For one unfortunate local family, this is no mere rhetorical question: it is a very real problem to them, one that the local authorities either cannot or simply will not resolve for them. The family had sought this writer’s aid in highlighting their plight online in the hopes of raising public awareness of the bullying they are being subjected to since the mainstream media simply refuses to publish their story. The narrative that follows is their story as told to this writer by “V”, the family daughter.
For the “Chiang” family (name changed to protect their privacy), their problems began shortly after their new neighbors, a Hindu Indian family from Malaysia (hence called the “Rajas”) moved in next door [Blk 764 #XX-XXX Woodland Circle S(730764)]. The trouble began when members of the “Raja” family kept washing their feet in the common corridor. The “Rajas” kept doing this despite repeated appeals from the “Chiangs” to them not to do it as the family matriarch is elderly and sickly, and the Chiangs fear that that by washing their feet there, the “Rajas” will make the floor slippery and pose a slipping hazard to her. They also explained that the washing of feet in front of the “Chiang’s” home was disrespectful to their deity Guan Yin, whose idol is located just behind their front door.
Instead of respecting their concerns, Mr. Raja scolded them and said that he owns the whole place including the common corridor and can do whatever he wants there. He told them to shut up and mind their own business because back home he always washed his feet in front of his home and nobody complains about it. Mrs. Raja even laughed at the “Chiangs” straight to the face when they told her that her family’s actions were disrespectful to their patron goddess Guan Yin.
To further show his contempt for the “Chiangs”, Mr. Raja kept shoving their broom and dust pan, which they keep outside their house aside as he says that by keeping it there, the “Chiangs” are showing disrespect to the statue of his deity Ganesha. According to “V”, he even went so far as to deliberately pour large amounts of water on their cacti, which they keep in front of their flat in the common corridor to kill them. When the “Chiangs” confronted him about it, he claimed that they had no proof, but they strongly suspect that he probably did do it, as he had previously demanded that they remove the cacti as he says that they will hurt his deity when it visits them. The “Chiangs” have since replaced the dead cacti with fresh ones, but they also that know it’s only a matter of time before he (Mr. Raja)starts damaging them again.
V” informed this writer that the “Chiangs” know and understand that the “Raja” family has the right to practice their religious beliefs, but that they should also show respect to the religious beliefs of others and not disturb other people with their rituals. She said that going by their behavior though, that was something that the “Raja” family either does not understand or simply do not care. For one thing, they sometimes conduct their rituals, which involve the ringing of bells, even very early in the morning or late at night, disturbing the peace as a result. Also, despite the HDB ban on the indoor burning of large quantities of incense and other offerings, whenever they complete their rituals, they will open their doors to release a thick cloud of smoke, indicating that they are burning offerings in defiance of the ban.
pailUnfortunately it appears that the “Rajas’” lack of respect for the rights and beliefs of others do not just stop there. On 19th July 2009, Mr. “Raja” deliberately kicked over the “Chiangs” ritual urn that they use to burn offerings and which they keep outside their flat. When “D”, “V’s” older brother confronted him to demand an explanation for his disrespectful behavior, he began shouting abuse at the whole “Chiang” family. The quarrel got so heated that “V” had to call in the police. Incredibly, the officer who arrived didn’t even take pictures of the overturned urn as evidence of Mr. “Raja’s” behavior.
This was not the first time that the “Chiangs” had to call the police in to report his behavior, not that the repeated calls to the police had been effective in restraining him. They had previously reported him to the police after he had threatened the “Chiang” family matriarch with violence. Why the police refused to arrest him for this when they arrested a taxi driver for warning MP Lee Yi Shyan that he hoped that history would not repeat itself with him is a mystery.
According to “V”, Mr. “Raja” was so arrogant that he kept repeated challenging the “Chiangs” to call the police if they dared as he claimed that he was not afraid of them. An elderly woman who lives with Mr. “Raja” and whom “V” thinks is his mother even threatened the “Chiangs” by saying that her son is a policeman, and that he can make life very miserable for them should the family choose to. While it is not known whether this is true or not, going by his arrogance and the indifference the police seem to show to Chiangs’ plight, “V” said that she wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.
umbrellaOn Sunday, 30th August 2009, the “Raja” family hung their wet umbrellas next to the “Chiangs” cacti pots instead of outside their own home, thereby encroaching into the “Chiangs” space. However, they declined to call the police this time or even remove the umbrellas as they were trying to show tolerance and avoid unnecessary ugliness and confrontations, since they want nothing more than to live in peace.
