7th September 2012
Warren Fernandez
Straits Times Editor
Dear Warren,
I read your article
last Sunday in which you touched on the National Conversation. You spoke of
hard truths and civility. I agree with you, Warren, we need hard truths &
tough questions to be answered. We don’t avoid looking into these matters. We
need to save and reclaim lives. That’s the Singapore Heart which I would like
to see! Education Minister Heng Swee Keat mentioned that he will even listen to
voices of the silent. That remains to be
seen.
Do read up on today’s
New Paper report (Friday 7th Sept 2012) on the rise in the number of
suicide cases.
Like I mentioned in my
earlier postings on my blog- mental illness and suicides are on the rise and it
is becoming a BIG social problem. You’ll be surprised at the number of people
who are struggling with mental illnesses and how their family members are
crying out for help. I’ve been helping so many of them on my Facebook, private emails
and in person, and I don’t have to blow my trumpet on doing this. Cos’ it’s the
only decent thing to do.
Last month, when I was selling my wife's novel at a Catholic Church, a young mother who bought the book revealed to me that her 20-year-old son was treated at IMH for schizophrenia. I spoke to the teenager , he looked very frightened. I encouraged him to take his medications. Next to him was his cute-3-year-old sister. I told the girl to love her brother and care for him. She smiled and said ok, Uncle Raymond. But if the brother's mental illness is not propely managed, I'm pretty sure that the little girl will have psychlogical problems later in her life.
I had submitted some
queries on mental health issues to your ST for the National Conversation-
questions for the PM to answer. And as expected, ST refused to publish it on
the website. I have not seen my
questions posted on your website.
Here’s the questions I
posted to PM:
Why is this so, Warren?
It is an irony that the ST carries out reports on suicides such as the Bedok
Reserviour, hoarding problems, depression and other mental health problems, but
chooses not to publish my queries to the Prime Minister on mental health
problems which is, by no exaggeration becoming serious in Singapore. We cannot
sweep these problems under carpet, Warren, we need to address it and find
solutions. It is so wrong to shun these issues. The press must be neutral. That’s
being civil, that’s getting to the hard truths.
So let us be sincere in
this whole National Conversation exercise, otherwise, as many Singaporeans
already believe, it’s another PR exercise by the PAP.
Thank you and I’d like
to hear from you, Warren. Incidentally, one
of the ways to be civil is to communicate, and communicate effectively.
Sincerely,
Raymond Anthony
Fernando
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