TRUELY DISGUSTED

I almost puke out what i had for supper just now while reading about the news that our National Flower had been name after a murderer from Burma! I was truely shock and disgusted by the news!

The whole world had known of the brutalities of the Burmese junta, how they had oppressed the people, stripe of their pride and dignity, and how they had killed the monks and the innocents, not so long ago. The international community condemns this brutalities of the Burmese junta towards its own people and yet right here in Singapore, we welcome this murderer with an open arm, an even named the orchid after him! Not only that, he even received a free gift from the SCDF Commissioner! TOTALLY SHAMEFUL!!!

Injustice has been done towards our national flower! As a Singaporean, i truely feel ashame and disgusted by this truely shocking event! As a Singaporean who strongly believes in Democracy and Human Rights, i am saddened that we have taken this path to glorify a murderer whose country has been sanctioned by the world over the brutalities and lack of democracy. Many innocent lives had been lost to this murderer. The Burmese people are living in fear and misery. Everyday is a struggle for them, a struggle to keep their family together, a struggle to feed and keep their family alive! And what are we doing to help find the solution for the Burmese people, to help ease their pain and misery, to help them gain back their long lost freedom?

If this governtment believe that to resolve this issues, they need to engage with the Burmese junta, please at all cost, go ahead if it helps. If it helps lead Burma to democracy and respect of human rights and the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi from being under house arrest, by all means do so.But not to the extent to name the Orchid, the pride of Singapore and Singaporeans after the murderer! Yes indeed, some people may find it ridiculous to cook up a storm over what they may consider as a petty issue, but to me its not.

This is about national pride we are talking about. So what's next? Why don't we also name our national flower after Pol Pot or Hitler? A line has got to be drawn to what steps can be taken in engaging the Burmese junta and i believe that we had crossed that line in trying to please the murderer. I am truely saddened and disgustedby this turns of events. The image of our beautiful Orchid has been tarnish forever in my eyes....

This orchid naming after a criminal has certainly, in my personal point of view, tarnish the image of our national flower, and that of Singapore in the eyes of the world.