Jia lat lah, so scary! Imagine walking down Orchard Road and then suddenly got a random guy point to you and say "eh are you the racist scholar?" :S And by the way I know who this guy is.
And those of you reading my blog maybe can tell me next time if I wrote anything which may cause an uproar. Can't afford to be sent to jail or something :S Or maybe I should just stop this blog.
From The Straits Times:
April 17, 2005
Scholar under fire for racist blog entries
PSC scholarship holder studying in US removes offending remarks and says sorry; his shocked family here also apologises. PSC investigating issue
By Jeremy Au Yong
THE Public Service Commission (PSC) is investigating one of its scholarship holders for putting racist remarks on his Internet site.
Maths major Chua Cheng Zhan, 21, has since taken the material off his website and replaced it with a profuse apology. His shocked family has also apologised on his behalf.
Mr Chua, a third-year student at Northwestern University in Illinois, made disparaging remarks about other races on his personal online journal or weblog.
Since then, at least two forums have been discussing his comments and one angry Net user even e-mailed the PSC to complain.
When contacted, the commission would only say that it was investigating the issue.
Much of the flak Mr Chua is receiving seems to stem from three errant posts among the hundreds on his weblog.
He used words like 'repulsive' to describe some races, and talked about their 'irksome features'.
This issue has come just a few weeks after a Nanyang Technological University student sparked debates when he remarked at a public forum that watching a man hold the hand of a woman with a different skin colour 'made his skin crawl'.
Those who know Mr Chua, who has a younger brother and sister, said it was out of character of him. By all accounts, he is an accomplished scholar.
The former Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Junior College student has a spotless academic record. He scored full distinctions for his A levels and is now maintaining a 3.8 grade-point average at university.
He is also heavily involved in student leadership positions at Northwestern University and has been very active in volunteer work.
So what got into him?
He said: 'I guess I was not myself when I wrote those things. I don't use my own persona when I write on my blog. I realise they were in very poor taste and I deeply regret my actions. I am not like that.'
The weblog, he added, was never meant to be read by anyone but his closest friends. He had locked the site with a password but now admits it may have been too easy to crack.
He added: 'I don't know who cracked it, or who would even want to.'
Somebody did, and spread the word about it on Net forums.
Many Internet users have posted angry messages calling him names. Some have even asked that his scholarship be revoked. One, calling himself thesaint888, said: 'The thought that a racist is using public money frivolously while casting his racial slurs around absolutely makes my blood boil.'
Another, Juliet Chan, actually compiled a dossier of the posts and e-mailed them to the PSC and the media. In her e-mail, she wrote: 'His utter disdain for minority races here in Singapore is worrying and completely unacceptable for a potential civil servant.'
The Sunday Times tried to contact Juliet several times but she did not reply to the e-mail.
Not all Net users, though, are calling for his head.
One, called jane, wrote: 'They (racist comments) certainly weren't meant to perpetuate racial hatred, neither were they a real reflection on what the writer really feels.
'In fact, any sane person reading it would know they were just made in jest, and were meant to be read by people who would know and put his comments in their proper context.'
Mr Chua's friends and family say the comments were completely unlike him.
His father, 51-year-old Larry Chua, managing director of an investment company, said: 'He's a racist? He volunteered for three months, teaching English in Nepal at his own expense. He volunteered to teach English to Vietnamese and Hispanic immigrants in the United States. You can draw your own conclusions.'
Mr Daniel Quek, 22, who attended Hwa Chong with Mr Chua and who is now studying in the University of Illinois, said: 'I never once thought of him as racist. He's always been a nice, cheerful guy.'
Now, Mr Chua and his family just want to put the matter behind them. He said: 'I really regret posting what I did. I admit I did something wrong and I am very, very sorry.'
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