“V” said that one major reason why the “Chiangs” kept appealing to the “Raja” family not to wash their feet outside their home was because it was disrespectful to their goddess Guan Yin, whose statue they just behind their front door. The “Raja”s claimed that they do not do such thing, and that the “Chiangs” are just trying to stir up trouble against them. However, pictures taken by “V” without the family’s knowledge prove that they were lying about it as the images clearly show them washing their feet outside the “Chiangs’” flat.
On 27/03/10, this writer, who happened to be paying “V” a visit to learn more about her situation also personally witnessed the woman washing her feet right outside “V’s” house. According to “V”, this is a practice that her Hindu friend said is only done in the temples, never at home. This raises some interesting questions: if washing of feet is only done at the temple, then have they actually converted their home into one? If so, does the HDB actually allow this to be done? And if not, then why didn’t the HDB at least send someone to investigate “V’s” allegations of it?
“V” stated that from other pictures that she had taken, it was equally obvious that the “Rajas” were deliberately trying to provoke them as originally the “Rajas” only placed a small pail outside their own house. Now, they have placed a much larger one right outside the “Chiangs’” door.
Tensions between the two families finally came to a head on 01/04/2010. That day, Mr. “Raja” washed his feet outside the “Chiangs’” flat as usual. “D”, the “Chiang” family son went out to wash away the water. Angered by his action, Mr. Raja threw down several of the “Chiangs’” cacti pots, which in turn provoked “D” into kicking the “Rajas’” water bucket over. Mr. Raja then punched “D” several times until “D” kicked him hard in the crotch. “V” called the police, but apart from taking statements from both parties, refused to pursue the matter any further even though “V” gave them a document showing the “Rajas’” repeated provocations against them.
pic1It seems that the police consider making even vague, unspecified threats against members of the PAP is a criminal offence, but actually beating up a “lesser mortal” is not. Why else would the cabbie who told Lee Yi Shyan off be arrested for it whereas Mr. “Raja” and his family were only asked to go for mediation with the “Chiangs” to resolve their differences? Incidentally, it was always the “Chiangs” who called for the mediation; the “Rajas” have always refused to go for it and according to the authorities, there is absolutely nothing that they can do about that. So it also seems that the authorities are saying that if one doesn’t like one’s neighbors, one can commit acts of violence against them and get away with it Scot-free.
Stupid question time: what would happen if a brawny, 20-something year old YPAP member with a black belt was to beat up Mr. Chiam See Tong? Will he be arrested for committing assault and battery against a frail, sickly old man, or will Mr. Chiam be told that it is a non-seizable offence and hence no police action can or will be taken against the YPAP member?
In his National Day Rally speech, PM Lee stressed the need for inter-racial and inter-religious tolerance. Unfortunately for the “Chiangs”, according to “V”, going by their behavior, the “Rajas” appeared to be exhibiting blatant bigotry towards non-Indians. She said that the best proof of this would be Mr. “Raja” kicking over their ritual urn, which the “Chiangs” use to burn offerings in the void deck for their ancestors, and their damaging of the “Chiangs’” cacti, as they grow them as protection against evil spirits. The “Chiangs” claimed that they have shown the utmost tolerance towards the “Rajas” and their religious beliefs; nonetheless, they added that the “Rajas” had no right to chuck the “Chiangs’” broom and dustpan around in the name of their religious beliefs, let alone the disrespect they exhibit towards the “Chiangs” and their religious beliefs.
“V” said that she had appealed to all the relevant authorities, ranging from the HDB to the police to the Town Council several times to take decisive action against the “Rajas” to force them to show tolerance and understanding towards them, as their behavior, if left unchecked, can easily escalate to the point where Indian – Chinese and Hindu – Taoist relations can be damaged. This is particularly so should the Chinese in the neighborhood learn of the disrespect that the “Rajas” had demonstrated towards the “Chiangs’” religious beliefs and retaliate against them.
pic3“V” said that in order to keep not to inflame passions, the “Chiangs” have not complained about the “Raja” family’s selfishness and inconsiderate behavior to the rest of their neighbors, with whom they have cordial relations. Still, with the repeated quarrels and police visits, it will only be a matter of time before people learn of the feud, and when that happens, minor tensions may escalate very quickly into full-blown inter-communal violence. “V” said that she feared that such a tragedy could happen in Singapore one day because of people like her neighbors.
