May 30, 2009
Straits Times pushes back
Although I was disappointed that the Straits Times decided not to run my article on the science of homosexuality, today's editorial by Straits Times' Editor Han Fook Kwang reveals the kind of reaction (and here) the newspaper has to anticipate when it publishes on such issues. It is more than a little brave of Mr. Han to upbraid Thio Li-Ann, a Member of Parliament, since it is my understanding that any employee of the Straits Times serves at the government's good pleasure.
By felicitous coincidence, Thio Li-Ann is the daughter of Thio Su-Mien, the "feminist mentor" behind the AWARE takeover. The reporting of the facts of the AWARE imbroglio led some Singaporeans to see Thio Su-Mien's actions in a negative light. How fortunate for her that her daughter has access to such a high-profile podium from which to chastise the media for their "biased" coverage.
If anyone knows where to get the full text of Thio Li-Ann's speech, I'd appreciate hearing about it.
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Dear Prof Featherstone - the speeches may be found in the Parliamentary reports, which are published on Parliament's website. Unfortunately your comments box does not allow me to cut and paste the URL here for you, but you can easily find it by googling for 'parliament hansard singapore'.
ReplyDeleteThank you, HF. I found the site and was able to retrieve several of her speeches. But this one in particular didn't seem to be there. Maybe there is a delay between the delivery of the speech and its posting on the hansard?
ReplyDeleteThanks again,
Mark
WOW! Today I learn a little bit more about Ms Thio Li-ann & her family! Thanks for the online websites! Smile & cheers!
ReplyDeleteThio Li-ann's family relations have been reported fairly widely be4 and she's well-known as Thio Su-mein's daughter. Given that Josie Lau is related to Thio Snr by marriage, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce the family connections with Thio Jr.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ST editor's defence of the paper's reporting two things stand out: 1)y no disclosure as to how many of the Aware founders/Old Guard were in one way or another ex-ST/SPH staff or were married to such staff? 2) where the paper well have no agenda re the Aware reporting, does it go to say that no individual staff had an agenda or sympathy for the Old Guard? LOL!
Btw, I find the humour in yr Suntimes column very dated and strained to breaking point, and when it takes on the expat-view of Singapore, it's not funny at all.
Dear Auntie,
ReplyDeleteOf course it doesn't take a rocket scientist. It takes a biologist! (Oops, sorry. More dated humour...)
"It is my understanding that any employee of the Straits Times serves at the government's good pleasure."
ReplyDeleteMr Han was a former agent with the Internal Security Department - Singapore's Gestapo. Perfect choice as the editor of the national newspaper in a authoritarian state.
Thio is a nominated Member of Parliament - not elected but chosen by a parliamentary select committee. It is she who serves at the government's (Read: PAP) good pleasure!