Carpe Diem

THOUGHTS

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Ok so I woke up this morning and with my daily cup of dark caffiene goodness sought to see what awe inspiring, thought provoking news and issues the Sunday Times brought and boy wasn't I in for a real treat. Navigating past the 6 election pages of the PAPer, with the Opposition party's coverage to the ruling party equivalent to the girl guy ration in IB at the start of the year, I came to the Sweat section and boy did it stink.

Apparently after the mandatory EPL results, fixtures and other important sporting news there's always this small column, nicely tucked closely just behind the Obituraries.When I saw today's column, the student in me was just begging to hear what " ACS(I) and SSC can learn from Siglap Sec"

Last week in the same space a scathing attack on my school, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) was launched. for its apparent lack of ownership and responsibility regarding the "biting and stamping incident" that occured during the...ah you know the details... It didn't warrant a response because its arguments were somewhat bordering on the wtf,(which I will not quote lest I misquote,but it really was wtf inspiring)

Hence, Good Sir:

In two weeks you have questioned our School's morals, the Christian vaules we are founded on, the integrity of our Senior Admin, the competence of our School teachers, the capability of our School in handling disciplinary matters and I don't know what beef you have against Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), but let me tell you it has some serious MCD.

In your opening two paragraphs of today's tirade , you said ( and I quote werd4werd) :

"One is a school that has gone international, the other is from the neighbourhood.

But if there's one thing Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) can learn from Siglap Secondary, it's the art of public relations."

Well well a round of applause for Mr. Diplomat himself. Thank you, kind sir for having the courage to link a school sporting event with the school's expansion programme? So it's like what, 5 schools bearing your name = 5 times the violence? puhleeze. On the other hand, seeing the way you describe the school that you're trying to ride on, it ain't very nice to label it as "one from the neighbourhood" ain't it? Yes, we commonly use the term "neighbourhood school", but definitely not in the press, and we don't see things like "Sustained Award for A Neighbourhood School" don't we? And if I was a student from Siglap Secondary I doubt I would pride myself to be a member of the "neighbourhood school" that did what ACS couldn't do. What do you think this is? David vs Goliath?

And now, since there is an obvious need to use big, Sun Tzu-esque terms like " the art of public relations" let us see what this good sir means by ACS not having the art of said.

"When two ACSians were caught misbehaving at a school's rugby match against St Joseph's Institution, ACS(I) adopted a siege mentality. The principal would not talk to the media, though there was questions of public interest to be answered."

First of all, you make it seem like it was an act of gleeful mischief, that boys, being boys (or is it just ACS boys) would stamp and bite. You make it sound like the acts themselves were unprovoked, and of the same ilk as an act of vandalism or thievery. Come on, why make it appear that the school's shielding two criminals from the law?It's not a matter of making excuses, and there's no point in saying that the truth of the matter was that the biter did what he did after being headbutted illegally by the Josephian during the scrum. And as a matter of fact they have been punished accordingly by the SSC.

So my question is, after my fellow school mates have been massacred by the media and punished by the relavent authorities, why pursue the matter in asking for us to reveal their names, and question further Dr.Ong's ability to handle disciplinary matters in relation to Siglap Secondary's principal Mr. Ng Chee Keong? It's as if you personally WANT them to be shamed and crucified in the school sporting circles.

"... it is not only the rugby fraternity that wanted to know why the two offenders were still not named." No prizes for guessing who else wants my fellow ACSian's named and shamed. Sheesh. May I ask then, what good will naming them in public do? It's not like all we have done is wrapped the dudes in wool and say now now we won't let people know lwittle honey poo bit someone because no one wants to hurt lwittle honey poo..awwww. Please. I believe that our School is entitled to the right of disciplining our students as we like. The MOE has no requirement for us to disclose the names of our ruggers, neither has the SSC asked us to shame them publicly . So, good sir, what right do you have, to question our integrity and insinuating that we are a cowardly institution who dare not face the music? Just look at what you said!

