Mr Teo En Ming
05-18-2011, 09:59 AM
Subject: Public Apology to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore
I was misconstrued as having insulted Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. My words were twisted and misinterpreted and I feel that there is a need to explain myself and set the record straight.
What really happened
It was sometime in Aug/Sep in the year 2009. The setting was in the Tampines Central office of Asiasoft Online Pte Ltd. I was having a ***verbal*** conversation with Melvin Lee, my new I.T. department manager, when he challenged me to complete an I.T. assignment within a specified period of time. In response to his challenge, I replied in Mandarin: "If I cannot complete the I.T. assignment within a specified period of time, then Lee Kuan Yew is wang ba dan". I used to be fond of using other people's names to "bet" with people but now no more. The Minister Mentor's name came into my mind spontaneously and I used it to "bet" with my I.T. department manager.
Explanations
1. It was not my intention to insult the Minister Mentor at that time. Please note the use of the IF... THEN... statement in my verbal conversation.
2. I did not know wang ba dan [hanyu pinyin] means bastard at all until I consulted Goh Meng Seng much later.
I would like to apologize to the Minister Mentor and the Prime Minister of Singapore if I have offended them in any way. I swear it was not my intention to insult the Minister Mentor. Please forgive me for using your name carelessly to "bet" with my former I.T. department manager.
Yours sincerely,
Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) Dip BEng(Hons)
Alma Maters:
(1) Singapore Polytechnic
(2) National University of Singapore
Singapore Identity Card No: S78*6*2*H
Location: Toa Payoh Lorong 5, Singapore
Mobile Phone: +65-8369-2618
I was misconstrued as having insulted Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. My words were twisted and misinterpreted and I feel that there is a need to explain myself and set the record straight.
What really happened
It was sometime in Aug/Sep in the year 2009. The setting was in the Tampines Central office of Asiasoft Online Pte Ltd. I was having a ***verbal*** conversation with Melvin Lee, my new I.T. department manager, when he challenged me to complete an I.T. assignment within a specified period of time. In response to his challenge, I replied in Mandarin: "If I cannot complete the I.T. assignment within a specified period of time, then Lee Kuan Yew is wang ba dan". I used to be fond of using other people's names to "bet" with people but now no more. The Minister Mentor's name came into my mind spontaneously and I used it to "bet" with my I.T. department manager.
Explanations
1. It was not my intention to insult the Minister Mentor at that time. Please note the use of the IF... THEN... statement in my verbal conversation.
2. I did not know wang ba dan [hanyu pinyin] means bastard at all until I consulted Goh Meng Seng much later.
I would like to apologize to the Minister Mentor and the Prime Minister of Singapore if I have offended them in any way. I swear it was not my intention to insult the Minister Mentor. Please forgive me for using your name carelessly to "bet" with my former I.T. department manager.
Yours sincerely,
Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) Dip BEng(Hons)
Alma Maters:
(1) Singapore Polytechnic
(2) National University of Singapore
Singapore Identity Card No: S78*6*2*H
Location: Toa Payoh Lorong 5, Singapore
Mobile Phone: +65-8369-2618