Unwarranted Precision and Over Reliance

There are two examples in today's The Straits Times that show the silliness of some people.

First example

On Jan 22, Chinese space start-up InterstellOr created a buzz on Chinese social media when it announced plans to send tourists to suborbital space in 2028 – at a cost of 3 million yuan (S$549,000) a ticket (Chinese firms play catch-up in space tourism).

Second example

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said the company’s proposed US$100 billion (S$127 billion) investment in OpenAI was “never a commitment” and that the company would consider any funding rounds “one at a time” (Nvidia chief says proposed plan to invest US$100b in OpenAI ‘never a commitment’).

Did InterstellOr say that the ticket would cost RMB 3,000,000?

Did Jensen Huang say he was thinking about investing $100,000,000,000?

Certainly not.

Clearly, the 3 million yuan and $100 billion were rounded numbers. The reports should simply have stated the S$ equivalent as around S$550,000 and around S$130 billion.

Furthermore, these numbers refer to events in the future, to which the current exchange rates cannot be applied.

The precision to which the S$ equivalent was stated is unwarranted.

It might even have been better if the S$ equivalents were omitted altogether. It's time The Straits Times readers ask themselves what the S$ equivalent of a foreign currency sum is. Then, they will have a rough idea what prevailing exchange rates are.

Gushing Over Max Maeder

Why are the media (e.g., The Straits Times) so focused on Maximilian Maeder?

The Straits Times put him on its front page in its publication on 17 December 2025 (see below), as though he was Singapore's sole gold medallist at the South-East Asian Games the previous day.

Maeder is again given prominent billing in the Sports section, despite there being equally or more deserving athletes.

Such as fencer Juliet Heng who defended her South-East Asian Games crown against Thailand's Tonkhaw Phokaew despite losing 4-5 to her in the pool stage.

Or 14-year-old swimmer Julia Yeo who helped the women's team win gold in the 4x100 metres medley relay despite being told 20 minutes before the event to swim in Levenia Sim's place as Sim had suffered a shoulder injury whilst warming up.

On its part, MediaCorp's Channel 5 News Tonight featured Maeder and interviewed him, but did not have the time to mention the fencers' three gold medals. It was as though Singapore won only one gold (Maeder's) on 16 December.

Maeder is ranked world number one in kite foiling and won bronze at the 2024 Olympics and world titles. Could he have failed to win gold in a small field of just three other kite foilers? Not impossible, but extremely unlikely.

The Straits Times reporter Melvyn Teoh's gushing over Maeder being a Games debutant (Victorious Max Seeks Perfection, The Straits Times, 17 Dec 2025) is incomprehensible. I also wonder why he thought he needed to remind us of Maeder's achievements.

David Neo: Idiots?

Following the Singapore Lions’ historic win at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, which sealed Asian Cup qualification for Singapore for the first time on merit, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo Chin Wee was seen in a video circulating online telling the players, “It was fantastic, the team was fantastic. You kena pressured by them, all the fans were bloody idiots, end up players also played like idiots ... But you all played like lions.” (Minister David Neo says he should have been more respectful towards Hong Kong fans, The Straits Times, published 19 Nov 2025, 07:28 p.m., updated 20 Nov 2025, 9:27 a.m.).

Firstly, it is disrespectful, especially for an acting cabinet minister. It is unacceptable, even though it was spoken to the Lions in their locker room. Perhaps, it might have been acceptable when a commander is speaking to his soldiers about enemy soldiers in a real combat situation (Mr Neo was most recently a major-general and Chief of Army in the Singapore Armed Forces), although even then it's risky to under-estimate their enemy.

Secondly, the Hong Kong team played much better than the Lions, in my opinion, except that they didn't manage to convert their superiority into goals and a lapse of concentration for a few minutes allowed the Lions to score two quick goals.

Thirdly, does this mean that, in Mr Neo's mind, the fans of the Lions have been bloody idiots and the Lions themselves have played like idiots in previous versions of the Asian Cup because the Lions have never before qualified for the Asian Cup on merit?

Fourthly, what was an acting cabinet minister doing in Hong Kong watching a football game even if it involved the Lions and sports is part of Mr Neo's portfolio? Doesn't he have more important matters to attend to?

Mr Neo took back what he said, according to The Straits Times.

Last updated 22 Nov 2025 11:54 p.m.

Jail for Lying

A woman was sentenced to one week's jail for lying about her address, which she did in order to give her daughter priority to be enrolled at a certain primary school (A week’s jail for woman who lied about address to enrol daughter in primary school, The Straits Times 13 Nov 2025 10:54 a.m., updated at 11:20 a.m.).

A person may be jailed for up to two years, fined or both for knowingly giving false information to a public servant and may be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $3,000 or both for giving false information when reporting a change of address, according to The Straits Times.

Imprisonment in this case seems harsh: the prosecution had asked for $13,000 fine only.

The district judge said a jail term was warranted, given the woman’s calculated actions and selfish motives.

The woman may not be named because of a gag order to protect the daughter's identity. This is unfortunate: the woman should have been named as it would have been a worse punishment. If it resulted in her daughter's identity being exposed, any repercussions fall squarely on the woman. It will be a significant deterrent for others thinking of doing what the woman did.

In any case, the school transferred out the daughter in October 2024 when she was in primary one, according to the report. Her classmates would be able to narrow down her identity.

Finally, what was the woman thinking when she told the school about a change in her daughter's address that would violate the conditions of, and invalidate, the priority enrolment?

Should Scammers Or Mules Be Caned?

With the passage of the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill on 4 November 2025, scammers and their syndicate members and recruiters, and those who help them such as money mules who provide them with access to their bank accounts, SIM cards or SingPass credentials, face caning as part of their punishment in the future.

Ministry of Law is over-reacting to the scale of scams, in my opinion.

Scammers and others assisting them do not cause bodily harm to their victims, and caning should not be meted out upon their conviction, in my opinion.

For example, people convicted of simple theft are not caned.

People convicted of theft in a building, tent, or vessel or theft by a clerk or servant are not caned, unless there are aggravating factors.

Interestingly, on the same day, Parliament approved the removal of caning for acts that endanger the safety of passengers under the Railway Act.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann explained, “These are generally offences that do not involve intentional harm to a person nor cause significant harm to the public, and for which we assess that the other penalties are adequate."

Interestingly, too, no caning is prescribed for people convicted of circulating obscene material to ten or more people, even if the victim is under 18 years old.

Reference

1. Law passed for scammers, mules to be caned after victims in Singapore lose almost $4b since 2020 (ST, published 4 Nov 2025, 3:55 p.m., updated 5 Nov 2025, 1:24 a.m.