" The point is, Siglap's principal Ng Chee Kheong took the trouble to explain the school's rationale to the media. He did not hide behind a rock and pretend that the incident never took place. Nor did he hope that it would just blow away with time."

Well , HAVE WE? Well it's not like you would let the matter rest even if we wanted it to just blow away with time. Do you think you are doing the sporting fraternity justice by constantly raking up what you deem our flaws week in week out in your column? Do you think that no disciplinary action was taken? Or that no counselling has taken place? If you think that all we, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) has done is "shielding them when they are wrong", you good sir, are a little naive. Dr Ong is an incredible leader and no matter how many Big Brother jokes make their rounds, he still leads the school with immense vision, honesty, competence and most importantly a God fearing heart. So what makes you think he'd subscribe to the various forms of cowardice that you have pigeon holed us to posses?

You good sir, I doubt, have any relation to Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) apart from having maligned us without evidence in the national newspaper. I honestly don't know if this is because you have a personal need for school sportsmen who have erred to be crucified in front of everyone, or there's a personal agenda against my school which you have, and which I will not argue for because unlike you, I don't make claims without evidence.

So after rolling out the red carpet for Siglap Sec, let me ask you good sir, why do we have to "explain the school's rationale to the media"? Why is it that it's beyond you that we as a Christian school would believe in something called grace, and that after having our gentlemen punished for their actions, find that it is enough to say it's finished? Did the SJI kid and his family ask for their public shaming? No. Did the SCC or MOE ask for public condemnation? No. Did my school ignore this matter with regards to discipline? No.

"It is still not too late for ACS(I) to come forth and present its side of the story. Yes it has a sacred task of protecting its young chages. But this does not include shielding them when they are wrong."

We do not need to present our side of the story because you media will just hype it up further. Oh what a field day you people had when we lost the final to some school. Oh how you presented the loss to be because of the banned players and oh how much emphasis you had on the fact that when the ruggers cried, a school cried with them. Oh how you overlooked the fact that we were disallowed a try which would have won the game for us. You want us to stop having a siege mentality? Stop the discrimination. Seriously, I don't understand how one could think that just because no public shamng has taken place means no discipline has occured? It's an incredibly narrow minded and biased point of view, mind my words.

You have been ranting about my dear school for the past two weeks, the first victimizing SJI so much that my heart just bled with pity. And the second saying that we have poorer PR skills than another school simply because what they've done is this :

"First Nabil was given two strokes at a public caning. He was sent for counselling and suspended for one match against Victoria."

Your definition of apt PR skills astound me good sir. Like I've said, I don't know what beef you have with my school, neither do I know why you think that just because no one has been named publicily equals no action being taken, and no justice served. As you are surely well aware of, a two-year ban and a six match suspension was metted out. And if this is not justice, I don't know what is.

Personally it saddens me that someone as esteemed as you(looking at your post in the Straits Times hierachy) would border on defamation and insult to get a couple of names broadcast on your publication. I do hope that it's not your intention and somewhere deep inside, under your illusions of objectivity and fairness, realize that we are not shielding our students. Hell no. Rather we do not see the need to reveal our ways of discipline to of all people an editor, if not the MOE and SCC, in the hope that we get 'better press'. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) is a school unlike no other, and it's with pride that I wear the school badge, and it's with pride that I bleed blue and yellow blood. Seeing my school's integrity questioned like this without evidence I am saddened that people are under the asumption that we do not posses the ability to correct our students. Thus I hope that if you ever wanna slam my school again, dear sir, please have the evidence that we have erred, and more importantly please don't assume the role of the saviour of sporting circles or trying to make a Singaporean sporting Watergate, because something tells me that you're measure of impartiality and honest commentary is somewhat different from mine.

Thank you.

The best is yet to be.

Delivered at 4:39 PM;