Friday, September 09, 2005
pointing out the obvious which is less obvious to some
[.....In the past, lower grade
white elephants were given as gifts to the king's friends and allies. The animals needed a lot of care and, being sacred, could not be put to work, so were
a great financial burden on the recipient - and only the monarch and the very rich could afford them. According to one story, white elephants were sometimes
given as a present to some enemy (often a lesser noble with whom the king was displeased). The unfortunate recipient, unable to make any profit of it, and obliged to take care of it, would suffer bankruptcy and ruin. Because of this, the term "white elephant" came, in English, to
mean a thing which is more trouble than it is worth, or has outlived its usefulness to the person who has it.....]
the above is an excerpt from :
"http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/white%20elephant"
the following is from the
today article about that incident:
[ .....their silent message was not lost on the Minister for Community Development,Youth and Sports. Dr Balakrishnan told reporters: "
I think it was a message some residents wanted to send to me, so I thought I'd stop and take a look at the station."Everything is ready, the ticket machine seems to be working and the train passes through there. So, I can understand residents' wish to see the station opened.""It's just a matter of time and we are rapidly reaching the point where the case is so compelling, it must open. Especially now that many HDB units are being built around the area," he added........ ]
from the minister's response and words, it occurs to me that he didn't really know of or understand the very clear meaning behind putting up white elephants and not pink pigs or blue donkeys. i think that the residents are saying that the station is a complete waste of money and should not have been built in the first place.
this is just my 2-cents worth on this incident and may be disregarded by anyone who doesn't agree. i just find it a bit pathetic that the minister doesn't know the meaning behind such a simple and appropriate action and all he can say is that it was just put up to attract his attention. i find it such a waste that the residents found such a clear-cut way of expressing themselves in this single gesture and yet the meaning is lost on its audience so i just had to point out how beautifully they expressed themselves.
P.S.
well then, i had a talk with my pa afterwards and realised i'm actually quite stupid myself and it's not that dey don't know the meaning of "white elephant". just tt dey are ministers so must be politically correct and cannot say that the government tax ppl to build useless things like abandoned mrt stations...
i'm not a minister so anything i say shld just be considered as a stupid little girl tokking rubbish...
Labels: Random thoughts
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