[Mageia-discuss] Public Apology to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore

Sat Apr 30 18:50:36 CEST 2011

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.
+
+[b]What really happened[/b]
+
+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.
+
+[b]Explanations[/b]
+
+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
+