This writer admits that the reason why “V” approached him to tell their story is because she knows him personally. He also admits that he had been unable to contact the “Rajas” to get their side of the story because they refuse to talk to anyone about it, so he understands if the readers were to doubt his complete objectivity. Nevertheless, he has personally witnessed Mrs. “Raja” washing her feet outside the “Chiangs’” home as well as the other pictures “V” had taken, and he has also seen the letter from the Ministry of Law stating that the “Rajas” had declined to go for mediation, so this in part at least corroborates their version of events.
It is only logical: if the “Raja” family genuinely believes that they were being misunderstood and were in fact doing no harm to anyone, and that the “Chiangs” were only being petty and vindictive, then surely they would welcome mediation as an opportunity to clear the air and resolve their differences. So it only stands to reason that the reason why they keep refusing to attend mediation is simply because they think they can do anything they want regardless of how they were infringing upon the sensitivities of others.
Interracial and inter-religious violence over even the most trivial matters in neighboring countries should serve as a grim warning that nobody should take inter-communal harmony for granted. The government is constantly exhorting the people to be vigilant and to do their part to foster inter-communal harmony.
Unfortunately, like in so many other things these days, once again the government itself has fallen short here in having failed to walk the talk and practice what it preaches.
It is truly a sad day for Singapore when foreigners such as the “Rajas” can bully native-born Singaporeans like the “Chiangs” and all the Singapore government can say is that there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it. It is practically a throwback to the bad old days of foreign colonialism, where native-born Singaporeans were told that they were not allowed to enter certain areas open to the colonial masters and their foreign friends. If nothing else, this should make each and every Singaporean, male and female alike question exactly why males should serve National Service at all when the government cannot even stand up to foreigners bullying their own native-born citizens in their own country.
No one doubts that the government-owned mainstream media has its own part to play in not inflaming inter-communal tensions. However, it also has a duty is to expose the misdeeds of those whose actions threaten such harmony and not to sweep the dirt under the carpet in the increasingly typical “deaf frog” manner that government-linked organizations are now becoming increasingly notorious for. Just as it is of the utmost importance that the people should work together to foster good relationships with anyone of any race, language or religion, so too is it of the utmost importance that the government and its organs, including the mainstream media should read the riot act against those who pose a threat to national harmony by their actions.
If it does not, then surely some day the streets of Singapore will run red with the blood spilt from intercommunal violence, because of the government’s failure to pre-empt such violence by punishing those whose actions had fueled such tensions.
Tan Keng Leng
http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/pr_no_respect_278965.html#post3740064
For the “Chiang” family (name changed to protect their privacy), their problems began shortly after their new neighbors, a Hindu Indian family from Malaysia (hence called the “Rajas”) moved in next door [Blk 764 #XX-XXX Woodland Circle S(730764)]. The trouble began when members of the “Raja” family kept washing their feet in the common corridor. The “Rajas” kept doing this despite repeated appeals from the “Chiangs” to them not to do it as the family matriarch is elderly and sickly, and the Chiangs fear that that by washing their feet there, the “Rajas” will make the floor slippery and pose a slipping hazard to her. They also explained that the washing of feet in front of the “Chiang’s” home was disrespectful to their deity Guan Yin, whose idol is located just behind their front door.
Instead of respecting their concerns, Mr. Raja scolded them and said that he owns the whole place including the common corridor and can do whatever he wants there. He told them to shut up and mind their own business because back home he always washed his feet in front of his home and nobody complains about it. Mrs. Raja even laughed at the “Chiangs” straight to the face when they told her that her family’s actions were disrespectful to their patron goddess Guan Yin.
To further show his contempt for the “Chiangs”, Mr. Raja kept shoving their broom and dust pan, which they keep outside their house aside as he says that by keeping it there, the “Chiangs” are showing disrespect to the statue of his deity Ganesha. According to “V”, he even went so far as to deliberately pour large amounts of water on their cacti, which they keep in front of their flat in the common corridor to kill them. When the “Chiangs” confronted him about it, he claimed that they had no proof, but they strongly suspect that he probably did do it, as he had previously demanded that they remove the cacti as he says that they will hurt his deity when it visits them. The “Chiangs” have since replaced the dead cacti with fresh ones, but they also that know it’s only a matter of time before he (Mr. Raja)starts damaging them again.
