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Tag: greed

  • Singapore Lions Too Money-Minded, No Pride

    Singapore Lions Too Money-Minded, No Pride

    LET me regretfully recount this real-life grassroots incident:

    I was very much saddened last month when a school principal told me that he invited a “prominent Singapore player” to give away prizes for an Under-10 tournament. The player, who has been playing for the Lions for six years, asked for an “event-appearance fee”, just to be present to inspire the youngsters and gift the prizes!

    Please, my appeal to the footballing Lions: Stop being money-faced hypocrites.

    This comes after Kadir Yahaya, a rising football coach I used to admire, came out with his “pay-for-play” proposal on the eve of the Suzuki Cup tournament.

    Kadir Yahaya, a legend of the 1990s Malaysia Cup-winning Lions, told The New Paper tabloid newspaper: “We have to put perks in front of the national players”, as he noted that “there’s no motivation, pressure or challenge for players to want to be in the national team”.

    In a nutshell, his solution to the problem was very selfish Singaporean: Show them (the Lions) the money!

    That means, if I read him right, in Kadir’s books, probably monetise the fans to come and support the Lions. Maybe show the money for students to sing ‘Majullah Singapura’ before school starts. Possibly lure 18-year-olds with more dollar notes to learn military skills for National Service (NS) to defend the country. Why not even give the man-in-the-street the big bucks to go to church, mosque or temple?

    FOOTBALL MERCENARIES

    It’s simply laughable and ludicrous because it borders on sheer mercenaryship.

    In my opinion, Kadir must send a serious message to the Lions in Manila (after the ultra-defensive, unentertaining 0-0 draw to Philippines in the opening Suzuki Cup tournament): Wake up from your sloppy slumber and deliver.

    Or risk losing the respect of the die-hard fans, who support without singularly thinking of the dollars and cents.

    One thing that must never stop flowing must the “blood, sweat and tears” of the real Lions of the 1970s and 80s because they knew the meaning of the five-letter word: Pride. Not Kadir Yahaya’s five-letter word: Money.

     

    Source: Suresh Nair

  • Indonesia Religious Affairs Minister: Men Become Corrupt To Appease Greedy Wives

    Indonesia Religious Affairs Minister: Men Become Corrupt To Appease Greedy Wives

    AN Indonesian minister has blamed women for the scourge of graft in the country, saying that men become corrupt due to the greed and materialistic nature of their wives.

    Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said men were driven to make more money out of guilt for not being able to spend more time at home with their families, and this leads them to corrupt practices.

    “My message [to wives] is: do not demand excessively material things that are out of the ordinary, that would be an outstanding way for women to contribute,” Lukman said on Saturday as quoted in a report by Kompas which was translated by Coconuts Jakarta.

    Lukman said although corruption was influenced by many factors, extraordinary demands from a man’s family could be one reason for graft “to atone for their guilty feeling” which made them act outside the norms.

    “Often times corruption is motivated by many things. Among other things because there are extraordinary demands [from his family] so to atone for their guilty feeling, they act outside the norms,” said Lukman.

    According to the report in Coconuts Jakarta, Lukman’s predecessor, former Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali, was recently sentenced to six years in jail for stealing billions of rupiah from the state’s haj fund.

    Indonesia’€™s rank in Transparency International’€™s Corruption Perception Index 2015 rose to 88th from 107th position in the previous year, but public opinion views corruption as pervasive as ever.

     

    Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com