I respect the decision of the Yees not to bail Amos out. It must be a very hard and difficult decision for any parent not to bail out their children, not to mention we are an Asian society. Perhaps, this also caught the PAP government by surprise. Is this a strategy? If not, what is the rationale behind this move?
It is really a ‘far bigger problem than Amos Yee’. #2
Is this a depreciation of the Asian value that Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP always champione and uphold? Is this a social change moving ahead of policy change which caught the PAP by surprise? Is the PAP government acting on behalf of ‘silent majority’ or her own ‘group thinking’ inner cycle?
In a normal case, as the Attorney’s General Chambers explained below, it is rather easy to post a bail.
The AGC said Yee "is remanded not because of breach of bail conditions", but because no one posted bail.
The AGC added that Yee's bail is in "non-cash terms". "In other words, the bailors need not deposit the cash value with the Court."
"Instead, they have to pledge that they are good for the money and demonstrate that they are able to effectively ensure attendance of the accused and also ensure his compliance with bail conditions," a spokesperson for AGC said.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/amos-yee-remanded-as/1792668.html
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However, Amos’s parents do not or fail to post a bail. I do not know the real reasons. Strategically speaking, it is an interesting move, perhaps a smart and clever one. It opens up more debates, locally and internationally. It generates more news, some even incorrect. Amos’s parents may want the society to help to educate his son as they are not able to give a good teaching to his son. It is a family as well as a social problem. If this is a social problem, the PAP government will have a duty to explain. Singaporeans would like to know the causes.
The PAP standard operating procedure is to leave everything to the Courts. Whether social or family problems, the Courts make the final judgement and Singapore should not blame the PAP for the behaviour of a naughty boy! Is this the behaviour of a responsible government?
However, this Amos case is different. People are debating and Singaporeans want to know more, Christians or non-Christians. Singaporeans also want to know how social media can play a constructive role in a Smart Nation, besides the hard technology (ageing population, healthcare, transport) that the PAP government wants to promote and encourage.
It is a trial goes beyond Amos and his parents. Singapore is on trial: our education system, our social media, our child protection laws, our government handling of the case, our Court for upgrading the bail, and many more. Amos case is caught between celebrating 50 years of independence and engaging a Smart Nation journey. Looking back the past and seeing future, it exposes our weaknesses and reminds us that the PAP has yet to change as shown in this unique Court case. They are using old (LKY) laws and thinking to try a case in a Smart Nation. Based on the old laws and practices, the outcome is expected.
Smart Nation needs innovation and entrepreneurship as PM Lee just announced. Entrepreneurs must take risks and be different. PM Lee defines urban challenges as healthcare, transport and ageing population. Risks and returns for solving these urban challenges are measurable like the logical problem of finding Cheryl’s birthday#3. It is a difficult mathematics problem but poses less problems for the PAP scholars.
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on leading entrepreneurs and investors from around the world to use Singapore as a test bed for solutions to urban challenges such as healthcare, transport and an ageing population. http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/spore-offers-be-test-bed-urban-solutions
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Is social media also an urban challenge in a Smart Nation? It is certainly a great challenge for the PAP in the social media. And how to effectively engage netizens is an increasing pressing problem for the PAP government. The risks and returns are difficult to calculate as compare to developing a solution in transport or healthcare industry. Perhaps, PM Lee do not think social media can produce any good business model in our Smart Nation. He prefers hard technology solution rather than soft solution.
Are we smart enough to solve the Amos problem? This is not a math problem and has different solutions. However, the PAP government is only willing to offer one standard solution. I wonder this is a workable solution in a Smart Nation.
#1
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/no-bailor-yet-teen-online-rant
#2
(https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/what-amos-yee-is-going-through-is-far-bigger-than-101656795.html
#3
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/singapore/11534378/When-is-Cheryls-birthday-The-tricky-math-problem-that-has-everyone-stumped.html
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