V” informed this writer that the “Chiangs” know and understand that the “Raja” family has the right to practice their religious beliefs, but that they should also show respect to the religious beliefs of others and not disturb other people with their rituals. She said that going by their behavior though, that was something that the “Raja” family either does not understand or simply do not care. For one thing, they sometimes conduct their rituals, which involve the ringing of bells, even very early in the morning or late at night, disturbing the peace as a result. Also, despite the HDB ban on the indoor burning of large quantities of incense and other offerings, whenever they complete their rituals, they will open their doors to release a thick cloud of smoke, indicating that they are burning offerings in defiance of the ban.
pailUnfortunately it appears that the “Rajas’” lack of respect for the rights and beliefs of others do not just stop there. On 19th July 2009, Mr. “Raja” deliberately kicked over the “Chiangs” ritual urn that they use to burn offerings and which they keep outside their flat. When “D”, “V’s” older brother confronted him to demand an explanation for his disrespectful behavior, he began shouting abuse at the whole “Chiang” family. The quarrel got so heated that “V” had to call in the police. Incredibly, the officer who arrived didn’t even take pictures of the overturned urn as evidence of Mr. “Raja’s” behavior.
This was not the first time that the “Chiangs” had to call the police in to report his behavior, not that the repeated calls to the police had been effective in restraining him. They had previously reported him to the police after he had threatened the “Chiang” family matriarch with violence. Why the police refused to arrest him for this when they arrested a taxi driver for warning MP Lee Yi Shyan that he hoped that history would not repeat itself with him is a mystery.
According to “V”, Mr. “Raja” was so arrogant that he kept repeated challenging the “Chiangs” to call the police if they dared as he claimed that he was not afraid of them. An elderly woman who lives with Mr. “Raja” and whom “V” thinks is his mother even threatened the “Chiangs” by saying that her son is a policeman, and that he can make life very miserable for them should the family choose to. While it is not known whether this is true or not, going by his arrogance and the indifference the police seem to show to Chiangs’ plight, “V” said that she wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.
umbrellaOn Sunday, 30th August 2009, the “Raja” family hung their wet umbrellas next to the “Chiangs” cacti pots instead of outside their own home, thereby encroaching into the “Chiangs” space. However, they declined to call the police this time or even remove the umbrellas as they were trying to show tolerance and avoid unnecessary ugliness and confrontations, since they want nothing more than to live in peace.
“V” said that one major reason why the “Chiangs” kept appealing to the “Raja” family not to wash their feet outside their home was because it was disrespectful to their goddess Guan Yin, whose statue they just behind their front door. The “Raja”s claimed that they do not do such thing, and that the “Chiangs” are just trying to stir up trouble against them. However, pictures taken by “V” without the family’s knowledge prove that they were lying about it as the images clearly show them washing their feet outside the “Chiangs’” flat.
On 27/03/10, this writer, who happened to be paying “V” a visit to learn more about her situation also personally witnessed the woman washing her feet right outside “V’s” house. According to “V”, this is a practice that her Hindu friend said is only done in the temples, never at home. This raises some interesting questions: if washing of feet is only done at the temple, then have they actually converted their home into one? If so, does the HDB actually allow this to be done? And if not, then why didn’t the HDB at least send someone to investigate “V’s” allegations of it?
“V” stated that from other pictures that she had taken, it was equally obvious that the “Rajas” were deliberately trying to provoke them as originally the “Rajas” only placed a small pail outside their own house. Now, they have placed a much larger one right outside the “Chiangs’” door.
Tensions between the two families finally came to a head on 01/04/2010. That day, Mr. “Raja” washed his feet outside the “Chiangs’” flat as usual. “D”, the “Chiang” family son went out to wash away the water. Angered by his action, Mr. Raja threw down several of the “Chiangs’” cacti pots, which in turn provoked “D” into kicking the “Rajas’” water bucket over. Mr. Raja then punched “D” several times until “D” kicked him hard in the crotch. “V” called the police, but apart from taking statements from both parties, refused to pursue the matter any further even though “V” gave them a document showing the “Rajas’” repeated provocations against them.
pic1It seems that the police consider making even vague, unspecified threats against members of the PAP is a criminal offence, but actually beating up a “lesser mortal” is not. Why else would the cabbie who told Lee Yi Shyan off be arrested for it whereas Mr. “Raja” and his family were only asked to go for mediation with the “Chiangs” to resolve their differences? Incidentally, it was always the “Chiangs” who called for the mediation; the “Rajas” have always refused to go for it and according to the authorities, there is absolutely nothing that they can do about that. So it also seems that the authorities are saying that if one doesn’t like one’s neighbors, one can commit acts of violence against them and get away with it Scot-free.
