Picture above shows Edward Whistler Goh Ngian Meng, 49, trying to look inconspicuous and running away from the press when he was being charged for having sex with an underage hooker.
He was just one of the 48 men in Singapore charged recently for engaging the services of the same teenager belonging to an online prostitution ring. He faced two charges. The other 47 charged included some prominent people, including the type you read about in gossip rags like Tatler, Prestige, Peak, etc sipping free cocktails and trying to look important mingling with other freeloaders.
If convicted, each man can be jailed for up to seven years and/or fined for having commercial sex with a girl under 18.
Tang Boon Thiew, the cyber pimp of the then 16-year-old had advertised that her services included “BBBJ, AJ, AR, CIM” whatever that means.
More of her clients are expected to be charged soon in the cumming – er, I mean, coming days.
“I am what I am because of who we all are.” The sex drive is a powerful propelling force and as surprising as it may seem, being able to harness and manage it (as well as other fundamental drives) is critical to how one’s life turns out, if you are acquainted with the theories of McClelland and Skinner.
The current environment and culture we are in do not offer much by way of preventing people from getting into trouble. After all, our laws are designed to catch people in acts of transgression.
At the risk of sounding simplistic, upbringing, personal discipline and a sense of right and wrong will keep us in check. When these qualities are compromised, chaos reigns and the blame starts.
Need to fix the problem, not the blame.
Unfortunately our society is not wired that way.
And the world’s oldest profession continues to thrive.
And school principals, teachers, senior civil servants, activists, grassroots leaders, bankers, lawyers, military officers, will continue to make the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Thanks, Liz Phair, for the title of today’s post.