Tanglin

Raise your hands if you’re excited about yet another possibly stupid local production by MC.

Apparently this new MC Channel 5 drama titled “Tanglin” will be making history in more ways than one when it airs in June. Not only is it the first long-form English drama with 199 episodes in the works (Gawd save us all), it is also the first time a two-storey set has been constructed for local TV (wasting so much time and precious money).

This drama is supposed to be about FOUR families living and working in the Tanglin area.

Living in multi racial Singapore, when you read that a drama is about FOUR families, you naturally assume it would be all four of the main races here. But again….not in this case. We have two Chinese families (Tongs and Lims), one Malay family (Rahmans) and one Indian family (Bhaskars)… so what happened to us Eurasians?? What are we? Chopped liver in this country??

Shame on you Mediacorp! This is the second time I am telling them this.

The first was in July 2012 when I wrote in about their Saving Gaia commercial where they failed to include all four main races in Singapore. 

RE: Saving Gaia

I promise to Save the World if you promise to take this off the air!

Seriously, this is one of the worst songs/commercial and save the world attempt.

The one thing, or maybe two, that bugs me the most is:-

1) Singapore is a multi-racial country right? Well last I checked it was. So why do we only have Chinese kids in this video? Does this mean that the Eurasians and Caucasians are burning the tress and plastic, and poaching animals? While the Malays and Indians are tossing waste in to the waters and wasting water and electricity? Are you trying to say that only the Chinese can save the world?

Shame on you Mediacorp for being so racially biase. Singapore definitely has no shortage of kids of other ethnicities that you could have included.

2) Not to mention the kids are tone deaf! Not to mention the producers! At least give us a more catchy upbeat tune with kids from a choir so at least it doesn’t hurt our ears listening to it?

I have not come in to contact with anyone who has anything good to say about this.

Please take this off the air before it drives us all insane or deaf, or remake it with more races other than just Chinese, and with kids who can hold a tune. I am sure you’re capable of better results. And while you’re at it, FIRE the current producers who are apparently deaf and racist too!

Sincerely,

Mrs Palmer

…and this was Mediacorp’s reply…

From: Tell MediaCorp <tellmediacorp@mediacorp.com.sg>
To: Debra Palmer <palmer.debra@yahoo.com> 
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 6:07 PM
Subject: RE: Saving Gaia

Hi Mrs Palmer,

Thank you for your feedback on MediaCorp's Saving Gaia music video.

Allow us to take this opportunity to clarify.

MediaCorp approached several choir groups which included Catholic High School and Kong Hwa School, both of which were able to meet the production schedule. While both schools have students from all races, it is coincidental that the two choirs currently only have Chinese students. The teachers involved in this project however, consist of different races.

As Singapore's national broadcaster catering to all races, cultures and demographics, we are always mindful of how we portray the company and our initiatives so as to be as inclusive as possible, and representative of the company in the eyes of our viewers and consumers. For our recent company campaign 'Someone', www.mediacorp.sg/someone we do take pain to ensure that various major races and cultures, age groups were well-represented. 

Having said that, we do take note of your comments and will be mindful in our future initiatives and public campaigns.

Should you have other feedback on MediaCorp's products and services, we welcome you to drop an email to this address.

Regards

Yeong Lai Lai

MediaCorp Feedback Unit

Mindful of their future initiatives and public campaigns they’re not!! If they were, they would not leave us Eurasians out YET again.

Call me sensitive but if we STRESS on the fact that Singapore is a multi racial country then we should include all races!!

Not just Mediacorp but this whole bloody country needs to wake up. We Eurasians may be a minority but we’re still a part of the four main races here. Also, WHY on forms that we fill out in and around this country, they put “Chinese. Malay. Indian. Other.”? Can’t they put EURASIAN and add the OTHER for the different foreigners we have here now (much to my dismay as well).

So in short, they make it seem that Eurasians are nothing in this country. Eurasians cannot save Gaia. Eurasians are not worthy of being on television…..

What happened to:

"We, the citizens of Singapore,

pledge ourselves as one united people,

regardless of race, language, or religion

to build a democratic society

based on justice and equality

so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and

progress for our nation."