Rare bribery

Where I am now: Sitting at the bench just beside Mr Bean which is located at School of Economics, eating Tao Huey. I forgot to bring my laptop charger, so it's dying by the minute. Also, I'll be here in school til 9 plus in the evening.

Read the article: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20081106/tap-998-senior-ica-officer-charged-accep-231650b.html

I was quite shock to read such a high profile case of corruption, especially one that implicates a government official. An aquaintance I know told me of how she used to receive movie premiere tickets from a certain man representing his organization. In doing so, he hoped to gain favours. Movie premiere tickets are one thing but $140 k? Now, that's really bad.

My GP tutor says that once the first generation of government people are gone, the second generation will tend to be more corrupt as the ideals get eroded. Has Singapore reached such a line? I've always considered the possibility of being in the public service, suppose one day, I get bribed and bribed real good, would I hold on the seemingly silly ideals of honesty and cleanness and forgo certain opportunities?

Singapore has always projected the good image of a clean country, one with minimal corruption. Time and time again, we've amazed so many top world leaders out there. Others try to emulate us, wondering what's this secret formula we have.

So I pray that let this one bribery be rare, and not one in many.

[p.s. what the heck. I'm all buried under a pile of work in SMU. Let me get this mini world of mine be ordered before I check out others.]