Picture Worth a Thousand Words

The SCDF wants to take to task five of their full-time national servicemen for taking and circulating photos of the recent SAF vehicular accident. If the government were more forthcoming and transparent with the facts, this would not have been necessary.

I appreciate the need for some restrictions on security grounds. In this instance, I’m not sure if there are some legitimate security concerns, or this is simply a convenient excuse.

The photos which have been circulated have provided extremely vital information about the nature of the accident. Let’s recap how Mindef had described the event surrounding the tragic death of Pte Liu Kai:

• Vehicular incident
• A Bionix vehicle reversed into a Land Rover
• Lost consciousness, pronounced dead shortly after

I take issue with how the incident came to be described as involving one vehicle, albeit a large one, reversing into another.

Very clearly, the photo shows that a tank had run over a vehicle.

Some of us are familiar with what a Bionix vehicle is. The way the incident gets described as “a Bionix vehicle reversed into the Land Rover”, I’m sure, may have left some readers thinking it was like a misadventure between two cars. Is everyone supposed to know what a Bionix vehicle is?

We surely must have a lot of creative writers in our government.

Imagine if that photo was used in a primary school oral language examination, and a student merely described that it depicted how a vehicle reversed into another. Will the student supposed to get credit for having appropriately described the photo? Perhaps someone will take note of this student for a future career in the government?

I hope the authorities understand that all these downplaying of incidents is creating a lot of public mistrust. When two trains have collided, they described the accident as merely an incident involving a train coming into contact with another train.

Or how flooding is described as ponding.

If they can be completely honest and transparent, such photos would not have been necessary.

As it is, even though SCDF may have a legitimate course to go after their servicemen, on the other hand, I think many of us appreciate how the acts of these servicemen have given clarity over this tragic accident.

Someone here will fail 看图作文. But do well in a creative writing class.