Much Ado about the ST Forum II

This appeared in the ST Forum page in print today.

Check cutoff grades before applying to school

Actually main gist of the letter, as espoused by the title, is sound. The writer is merely trying to highlight the fact that Singaporeans should do more research on the courses they are interested in. This in itself is sound advice which i feel that most people should follow, rather than waiting for their results to appear and then realising that they dont make the cut and are in deep trouble. Of course perhaps the situation in the letter 'Poly route shut for average students' (ST, March 8), could be different from what the writer believes to have happened, for example perhaps at that point in time the cut off was lower but because of a sudden increase in the number of applicants with higher grades the cut off was raised or something to that effect. This does occur; in 2005 those who had a B3 for GP during the A levels were shortlisted for Law interview, but in 2006 there were those with A2 who were not shortlisted for the Law interview in NUS.

However i am slightly perturbed by the second part of the letter.

Second, there are plenty of letters to ST Forum, asking the authorities to look into this, that and the other.
We're supposed to be a First World nation, mature and leading the way. Yet when something doesn't go our way, our first instinct is to ask the authorities to look into it, rather than be proactive and do something ourselves.
Please, let's not be a nation of whingers. Rather than pass the buck, try to come up with an alternative solution.

I believe the above is akin to a horse,a dead horse which has been flogged over and over again. Singaporeans are whiny, shouldnt whine about this and that. However while i do agree that some of the stuff on the forum are more whiny than others, its not fair to tar every letter with the word whine. There are letters which do highlight concerns that are of public interests. Yes, sometimes it is entirely based on anecdotal evidence, but its kinda like theory and practical; there are times when through practical the theory is found to have failed. Issues regarding the efficiency of public transport, police force do require people to direct queries to the relevant authorities. Contributions to society should not be limited only to providing alternative solutions but should encompass constructive criticism of the system so as to highlight issues of public interest.

Lets face the facts; in Singapore the government pervades most spheres of life, so its natural that we go to the authorities if we have any query or so. Furthermore, i wonder what the writer means by being proactive and doing something ourselves. I always felt that people who highlight issues in the Forum are already being proactive since they have not waited for someone else to write. Perhaps the impression that the Forum is full of crap stems from the fact that the editors have a funny selection criteria for getting forum letters. Furthermore, while there is certain stuff whereby we can play a greater role, for example with regards to charity work; what if we have views on issues relating to defence and security? If i am not happy with the 10.6 billion in defence, how am i supposed to show my unhappiness besides writing to the relevant authorities? Lead a protest?