🚀 go-pugleaf

>            * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>                             POSTED WITH PERMISSION
>                   Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd
>                  The  Star  Online,  http://www.jaring.my/star/
>            * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
>    August 11, 1996
>
>    By Seah Chiang Nee
>
(snipped)
>      Now Singapore is paying a steep price. Minister for Information and the
>    Arts Brig-Gen George Yeo says Singapore must find a good balance between
>    soft and hard subjects or it will perish in two or three generations.

I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my shocking
experience when I was in the National Univ. of Singapore in 1991.

I remember one evening when a S'porean minister was invited to
Raffles Hall for a dialogue with the students. A few senior students
from Malaysia appealed to this minister for fee concession - the
exchange rate was "killing" us then. We thought that they would
consider our historical tie favourably and that we have been good
neighbours. We were so shock with the minister reply - "We (Malaysia
and S'pore) are a divorced couple forced to live next to each other!"

During my 8-month stay in that island republic, I've learned to
detest the place. I've lost count of the degrading remarks I've heard
about Malaysia, uttered by the S'porean officials. The media there
portrayed (I'm not sure if it's still the same situation now)
Malaysia in such a way that they made us look bad to make themselves
look good.

That's the way they look at us. I had such a high regard for them but
not anymore. You just have to be in there to be insulted once and
you'll know all.

~ay~

**********************************************************************
 Art Yew LOOI, GradIChemE, GradIEAust
 Department of Chemical Engineering
 Monash University
 Clayton
 VIC 3168
 Australia.
 Direct Telephone : (IDD)+ 61-3-9905 1482
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