Stupid question time: what would happen if a brawny, 20-something year old YPAP member with a black belt was to beat up Mr. Chiam See Tong? Will he be arrested for committing assault and battery against a frail, sickly old man, or will Mr. Chiam be told that it is a non-seizable offence and hence no police action can or will be taken against the YPAP member?
In his National Day Rally speech, PM Lee stressed the need for inter-racial and inter-religious tolerance. Unfortunately for the “Chiangs”, according to “V”, going by their behavior, the “Rajas” appeared to be exhibiting blatant bigotry towards non-Indians. She said that the best proof of this would be Mr. “Raja” kicking over their ritual urn, which the “Chiangs” use to burn offerings in the void deck for their ancestors, and their damaging of the “Chiangs’” cacti, as they grow them as protection against evil spirits. The “Chiangs” claimed that they have shown the utmost tolerance towards the “Rajas” and their religious beliefs; nonetheless, they added that the “Rajas” had no right to chuck the “Chiangs’” broom and dustpan around in the name of their religious beliefs, let alone the disrespect they exhibit towards the “Chiangs” and their religious beliefs.
“V” said that she had appealed to all the relevant authorities, ranging from the HDB to the police to the Town Council several times to take decisive action against the “Rajas” to force them to show tolerance and understanding towards them, as their behavior, if left unchecked, can easily escalate to the point where Indian – Chinese and Hindu – Taoist relations can be damaged. This is particularly so should the Chinese in the neighborhood learn of the disrespect that the “Rajas” had demonstrated towards the “Chiangs’” religious beliefs and retaliate against them.
pic3“V” said that in order to keep not to inflame passions, the “Chiangs” have not complained about the “Raja” family’s selfishness and inconsiderate behavior to the rest of their neighbors, with whom they have cordial relations. Still, with the repeated quarrels and police visits, it will only be a matter of time before people learn of the feud, and when that happens, minor tensions may escalate very quickly into full-blown inter-communal violence. “V” said that she feared that such a tragedy could happen in Singapore one day because of people like her neighbors.
This writer admits that the reason why “V” approached him to tell their story is because she knows him personally. He also admits that he had been unable to contact the “Rajas” to get their side of the story because they refuse to talk to anyone about it, so he understands if the readers were to doubt his complete objectivity. Nevertheless, he has personally witnessed Mrs. “Raja” washing her feet outside the “Chiangs’” home as well as the other pictures “V” had taken, and he has also seen the letter from the Ministry of Law stating that the “Rajas” had declined to go for mediation, so this in part at least corroborates their version of events.
It is only logical: if the “Raja” family genuinely believes that they were being misunderstood and were in fact doing no harm to anyone, and that the “Chiangs” were only being petty and vindictive, then surely they would welcome mediation as an opportunity to clear the air and resolve their differences. So it only stands to reason that the reason why they keep refusing to attend mediation is simply because they think they can do anything they want regardless of how they were infringing upon the sensitivities of others.
Interracial and inter-religious violence over even the most trivial matters in neighboring countries should serve as a grim warning that nobody should take inter-communal harmony for granted. The government is constantly exhorting the people to be vigilant and to do their part to foster inter-communal harmony.
Unfortunately, like in so many other things these days, once again the government itself has fallen short here in having failed to walk the talk and practice what it preaches.
It is truly a sad day for Singapore when foreigners such as the “Rajas” can bully native-born Singaporeans like the “Chiangs” and all the Singapore government can say is that there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it. It is practically a throwback to the bad old days of foreign colonialism, where native-born Singaporeans were told that they were not allowed to enter certain areas open to the colonial masters and their foreign friends. If nothing else, this should make each and every Singaporean, male and female alike question exactly why males should serve National Service at all when the government cannot even stand up to foreigners bullying their own native-born citizens in their own country.
No one doubts that the government-owned mainstream media has its own part to play in not inflaming inter-communal tensions. However, it also has a duty is to expose the misdeeds of those whose actions threaten such harmony and not to sweep the dirt under the carpet in the increasingly typical “deaf frog” manner that government-linked organizations are now becoming increasingly notorious for. Just as it is of the utmost importance that the people should work together to foster good relationships with anyone of any race, language or religion, so too is it of the utmost importance that the government and its organs, including the mainstream media should read the riot act against those who pose a threat to national harmony by their actions.
If it does not, then surely some day the streets of Singapore will run red with the blood spilt from intercommunal violence, because of the government’s failure to pre-empt such violence by punishing those whose actions had fueled such tensions.
Tan Keng Leng
http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/pr_no_respect_278965.html#post3740064
