Really a “Wayang” display?

Prince William and Princess Kate

Firstly, let me start off by stating how proud and excited I am about the royal couple’s visit to Singapore! Honestly, isn’t this just another big step for Singapore? Although I wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of the pair in person (something I will probably regret for the rest of my life), I haven’t been blind to the many articles and photos that have been released. It is almost impressive how Prince William stuck through to the end in a suit - especially with the scorching sun burning hotter than ever during their visit. And how could I miss mentioning how exceptionally well dressed and perfect Princess Kate looked during her brief visit to our sunny island? Clad in many floral dresses (orchids, of course), she was simply radiant and eye-catching – a true princess worthy of all and any attention!

All right, so it appears that I have deviated a little. I’m sure that you might have heard about the “staged” incident that was prepared at Queenstown for the royal couple. A vast majority of locals I have spoken to have openly talked about their disdain and harsh criticism about the whole affair. For example, I have taken these comments from another (just one) Singaporean-based blog:

“We're basically showing the world we have no sense of identity and that we're just "posing for pictures"”

“This makes us look soooooo down right pathetic and cheap”

“Portraying a misleading image of singaporeans. I'm sure my darling royals arent stupid.”

“For a country that was recently found to be the richest country in the world with the highest GDP rate, we certainly arent rich in proper morals and public etiquette.”

While these comments are more towards the extreme, they do mirror the sentiments of what other Singaporeans are feeling. Another blogger, mrbrown, had also posted a blog entry titled “So.Much.Wayang”.

Well, personally, I find that these comments are rather baseless and shallow. I mean, consider the alternative. I believe that there really isn’t a better solution. There’s just no way that the royal couple would be allowed to walk along that path without barriers keeping the general public at bay. To put it lightly, their security would definitely be threatened. To put it honestly – they’d be completely mobbed. If you put yourself in the organizer’s shoes, would you have just left things the way they are? Just think - there would be barriers put up to keep the public away on one side, and then an area completely empty and lifeless on the other. What exactly would we have prepared for the couple to inspect?

Royal couple

Prince William and Princess Kate were there to get a feel of what life in Singapore is like. They wouldn’t have been able to do that if there hadn’t been any intervention. The ‘staged performance’ might have been slightly overdone, but it was definitely not uncalled for. By preparing such a spectacle, the organizers were only trying to help the couple understand what life is really like in Singapore using the only plausible method available to them. Of course the couple would know it was merely a simulation – in fact, they had been told before-hand that such activities do not usually take place at the time of their visit. But quite frankly, we couldn’t just let them walk past our buildings without seeing anything. Therefore, in order to show them as much as we could about our culture in the short span of time available to us, this scenario was created. Personally, I feel that it was a fitting approach to the problem. It might have been an overly enthusiastic approach, but I feel that it probably did get the point across to the couple.

I hope that I haven’t lost you or (possibly) offended you. I just think that we should all wait for the whole story (or, study it fully when the information is available for us) before we start to make such damning and scathing remarks. Look at it from all sides and first consider whether there might be good points to the situation before condemning it blindly.

Well, dear reader, what is your opinion on this matter? Please feel free to comment and leave your own views. Thank you so much for your time!

Here’s an article by Today that I feel further illustrates my point:

(http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120914-0000082/Display-meant-for-royal-couple-to-sample-life-in-Singapore)

Please don't hesitate to send in any of your own thoughts or feedback to Ordinarysgkid@hotmail.com or to follow me on twitter at @NatKathXo Comments on the article itself is welcomed too! Please share the article if you happen to find it interesting! :)

Credits: Today for the Article. Google for the images. First:couriermail.com.au, Second:nowhere.per.sg, Third: content.usatoday.com