Why should they hiew when they don't have enough to eat and cannot even pay their utility biills? While the ministers are the BEST paid in the world? This goes to show how of touch the Leegime is with the ground!
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>F1 in Singapore: 'It's next year, right?'
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Alvin Lim
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
</TD><TD vAlign=bottom>
Out of 100 people aged between 17 and 65 surveyed last week, only 39 per cent said they were excited about the event. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Ask technical officer Ee Seok Meng if she has heard of the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, and she says yes.
But ask her if she knows when it will be held, and the 47-year-old says: 'Next year?'
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->RELATED LINKS
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->
SUNDAY TIMES STREET POLL
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Although the race will take place here for the first time on Sept 28 and will be the world's first Formula One night race, F1 fever has yet to hit the man in the street, going by a Sunday Times straw poll.
Out of 100 people aged between 17 and 65 surveyed last week, only 39 per cent said they were excited about the event.
Said taxi driver Lim Png Hock, 54: 'Most Singaporeans don't seem to talk about it. But I have picked up a few foreigners who were so excited about it.'
Tailor Cindy Soh, 52, said she wasn't keen on the event as the tickets still available were too expensive. 'That immediately killed any interest I had,' she said.
Prices range from $38 for a one-day walkabout ticket on Sept 26 to $2,588 for an Esplanade Premier Grandstand ticket. The $38 tickets for Sept 26 are sold out.
Fifty-eight per cent had no clue when the race was going to be held. This was, perhaps, not surprising, given that 62 per cent said they did not follow F1 races on TV.
Fifty-three per cent felt that not enough had been done to whip up excitement about the event.
Air force warrant officer Das Vidianand, 50, noted that soccer had a much bigger following in Singapore, and added: 'Soccer and F1 are in two different leagues...It will take time for F1 to mature.'
Kayaking instructor Aaron Leu, 20, felt the organisers had not gone beyond repeating how this was going to be the first night race.
'You can ask anyone on the street if he knows about the F1 coming to town, but he won't know anything else besides that,' he said.
He pointed out that there were many pre-Olympic promotional programmes on TV, but 'you don't see any on TV for F1'.
Student Anthony Seah, 19, said that while he had seen posters of the race, 'it'd be nice if they could have a cool TV ad'.
'After all, although soccer is the most popular among Singaporeans, F1 is not far behind,' he said.
Still, others like student Sum Meng Yih, 17, felt that some buzz had been created about the race, which will see 10 teams going at top speeds of 300kmh at the Esplanade area. 'I am so proud that it is going to be held in Singapore,' he said.
Indeed, whether or not they are fans, an overwhelming 84 per cent said that hosting F1 was the right move. Fifty-one per cent intended to watch it either on TV or go down to the race itself.
Administrative assistant Darren Cheong, 18, said: 'The Singapore GP will show the world that we deserve a place among the elite nations that are able to host first-class events with first-class services.'
[email protected]
Additional reporting by Valerie Chia and Gabriel Yue
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>F1 in Singapore: 'It's next year, right?'
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Alvin Lim
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Out of 100 people aged between 17 and 65 surveyed last week, only 39 per cent said they were excited about the event. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Ask technical officer Ee Seok Meng if she has heard of the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, and she says yes.
But ask her if she knows when it will be held, and the 47-year-old says: 'Next year?'
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->RELATED LINKS
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->
<!-- Photo Gallery -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Although the race will take place here for the first time on Sept 28 and will be the world's first Formula One night race, F1 fever has yet to hit the man in the street, going by a Sunday Times straw poll.
Out of 100 people aged between 17 and 65 surveyed last week, only 39 per cent said they were excited about the event.
Said taxi driver Lim Png Hock, 54: 'Most Singaporeans don't seem to talk about it. But I have picked up a few foreigners who were so excited about it.'
Tailor Cindy Soh, 52, said she wasn't keen on the event as the tickets still available were too expensive. 'That immediately killed any interest I had,' she said.
Prices range from $38 for a one-day walkabout ticket on Sept 26 to $2,588 for an Esplanade Premier Grandstand ticket. The $38 tickets for Sept 26 are sold out.
Fifty-eight per cent had no clue when the race was going to be held. This was, perhaps, not surprising, given that 62 per cent said they did not follow F1 races on TV.
Fifty-three per cent felt that not enough had been done to whip up excitement about the event.
Air force warrant officer Das Vidianand, 50, noted that soccer had a much bigger following in Singapore, and added: 'Soccer and F1 are in two different leagues...It will take time for F1 to mature.'
Kayaking instructor Aaron Leu, 20, felt the organisers had not gone beyond repeating how this was going to be the first night race.
'You can ask anyone on the street if he knows about the F1 coming to town, but he won't know anything else besides that,' he said.
He pointed out that there were many pre-Olympic promotional programmes on TV, but 'you don't see any on TV for F1'.
Student Anthony Seah, 19, said that while he had seen posters of the race, 'it'd be nice if they could have a cool TV ad'.
'After all, although soccer is the most popular among Singaporeans, F1 is not far behind,' he said.
Still, others like student Sum Meng Yih, 17, felt that some buzz had been created about the race, which will see 10 teams going at top speeds of 300kmh at the Esplanade area. 'I am so proud that it is going to be held in Singapore,' he said.
Indeed, whether or not they are fans, an overwhelming 84 per cent said that hosting F1 was the right move. Fifty-one per cent intended to watch it either on TV or go down to the race itself.
Administrative assistant Darren Cheong, 18, said: 'The Singapore GP will show the world that we deserve a place among the elite nations that are able to host first-class events with first-class services.'
[email protected]
Additional reporting by Valerie Chia and Gabriel Yue
