the situation they are in. It is a fact that they have chosen to sign the bond with eyes wide open but at 17 or 18yrs old, what do you really know about signing your life away? Many of such scholars continue to serve their bond because they do not have the money to buy themselves out or perhaps they need the $ for livelihood. But my question is why does the Govt find the need to bond people…when ultimately the bonded scholar is just waiting for the bond to expire and move on with its life. Clearly people who leave the minute their bond expires is not interested or motivated to continue in the position they were in. Is the Govt incapable of recruiting people who are happy to work in the various positions offered on their own accord? Do we always have to chain people to something to fill positions? Doesn’t the nature of a bond inherently discourage people from doing what they really want to do and what they are really good at? It may not necessarily mean that a person dislikes what they are doing but it also doesn’t mean that this person needed to be chained to it and have no autonomy at deciding what he/she may be interested to do within the realm of his/her work.
I understand when Dr Allen Ooi mentioned that life was like a prison for him because being on a bond doesn’t just mean working in a job you dislike but also being able to do nothing about it whilst your supervisors or superiors may treat you indifferently because they know that there is nothing you can do about it. I can imagine what he must have felt a 15-18 yr bond is like a 15-18 yr sentence and when he is done with his bond, the best years of his life are also over at 40+. It is pointless to compare him to someone of a disadvantaged background because he is obviously not and because he wasn’t it probably led to more misery because he didn’t even need to do this in the first place for livelihood. I am not sure why the SAF bond was unbreakable but i am sure if it was a matter of money, his parents would probably have supported him and i am sure some banks would have gladly given him a loan to help him out. one of my colleagues took out a big loan just to get herself out so she could marry her British husband.
Ultimately he must have felt that there was no way out for him and honestly if the bond really was unbreakable like he had put it. I can really understand but do not condone such action of suicide but the feeling of helplessness and living the next 18 yrs of nothingness may just have been as bad.
I think our govt needs to understand that ultimately getting teenagers to sign their lives away at 18 is something that should be proceeded only with caution because circumstances change, ideas change, personalities change, ideals change ( especially more so with tertiary education). It is unreasonable to expect that a teenager will be able to see that far ahead and project what he/she might not like to do. Many of my colleagues who signed the bond thought it was a good idea to lock themselves in a job before they graduate since ” they need a job anyway” but it is really a totally different scenario when you are compelled to be in a situation that you do not want to be in and can do nothing about it. It really is no different to being in prison. And as the late Dr Allen Ooi puts it ” To the people within the system, please change it to better yourselves and the future generations instead of creating a self perpetuating cycle of at best painful obligation and at worse utter despair”
I still think Allen chose an extreme measure to display his displeasure and to get out of the situation he was in. I urge the authorities to think about the scholarships they are offering to the next generation of scholars, ample counseling and measures need to be taken to ensure the same tragedy doesn’t repeat itself.
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What BBRWGAL said above makes a lot of sense to me.
Agape Xue
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after reading many posts, i feel compelled to express my thoughts and opinion on this whole matter.
i fully agree with what BBRWGAL has said about scholarships and bonds. it really is pointless to tie someone down to a government organization down when he/she is merely working to finish the bond, instead of joyfully contributing to the organization.
what exactly is the point in wasting the prime years of a person’s life, when that someone could be doing something more mearningful elsewhere? can’t our appreciation of the government and their efforts be expressed in other ways other than serving in a government organization? wouldn’t working overseas and representing singapore in the international arena be a more useful and tangible expression of our gratitude? ( that is, if we choose to work overseas)
i just do not see the point in forcing someone to come back and work for the government organization when he or she can be contributing more effectively elsewhere, while flying the Singapore flag with pride. don’t people do best when they are doing something they are passionate about, something they love?
and it is very true that as a 18-19 year old, you really are, pretty clueless at what you really want in life: you don’t understand the severity of your decision to sign on the dotted line. going overseas to study, especially in the US, really opens your eyes to the world. the freedom of studying what you want, the opportunities to do research and the wide variety of subject courses offered enlightens you on what you actually are good at, what you love, and what you can do to help the world. (please pardon the idealism)
additionally, i know of some who had broken their bonds to seek better opportunities elsewhere, but would really want to contribute to the government, and can’t, as they have been labelled as bond breakers. i just hope that there would be more consideration taken into this matter because not all who break their bonds to pursue other ventures are selfish, unappreciative singaporeans. maybe they wanted a change of course subject to study another subject they are really interested in, but they were not allowed to by their scholarship agency?
i’m not trying to undermine or condemn the scholarship system, but im just hoping that there will be more flexibility given in the future, in terms of the switching of course subjects to study, the breaking of bonds, and as what BBRWGAL said, the bond term itself.
i think inherently, many Singaporeans, even those who are part of the brain drain, still view Singapore as home, and would love to contribute back. but unless we are given the opportunity to, the brain drain will continue..
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Dear readers,
Thanks for your active participation which has really raised the quality of discussion here.
We will consolidate some of your comments into an article on scholarships to be published under our “Daily musings” section tomorrow.
Feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have other points to add.
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[...] When news of Dr Allan Ooi, the SAF Medical Scholar who committed suicide in the south Australian city of Melbourne, broke, the mainstream media initially painted him as a melancholic young man who possibly took his life over a failed romantic relationship, and deliberately downplayed the possibility that his suicide could have been due to the rigid and lengthy scholarship bond that he had been made to serve as well as his overly stressful work environment. It was only after contents of his farewell letter was released to the public that the mainstream media toned down their unbridled speculation over his alleged failed relationship. (See here, here, and here.) [...]
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Thanks for all the great information.
I am from Slovenia and now study English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: “Time finding cheap airline tickets than they.”
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I feel a better understanding of the role of the press is needed here. As netizens, let’s not just react and take e role of the underdog (dr Ooi) and explore a few points:
Whether a) The press is a free-flow channel of information which might be inaccurate, or might be irresponsible (think Dutch newspaper and Muslim cartoons)
or b) The press is a filter, practicing (albeit imperfectly), censorship on information they feel it’s irresponsible to vested parties, or to the public, to release, yet at the same time trying not to screw over their reader (which by the way, is their main source of income).
His suicide letter mentions SAF as the main reason behind his suicide.
but 1) is it fair to take the word of a man who was in the frame of mind to commit suicide, with no way of contacting him to verify his words, and blame the living who will then have to live with the burden the rest of their lives.
Would you want to lay that burden on others? The press (arguably) may not.
2) is it fair to say that there’s something wrong with the system when how many of the 100s of SAF scholars you know have committed suicide?
I think if we choose a) free-flow channel, we’re opening up a can of worms. It’s a known fact that suicides are under-reported because the number of suicide cases increase each time the mainstream media runs a report on a suicide.
The press doesn’t want blood on their hands, and i suggest neither do we.
So let’s think about what we are suggesting here with our comments, in wanting SPH not to “coverup” facts.
Best,
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[...] The Online Citizen and Wayang Party rush for the news presentation and market dominace in a way which mirrors the niche rivalries between, [...]
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