The under-aged prostitute saga

In Singapore, what is snatching the headlines recently is this on-going legal battle. Apparently an under-aged prostitute has caused close to 50 men to be summoned to be investigated. She is now 19 and was 17 when the acts were committed. Not a problem to have sex with someone under 18, as long as she is above 16. However, if it is paid sex (i.e. prositution), it is against the law. Prostitutes have got to be above 18. I'm no lawyer and the above information is what I gathered from the papers and other sources of media. Should they be incorrect, I regret that my level of intepretation is not up to mark.

So I've decided to blog a little about this issue as usual, I have my opinions on current affairs. Many people have followed the news closely and importantly, they want to know who the girl is. Some have identified her as ________. I will not mention her identity here due to a gag order. However, if you google hard enough, it is not hard to find. Is it her real identity? It is anyone's guess.

So what is really so sensational about this piece of news is really the people or rather, men, that got involed. Many of them are people with reputable status. The who's who of today's society. High ranking civil servents. One of them was also related to River Valley High School and therefore it caught my interest. Many people are laughing at these men who appear as lepers leaving the courtroom - all wrapped up.

However, I was just thinking of the family menbers of these men. In fact, what kind of stress will these men be going through now. How their business associates / colleagues / close relatives / cousins / school mates etc will be viewing them. It definately is not a glamourous thing. One of the men even appeared recently on a magazine stating how loving his marriage life is and now, he and his wife are in the courtroom.

What the main concern here is consistency and integrity. These people holding high office positions are expected to behave in a certain manner and what this case did was to expose their other side. Their private side. Their dark side. Sadly, it has been made public. However, before we flip open the papers and laugh at all the names of the men (yes they do print out all the names), we touch our hearts and ask ourselves are we that great ourselves. Have we led a truly consistent life that is 100% integrated? Did we not lead a double life at a certain point in time. at least once?

See, it can range from something seemingly innocent like "I am a prefect and is suppose to be a model student. However, I didn't do my homework and am punished for it" and on the other extreme end, "I am a CEO of a company but was found to have embazzled company funds" or maybe "I am a political leader but was caught having an affair".

The fact remains that if such a case can happen to these 50 men, it can happen to anyone of us. Most of these men are Singaporeans (It has been a long time since Singapore's papers publish crimes that invole Singaporeans as the victims and accused) They are the average people we see along orchard road, in the heartlands, etc. the crime this time may be women. it may be money next. Anyone can fall into these. The bible says guard your heart with all diligence. easier said than done. But what I always remember and am thankful for is that I learn some time back that God will deal with our sins privately. If we learnt and repent, it will save us from being dealt with publicly. You, my reader, may be leading a very good and clean life. So this message is not for you. It is simply a note to myself that I need to correct myself constantly. We are not competing to be the perfect saint but we need to do what we possibly can to improve and correct outselves. Going onto perfection, some people call it.

I was reminded of a song by Delirious? entitled "King or Cripple" A pert of the verse in the lyrics said "What made me a King can sometimes cripple" So true indeed. The higher you go, maybe a CEO or minister or a pulic figure like an international pastor will come under greater scrutiny. The public demands you to be perfect. I have entered the working world for about 4 years now and I have seen at least 4 top office holders being told to go. How sad when you cannot meet the expectations of others. I cannot please men. Let me try to please God.

God help me to be a better person each day. In my actions, thoughts, and everything within me....