SINGAPORE: Noted poet and literary critic Gwee Li Sui has suggested that the practice of inviting Members of Parliament (MPs) as guests of honour should be reconsidered in the wake of widespread criticism that has been levelled at ruling party MP Sim Ann for disrupting a live event.
Sim Ann found herself in the eye of the storm after she appeared at the WWF Earth Hour Festival last Saturday (25 Mar) in the middle of a singer’s live performance. Instead of taking her seat, the Senior Minister of State proceeded to greet other attendees in the reserved seats at the front row while a singer was performing metres away on the stage.
The artiste who was performing was very affected by the incident, according to Ian Lee, the founder of her label Panik Records. Sharing that the singer-songwriter is coming to terms with the “blow” that the incident was to her, Mr Lee added that several audience members were also upset.
The organisers, WWF-Singapore and Esplanade, said that there was no intention of disrespecting the performers or the audience and indicated that the MP did not get to her seat immediately as some members of the audience rose to greet her when she arrived.
Ms Sim also apologised for any unintended disregard for the performers on stage and the audience and has reached out to the artistes involved to clarify the matter.
The apologies, however, have failed to fly with some Singaporeans, who have asserted that Ms Sim should have known better and adhered to the proper etiquette – especially since she used to be the Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth (MCCY) for five years.
Amid the flak Ms Sim has been drawing, Dr Gwee has asked if this controversy points to a larger issue of inviting politicians to be guests of honour at events.
He said on Facebook, on Thursday (30 Mar): “I truly think we need to re-examine our culture of having ministers as default GOH.”
Prominent Singaporeans like MARUAH founder Braema Mathi as well as Singapore Democratic Party chairman and renowned infectious diseases specialist Paul Tambyah are among those who have liked Dr Gwee’s post.
His comment has also sparked an online discussion on the role politicians play at private events. Veteran journalist Bertha Henson suggested that inviting politicians as guests of honour ensures that the event gets more media coverage.
She said, “Hmmm. having a minister as GOH is likely a near guarantee of media coverage. In this case, too much.”
Indeed, politicians are typically invited to private events as guests of honour for increased publicity, networking opportunities, as well as fundraising purposes. But Dr Gwee believes that event organisers should prioritise selecting guests of honour who are more clued in on the event they are putting up.
He said in a comment that guests of honour “should reasonably be someone whose achievements elevate the event” instead of an individual who is selected for the purposes of ingratiation.
The vocal Singaporean also took issue with the fact that it was some of the organisers who undermined the artiste’s performance themselves. He said, in one comment: “I find the organisers standing up to shake hands and make small talk more disappointing. In that act, they undermined their event by revealing their own priorities.”
https://theindependent.sg/sim-anns-stay-tuned-reply-to-leon-pereras-question-on-vers-draws-flak-from-tiktokers/