23 July 2023
A little preface: This is my first blog post for the year and after eight months! Not that I have fallen short of topics or inspiration, but I decided to cut back on my online presence and to be more private especially on social media, which has evolved to a commercial machinery controlled by a few and hardly recognizable from their early days. While realising the price of the so called "free" social platforms was my privacy and that I had become a product, the insights I gained from An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination by Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel (a book I highly recommend) finally convinced me to steer away from FB as much as possible and also other Meta products. But from time to time, there is still a need to share online, hence this post.
Today's gospel reading at mass (16th Sunday in Ordinary Time) is from Matthew 13 on the parable of the Weeds among the Wheat, where the landowner tells his servant to allow the weeds to grow among the wheat, otherwise if the weeds are pulled out, the wheat may also be uprooted. I could not help but relate this with all that has happened in the political scene in Singapore this past week. Even though I'm miles away in Rome, I woke up on Monday morning with a string of messages on Whatsapp (owned now by Meta no less!) from friends in different chat groups sharing the latest political scandals on our, until in more recent years (or we were led to believe), rather squeaky clean island nation. Having lived in the UK, the Philippines and Kenya, politics in Singapore had always been relatively dull. But, not anymore! No wonder Singaporeans were all abuzz with the happenings in both camps, and the buzzing continued all week, thanks to? Social media! Our white and pristine politics have, due to today's instantaneous digital media, been subjected to scrutiny and criticism like never before, from the man (and woman) in the street to alternative, more neutral journalism (as long as you're not too critical!).
Unlike the parable though, both the incumbent PAP (Peoples Action Party) and opposition WP (Workers Party) have done away with their "weeds" - ie the ministers caught in adulterous affairs with each other within their own camps. Given the apparent timeline of when the party leaders knew of the affairs, some say these scandals are only now sprouting one after another to distract Singaporeans from other more pressing and significant concerns which have also made headlines recently, the arrest of the transport minister (as of date, no details has been released on the why or what) and the whole saga of two senior ministers renting state owned mansions on questionable terms and conditions. The case has since been closed after an investigation by an internal body (rather than an independent neutral body!). Beyond integrity and corruption, the buzzword from the latter case was political optics! As perhaps is what the "letting go" of the ministers can be about.
Whether these speculations are true or not, I wonder if the morality of the remaining ministers in both camps are so immaculate that they are privileged to continue to serve while those who have "transgressed" have been given the boot. Or were they given the boot only because they were found out? My former parish priest who has since passed away often said the 11th commandment is "Thou shall not be caught!" (Well, at least those caught in their misdemeanours here were not made to disappear, like in China.) In another passage of scripture, a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus. She was about to be stoned but he tells the crowd, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." One by one her accusers leave the scene and when they are alone, he says to her, "Sin no more." The compassion, forgiveness, understanding and love of the Lord is still wanting in the world, since biblical times until our present time! And indeed, who among us is without sin?
We so easily dismiss the "public" sinner among us, and the number of marriages where one spouse is unfaithful is probably far more than we think or hope! One of the top reasons causing marriages to break down is infidelity. Some years ago I got invited to be an honorary member of a club which I otherwise would not easily qualify. The club is comprised of a bunch of five friends from school and it is called The First Wives Club! All members are divorced and had been once upon a time, a first wife! Humour, friendship and time help heal broken hearts, and most can overcome the wounds of failed relationships and eventually love again. The greatest source of freedom and healing some say though has been through forgiveness.
Perhaps Forgiveness is what is needed most in Singapore right now. Many within the political parties involved are hurt, most especially their leaders and supporters. But even more wounded are the immediate families of the ministers directly involved. I pray for healing and eventually forgiveness for all directly and indirectly affected, and I would like to invite anyone reading this to also pray for them. And if you are also hurt through a personal betrayal, recent or past, I pray for you too, that the Lord will give you the graces necessary to help heal your heart and overcome this hurt, and eventually have the grace to forgive, and be free.
"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." Lewis B Smedes
"it is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody." Maya Angelou
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32:
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