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The Wee Shu Min elitism scandal was a Singaporean scandal in October 2006 in which Wee Shu Min, daughter of parliament member Wee Siew Kim and a then-eighteen year-old student on Raffles Junior College's scholarship programme, found herself in controversy after posting on her blog what were viewed by some Singaporeans to be elitist, naïve, and insensitive statements against heartlanders.

Dismissing the views of Derek Wee who voiced concerns on job security and age discrimination on his blog, she shot back with a take-no-prisoners diatribe, calling Derek a "stupid crackpot", belonging to "the sadder class" and overreliant on the government. Her post also called for Derek to "get out of my elite uncaring face." Her response triggered an avalanche of criticism, as it came on the heels of the sensational suicide of an individual (said to be facing financial difficulties) at Chinese Garden MRT Station. As a result, her name topped Technorati's search terms for a week. She has since appeared to have apologised on another blog and shut down her own.

Response

In response to the scandal, Wee Siew Kim stated that he supported Shu Min's point in principle and that "people cannot take the brutal truth," but he and Shu Min's college principal also expressed disappointment and counselled her to be more sensitive towards others. Wee also claimed that his daughter's privacy had been violated. Critics pointed out however, that he appeared to have endorsed her elitist remarks and failed to address values such as empathy and humility, and that he was apologising for the tone, but not the content of his daughter's response. Furthermore, the government had previously made it clear that there was no such thing as Internet privacy with the imprisonment of bloggers under the Sedition Act just over than a year earlier, and that Wee Shu Min should be old enough to take responsibility for the consequences of her statements.

Public backlash

Two days after Wee Siew Kim first spoke out in The Straits Times, he made a public apology to those who were offended by statements made in his interview, in particular Derek Wee. Commentators used the controversy as evidence that Singapore was suffering from increasing signs that political elitism, "smarter-than-thou" snobbery and class consciousness anxiety were creeping into its meritocracy model, a widening social stratification that will cause long-term implications for Singaporean society, and problems in the education system that need to be addressed. The controversy was subsequently raised and hotly debated again in the opening session of the Parliament by fellow MP Sin Boon Ann, who pointed out that elitism was now an open secret in several aspects of Singapore society, including education, the military and the civil service, commenting that it is necessary "(to) break down the institution of snobbery within our society."

References

1. ^ "Time to learn that sorry isn't the hardest word to say", Ong Soh Chin, The Straits Times (Saturday Review), 28 October 2006, p. S10
2. ^ "Teen blogger counselled for her 'elitist' remarks", Ken Kewk, The Straits Times, October 24, 2006, p. H5
3. ^ "“精英”博客的省思", 社论观点, Lianhe Zaobao, 31 October 2006 (Chinese)
4. Quotation from actual post, "Please, get out of my elite uncaring face.", Wee Shu Min, Tomorrow.sg
5. Quotation from actual post, The Hubris of a GEP student at RJC, Wee Shu Min, Sammyboy.com
6. "妻子连搭车去认尸的钱都没有…… 跳轨男子山穷水尽走绝路", 林晓玲、杨荣发, Lianhe Zaobao, 20 October 2006 (Chinese)
7. ^ "Political elitism enhances class divide", Seah Chiang Nee, The Star (Malaysia), 29 October 2006
8. ^ "Mixing welfare and elitism in Singapore", Alex Au, Asia Times, November 23, 2006
9. Wei Kiat's blog: Wee Shu Min's apology, 19 Oct 2006. Accessed 13 Nov 2006.
10. "A season of sorrys and a few pitfalls", Straits Times columnist Chua Mui Hoong, The Straits Times (Insight Editorial), 27 October 2006, p. 33
11. ^ "Insensitive blogger also lacked humility, empathy", Yang Sixiang, The Straits Times Forum, 26 October 2006, p. H8
12. "Wee Siew Kim apologises for remarks", Ken Kwek, The Straits Times, 26 October 2006, p. H4
13. "How meritocracy can breed intellectual elitism", Chua Mui Hoong, The Straits Times (Friday Matters), November 10, 2006, p. 37
14. ^ "MP Sin Boon Ann warns Parliament of social divide", Clarence Chang, The New Paper, November 10, 2006
15. "Is meritocracy what it is made out to be?", Law Kim Hwee, The Straits Times Forum, December 9, 2006
16. "High anxiety an elite affliction?", Ken Kwek, The Straits Times, 19 May 2007
17. "Students of top schools worry more about elitism", Ken Kwek, The Straits Times, 18 May 2007

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• Political scandals
• Politics of Singapore