[For the background to this post and some information on what news item the whole of Singapore is abuzz with at the moment, please see my post yesterday by clicking this.]
There is a vicious rumour making its rounds on the internet at the moment that Ho Yeow Sun is going to divorce Kong Hee. I know enough of human nature to know that there isn't a grain of truth in the rumour. But of course you won't just take my word for it. So, let's get to the bottom of this.
What is the source of this rumour? If you do a search on google for "Kong Hee and Ho Sun", you get a pop-up that says "Kong Hee Sun Ho Divorce". And when you click on it, this is what you get:
The first link leads to a forum on Channel News Asia's website. But when you click it, all you see is this:
"Invalid Forum specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator".
The second link is to Hardwarezone which anyone familiar with the internet will tell you, is best ignored.
The third link is to the Huffington Post which leads you to this (sorry for the overlap - I used the screen shot on my MacBook rather inexpertly):
If you click "Read Whole Story" at the bottom, it just just leads to a page that talks about the charges against Kong Hee and other details which have already been splashed on the local newspapers. There is absolutely nothing about a divorce even though the word appears in orange on the title page. I suspect it's a technical glitch in the Huffington Post although I must admit this is the first time I have seen anything like it.
I searched further and I found what I think is the source of this rumour:
Click here
Or rather, don't bother to click on it. It's so obviously false and untrue. No sources are given and a cursory glance at it is enough to tell you that it's unsubstantiated nonsense. I won't even give it any credence by publishing its screen shot here.
Now, that is probably the source of this rumour circulating on the internet and I hope I have quashed it.
It's funny that the Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean had to assure the public that the police action was against an individual and not against the church. From my observation in Christian circles, people are crying out for their pound of flesh from Kong Hee. Most Christians are stunned when details are given of the luxurious lifestyles of Kong Hee and Ho Yeow Sun. And their $28,000 a month house in Hollywood isn't the only thing luxurious they can boast of. Asia One Business traces the couple's amazing rise from a $127,000 HDB flat to a $9.3 million Sentosa Cove penthouse. Click here for story
I've been told by quite a few devout Christians that they are pleased to note that the maximum penalty is life imprisonment. But their greatest worry is Kong Hee might have connections in high places and his sentence would be very much reduced. Of course I assured them that the Singaporean courts were just and the correct punishment would be meted out if he was found guilty. I had to remind them that he hasn't yet been tried. But the fact that many Christians I know are clamouring for the maximum sentence even before the poor chap has been tried is an indication of how the general population feels about Kong Hee who will no doubt take the spot that TT Durai (of NKF fame) used to occupy.
Obviously, Teo Chee Hean did not have to assure Christians of the pure intentions of the police. If the court finds that a crime has been committed, the guilty party must be punished to the full extent of the law. And as most Christians will agree, if the guilty party happens to be a church pastor (who should have known better and who should have set a better example), our Christian conscience will demand that he be given the maximum possible punishment. Of course, as in all cases, Kong Hee will have among his parishioners his diehard supporters but from what I know, even within his church, there are many who are getting pretty disgruntled with what's been going on. They together with the larger Christian community and together with the rest of the citizenry are crying for blood. Yes, false rumours should be quashed but as for justice, not only must it be done, it must also be seen to be done.
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