The Straits Times

JULY 19, 2003
The Forum Editor Writes
It's been raining cats and fairies

FOR the past eight months, I have been a busy man of letters - letters to the Straits Times Forum.

Each day, the Forum receives an average of 60 letters, almost all via e-mail. A few come in via fax and, once in a blue moon, one comes in on the snail mail. On a couple of days, we received 120 letters. All in, there were 11,293 letters in the six months to June 30.

On Wednesday, we received a record 204 letters, 145 of which were on the homosexual debate sparked by the revelation that the Government was now more open to employing gays. The majority of the writers were for accommodating the gays.

In late May, we witnessed a great deluge; for three days and three nights, it rained cats. Over the weekend of May 24 and 25 and the following day, we received 280 letters, 119 - or 43 per cent - of them on the culling controversy. The overwhelming majority were against the move by the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority.

Every letter is read and a decision made as to whether to publish it. Those that cannot be used that very day are held over, hopefully to be used another day. This is because readers have taken time and effort to write in, so it isn't right that good, unused letters should be rejected outright. Writers whose letters are not used are informed via e-mail.

We carry up to 15 letters on the two Forum pages, Monday to Saturday. So, on any day, some 50 to 60 letters don't make it into print. One reader likened getting a letter published in the Forum to striking the jackpot.

So, what makes a good letter and improves the odds of it being published?

• Writing on a topic of public interest is a good start. An example is the outcry over hitches in the ez-link card when it was launched which resulted in commuters paying double the correct fare, if not more.

Letters on municipal issues or which concern few people are best addressed to the relevant organisations or government ministries. For the latter, a list of the quality service managers and a directory of public services can be found in the Business telephone directory, starting from Page 49.

• Talking-point topics are a good bet. If you have something to say which would become coffee-shop talk the next day, we would like to hear from you. One example is the local supermarket chain that made its employees stand in the freezer for five minutes if they have a temperature above 37 deg C.
• Brevity is an advantage; a letter of about 500 words - three quarters of a foolscap paper, closely typed - is about all the space available.
• Expressing one's thoughts clearly using simple words and supporting arguments with facts help. Ranting and raving doesn't. Readers should resist the urge to hit out; they should just state the facts and let other readers judge for themselves.
• All letters published carry the full names of the writers. We insist on this because we believe that anyone who wants to share his views with 1.3 million readers should be prepared to stand by them. So, no pen names or partial names.

Readers should also state their addresses and a telephone number so that we can verify that they are bona fide.

Since I took over in late November last year, I have introduced two regular columns - Bouquets and This & That.

There is a preponderance of grumble-and-gripe letters in the Forum. Bouquets - with the tagline, 'Well done... thank you' - hopes to provide some balance, and encourage acts of kindness.

It has been well received. Says Ms Olivia Ong Bee San: 'I've enjoyed reading all those short but heartwarming 'thank you' notes in the Forum page... Reading them lifts my spirits and helps me face the day on a positive note.'

Mr A. C. Ho calls them 'inspiring letters of thanks and appreciation'. He says: 'It is a strange thing but true that if we look for the positive and the beautiful things in life, we will find more of them... If I am looking for kindness in Orchard Road, I am sure to find instances if I look hard enough. And if I act kindly towards someone, I am likely to be reciprocated.'

This & That - with the tagline, 'Why this... and why that?' - allows more queries to be aired. One reader welcomes it because 'it gives the small man a voice'.

As Forum Editor, I edit the letters myself. While this may not be uncommon on newspapers overseas, it is a first on The Straits Times. Great care is taken to ensure accuracy and to maintain the thrust of a letter but because space is finite, a decision has to be taken on what to cut and what to keep.

Feedback from readers to cuts made has been very gratifying. Lawyer Edwin Lee Peng Khoon whose letter had to be trimmed back by a third wrote: 'Thank you for wielding the carving knife mercifully.'

Selection of letters for publication is, to a certain extent, subjective and readers should not feel affronted when their letters are not used.

Mr Peter Lim Heng Loong, former Straits Times Editor-in-Chief, wrote in in early May about his uncle's problems trying to abide by a home quarantine order because the video surveillance camera had not been plugged in by the Cisco team that installed it.

After some days, when his letter had still not been published, he sent us this note: 'If The Straits Times does not wish to publish my letter, kindly let me know. Do not feel obliged to give me any reason. Thank you. Cheers!'

I was touched by his graciousness. We published the letter - a very good one - the next day.

Being a man of letters has its moments. One of the most touching letters was by a parent, Ms April Jacqueline Loh, about the great lengths she and her husband went to to get the best education for their child. It cost them an arm and a leg to educate their special-needs daughter and when friends ask them what car they drive, they point to her and say, 'That's our Mercedes-Benz!'

Both parents are working professionals, so if it cost them an arm and a leg, one can imagine what it would cost parents who hold down jobs that don't pay as well.

Another letter which touched me and other readers was by Mr Peter Stephens, an expatriate who worked for the World Bank and had been in Singapore a couple of years. He called on

Singaporeans not to let the post-Sept 11 gloom in the economy and on the job front get them down. Knowing Singapore and its people, he was sure we would be out of the woods in quick time.

It was the week before Christmas and his children were flying to Singapore to celebrate the occasion with him. For him, there would be only one Christmas 2002 and he wasn't letting terrorists spoil his joy.

Then there was the Chinese national who came to Singapore to work as a staff nurse. Ms Connie Wang was into her third contract with Singapore General Hospital when she ran a slight fever and was given four days' MC without pay. Three days after her letter was published, SGH wrote in to say her no-pay leave had been converted to full-pay leave.

There was also the national serviceman who wrote in with the plaintive cry, 'Please, SIR, help my mum be a 'stayer' '. Some months later, we learnt that Singapore Immigration and Registration had answered Mr Lester Lee's plea and granted his mother permanent residency.

His was not the only letter on the trials and tribulations of those seeking to call Singapore home, something Singapore citizens take for granted. Here's wishing each and every applicant a happy ending.

KONG SOON WAH
Forum Editor

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