Civil servant rapped over holiday

[wind128]

Refer to this news:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=tan%20yong%20soon&id=403473

The cooking course he took costed $15,000, about the price of a Rolex Daytona. I am sure some luxe watches cost more than this amount. This man receive quite some negative comments online about being insensitive, including from SM and his boss.

My question: Is the pursuit of a personal dream/luxury that sinful or insensitive during recession times? Is it considered insensitive to share your personal achievements - can a material item or intangible event (such as a cooking course) in today's environment?

What do the forum bros think?

[wind128]

Tried to add the following but kena 5 mins editing time expiry:

Disclaimer: Put up this article for general friendly discussion and not to stir anyone, especially those with wonderful collections. I myself put in a fair amount in timepieces and certainly have other costly personal pursuits.

[R-oyster]

I don't think that rap was necessary.

We all face the economic reality of scarcity and choice, that is limited resources and unlimited wants and the need to decide what to do
with our money.

Is a minister receiving high salary in times of recession,and in an environment of corporate failures, being insensitve.

Is wearing a Daytona costing $15,000 insensitive when a the clock on one's handphone is more than enough.

The comparison is end. To each his own.

[louisoh]

He can choose his own way of spending... but writing such articles is really .... esp now recession... some ppl have problem feeding their family and here you have a minister.. a public servant who draws salary from the taxpayers and spending 15k on a cooking lesson...

I'm more pissed with the comment made by MP Charles Chong..read my other thread..

[ping3288]

the timing of the report lah!!!

if times are good, dun think so many pple will "complain", just that the report came out when the hang cheng very bad

[armchaireconomist]

I read the article... I sort of enjoyed it cos it's refreshing. So I didn't feel anything insenstive at all...

Ya... times are bad. Business affected. But how someone else spend his money has nothing to do with me. I don't feel any sour grapes about it...

But on the other hand... I do agree that it is the timing of the report. KNN... people earning $900 a month and facing paycut/retrenchment. And here we have a senior Civil Servant lapping it up with a ridiculously priced cooking course. Put 1 and 1 together... walaa... this saga!

[116520]

HELLO!!! We are not in a Communist country... since we have no issue how much our Ministers are paid, why we are bothered how they spent it????

I know I know... economy is bad... people are suffering... so should all the ministers donate all their salary to feed those unfortunate ones? I might sound bad, but this is real world....

[Oceanklassik]

Three things contributed:

Number 1

Bad economy.

Number 2

He's a civil servant.

Number 3

The one who picked this up to politicize has an axe to grind with cheng-hu.

End result

He sway gao tuay.