Wee Shu Min elitism scandal
Encyclopedia
The Wee Shu Min elitism controversy occurred in October 2006. Wee Shu Min, daughter of parliament member
Wee Siew Kim
and a then-eighteen year-old student on Raffles Junior College
's scholarship programme, found herself in controversy after posting on her blog
what were viewed by some Singaporeans to be elitist
, naïve, and insensitive statements against heartlanders.
Dismissing the views of Derek Wee who voiced concerns on job security
and age discrimination on his blog, she shot back with a take-no-prisoners diatribe, calling Derek a "stupid crackpot", belonging to "the sadder class" and overreliant on the government. Her post also called for Derek to "get out of my elite uncaring face". Her response triggered an avalanche of criticism, as it came on the heels of the sensational suicide
of an individual (said to be facing financial difficulties) at Chinese Garden MRT Station
. As a result, her name topped Technorati
's search terms for a week. She has since appeared to have apologised on another blog and shut down her own.
just over than a year earlier, and that Wee Shu Min should be old enough to take responsibility for the consequences of her statements.
, he made a public apology to those who were offended by statements made in his interview, in particular Derek Wee. Commentators used the controversy as evidence that Singapore was suffering from increasing signs that political elitism
, "smarter-than-thou" snobbery and class consciousness
anxiety were creeping into its meritocracy model, a widening social stratification
that will cause long-term implications for Singaporean society, and problems in the education system that need to be addressed. The controversy was subsequently raised and hotly debated again in the opening session of the Parliament
by fellow MP Sin Boon Ann
, who pointed out that elitism was now an open secret in several aspects of Singapore society, including education, the military
and the civil service, commenting that it is necessary "(to) break down the institution of snobbery within our society."
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
Wee Siew Kim
Wee Siew Kim
Wee Siew Kim is a former Member of the Parliament of Singapore in the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency since 2001, representing the current ruling People's Action Party...
and a then-eighteen year-old student on Raffles Junior College
Raffles Junior College
Raffles Institution offers the Raffles Programme at Year 5 and 6 . It is located in Bishan beside the Year 1-4 school campus of Raffles Institution. The Principal is Mrs Lim Lai Cheng...
's scholarship programme, found herself in controversy after posting on her blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
what were viewed by some Singaporeans to be elitist
Ivory Tower
The term Ivory Tower originates in the Biblical Song of Solomon , and was later used as an epithet for Mary.From the 19th century it has been used to designate a world or atmosphere where intellectuals engage in pursuits that are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life...
, naïve, and insensitive statements against heartlanders.
Dismissing the views of Derek Wee who voiced concerns on job security
Job security
Job security is the probability that an individual will keep his or her job; a job with a high level of job security is such that a person with the job would have a small chance of becoming unemployed.-Factors affecting job security:...
and age discrimination on his blog, she shot back with a take-no-prisoners diatribe, calling Derek a "stupid crackpot", belonging to "the sadder class" and overreliant on the government. Her post also called for Derek to "get out of my elite uncaring face". Her response triggered an avalanche of criticism, as it came on the heels of the sensational suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of an individual (said to be facing financial difficulties) at Chinese Garden MRT Station
Chinese Garden MRT Station
Chinese Garden MRT Station ' is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit station on the East West Line in Jurong,Singapore. It serves residents in Yuhua and Hong Kah, as well people visiting the various tourist attractions in Jurong Lake, which includes the Chinese Gardens, where the station derived its...
. As a result, her name topped Technorati
Technorati
Technorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs. By June 2008, Technorati was indexing 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media...
's search terms for a week. She has since appeared to have apologised on another blog and shut down her own.
Response
In response to the scandal, Wee Siew Kim stated that he supported Shu Min's point in principle and that "people cannot take the brutal truth," but he and Shu Min's college principal also expressed disappointment and counselled her to be more sensitive towards others. Wee also claimed that his daughter's privacy had been violated. Critics pointed out however, that he appeared to have endorsed her elitist remarks and failed to address values such as empathy and humility, and that he was apologising for the tone, but not the content of his daughter's response. Furthermore, the government had previously made it clear that there was no such thing as Internet privacy with the imprisonment of bloggers under the Sedition ActSedition Act (Singapore)
The Sedition Act is in Chapter 290 of the Statutes of Singapore. It was last revised in 1985.In September 2005, the Sedition Act was first used on individuals when three men, including a teenager, were charged for making seditious and inflammatory racist comments on the Internet.-Seditious...
just over than a year earlier, and that Wee Shu Min should be old enough to take responsibility for the consequences of her statements.
Public backlash
Two days after Wee Siew Kim first spoke out in The Straits TimesThe Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
, he made a public apology to those who were offended by statements made in his interview, in particular Derek Wee. Commentators used the controversy as evidence that Singapore was suffering from increasing signs that political elitism
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...
, "smarter-than-thou" snobbery and class consciousness
Class consciousness
Class consciousness is consciousness of one's social class or economic rank in society. From the perspective of Marxist theory, it refers to the self-awareness, or lack thereof, of a particular class; its capacity to act in its own rational interests; or its awareness of the historical tasks...
anxiety were creeping into its meritocracy model, a widening social stratification
Social stratification
In sociology the social stratification is a concept of class, involving the "classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions ... a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions."...
that will cause long-term implications for Singaporean society, and problems in the education system that need to be addressed. The controversy was subsequently raised and hotly debated again in the opening session of the Parliament
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
by fellow MP Sin Boon Ann
Sin Boon Ann
Sin Boon Ann is a Singaporean Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC. He has represented Tampines GRC since 1997, when he also first became an MP....
, who pointed out that elitism was now an open secret in several aspects of Singapore society, including education, the military
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
and the civil service, commenting that it is necessary "(to) break down the institution of snobbery within our society."