Pkchukiss - Reality Wine

Some of my friends have told me that the Armed Forces have tightened the noose on imaging devices. While I am not surprised that they have been reticent on cameras, I was quite shocked when the blanket ban was announced.

Back during my time, the top brass was quite worried about revealing the features in the installations, hence a tight restriction on whom could wield a imaging device in camp areas. However, depending on the individual unit’s security officer’s stand, they were various restrictions on the ban.

Some units decided to issue Letters of Authorisation, which empowered the permit holder to wield the coveted camera capable mobiles, which non-incidentally, were the most advanced; and continue to be, in the market.

Other units were too sensitive to be allowed any leeway, while others were given the outright green light, perhaps as an experiment on the security of these devices.

Recently, somebody (we have still yet to know who actually discovered this) found videos of servicemen filming mock national day parades with rubbish bins and improvised equipment on YouTube, and wrote to MINDEF.

Apparently, the video was deemed too disgraceful to the image of the Armed Forces, and the top clamped down totally on imaging devices.

I can’t deny that it is a natural response to something that would degrade the stature of the service to the public, but it sounds ridiculous to ban tools just because somebody used it to disgrace the military; they might as well ban fires in the cookhouse, since it has the potential to harm somebody if it gets out of control.

What’s more, the irony is that the minister of defence, Teo Chee Hean, is simultaneously the minister of education. I am not surprised that the people involved in the video gets thrown in the slammer, and the underlying message is crystal clear: We’ll stop at nothing to preserve the military’s honour.

Couldn’t the servicemen be counselled instead? Besides, I don’t think there was anything wrong in the production, as there was no classified information, nor were they desecrating the national flag (which was not even in the picture at all).

Such a serious response to a parody of the National Day parade is an over-reaction, and only serves to reinforce the idea that free expression in Singapore is a myopic realistic consideration. Interested in doing a parody? Go directly to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

It also serves to reinforce the fact that Singapore is intolerant of ideals and actions that are contrary to theirs.

The probable good thing about the entire incident? Possibly sky-high sales of non-camera cellphones.

Filed under: Current Affairs