The inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) hosted by Singapore has
lost its Olympian values of “excellence, friendship and
respect” completely when it transpired that Singapore
primary school students, including those in primary six taking the
Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) are FORCED to welcome the
YOG torch rally and to attend its events.
[Get instant updates and discussions about the YOG on
our Facebook page
here]
Last week, we published an article on Sembawang Primary
School students being FORCED to welcome the YOG torch
rally on 11 August 2010 under a heavy downpour,
sparking a massive outcry among Singaporeans.
A netizen who was driving back home managed to capture this
shocking scene along Sembawang Crescent at
around 5.10pm:
[Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_mDji0Sa9o]
As we can see from the above snapshots, it was still drizzling
and some of the students were in raincoats while the teachers tried
to shelter them with umbrellas.
According to one teacher we spoke to on the condition of
anonymity, they were asked to bring the students out as early as
3.30pm and were made to stand in the rain for almost two hours
to ”cheer” for the YOG torch rally.
“What to do? The instructions come from the top. We have
to welcome the YOG procession even if there are thunderstorms. I
just hope that my students won’t fall ill from standing in the rain
for so long,” she said in exasperation.
The shocking story was picked up by the foreign media who asked
Singapore YOG Organizing Committee Chairman Ng Ser Miang for
clarifications. (Ng
Ser Miang denies that Singapore children were forced to attend YOG
torch rally)
Mr Ng denied flatly that Singapore school students were ever
FORCED to support the YOG and claimed that they did so
willingly:
“There will always be stories flying around. Just look
at the faces of the children that are there, the sparkle in their
eyes and the smile on their faces. Those are not things you can
force. I don’t think anyone will be forced to come to watch the
torch relay or the games. So I don’t think there is any
coercion,” he was quoted as saying in Associated Press
last week.
We have received scanned copies of letters from two primary
schools – Queenstown and Zhenghua, and a secondary
school St Patrick’s, proving once and for all
beyond any reasonable doubts that Singapore school students are
indeed COERCED by their schools and MOE to welcome the YOG torch
rally even in the rain to generate FAKE GRASSROOTS SUPPORT for the
YOG:
(Above) St Patrick’s School: Stated clearly in
the letter that attendance is COMPULSORY. Parents have no choice to
opt their children out of the YOG event.
(Above) Zhenghua Primary School: Have no
qualms dismissing students later should the YOG torch
rally be delayed by bad weather.
(Above) Queenstown Primary School: The
preliminary examinations for Primary Six students were re-scheduled
for the YOG.
If the enthusiasm for the YOG is indeed very “real” and
“infectious” as proclaimed by PAP Finance Minister Tharman or has
really struck a “chord” with Singaporeans according to Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong, why must Singapore schools make it
COMPULSORY for their students to welcome the YOG torch rally?
Shouldn’t the response be spontaneous with the students attending
their events out of their own free will?
Despite the overwhelming evidence showing that there is little
or no support from ordinary Singaporeans for YOG and the
scenes of students ”cheering” the YOG torch
rally captured on screen and reported in the Singapore media
have been cleverly and carefully ORCHESTRATED from above to
generate fake support for the YOG, the PAP minister in charge of
the YOG Dr Vivian Balakrishnan remains DIVORCED from the reality on
the ground.
When asked by The Brunei Times on the lukewarm response from
Singaporeans for the YOG, Dr Vivian retorted:
“The answer lies on the ground, what people do and how
they feel. At this point of time, I am quite confident that
Singaporeans are proud of this and want to show our best to the
world.”
Yes, the answer lies on the ground – Singaporeans do not care a
damn about the YOG which is fast becoming a $387 million dollar
FLOP and an international disgrace and disaster for Singapore.
PAP Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen must explain to
Singaporeans why our primary school students are being COERCED to
support the YOG when it has nothing to do with them at the
detriment of their health and studies. Shouldn’t the consent of the
parents be sought at the very least and the students given the
option to opt out? Are we becoming like North Korea where thousands
of its people are being forced by the regime to lend support its
annual Arirang mass
games?
The Youth Olympic Games is a good initiative by the
International Olympic Committee to inculcate good sporting values
in the youth. Unfortunately, under the repressive PAP regime, it
has now become the “Youth Arirang Games” and a
laughing stock to the world.
