Oh no, that 'passing out' syndrome again!

My attention today is on three readers who wrote to ST's Forum page (17 Jan).

The first is Mr Chew Guan Sun, who may not have reflected a bit on his ironic use of the phrase "passing out parade" in his letter (see my earlier posting on "literalitis"). Here are key excerpts, starting with the opening paragraph:

"On Jan 8, my wife and I attended the passing-out parade of our son after his Basic Military Training (BMT) stint.

"The parade was held at Marina Bay floating platform on a cool and crisp morning. Unfortunately, a small incident marred what would have been a perfect passing-out parade for the recruits and parents alike.

"During the address by the guest of honour, two recruits fainted...

[The writer goes on to note that the recruits had undergone a 24km route march the night before the parade.]

"I am sure this gruelling march affected the two who fainted and all the others who were fortunate enough not to have fainted... Why can't the march be done one or two days before the passing-out parade?

"Forty-two years ago, on the day of my passing out [sic!] at what was then known as Pulau Blakang Mati (present-day Sentosa), we recruits had a very leisurely day preparing for our parade."

Excerpt ends here. Hmmm, which part of the term "passing out" is not understood here? If you asked me, the two chaps who fainted "passed" while the others "failed", as far as the "purpose" of the parade is presumably concerned. And didn't the writer himself "pass out" too?

Oh, and I love the reminder of what Sentosa used to be known as. Imagine welcoming gamblers to the casino: "Die, die, must come to the Blakang Mati Casino! But do so (if you've lost everything) on your way out please... exit at the back, of course."

The other two writers gave strong views on the naming of new MRT stations. I had previously commented on this matter, and I agree fully with their opinions.

Mr Lee Kip Lee wrote (excerpted):

"In colonial times and since Singapore's independence, streets and places have been named after prominent people. [He goes on to enlighten us on how Boon Tat Street, Yishun (Nee Soon), King Albert Park and Queen Astrid Park came about.]

"...the Land Transport Authority should not be empowered to take the liberty in giving new MRT stations names that have nothing to do with the places where they are situated...

"Giving a station a name that is not directly related to the location will only create confusion among commuters [he cited Tan Kah Kee station]...

"Tan Kah Kee, a visionary pioneer, can be remembered in a new street name."

Excerpts end. Hear, hear!

Similarly, Ms Lee Wei Yin writes:

"I am an alumnus of Hwa Chong Institution but I don't agree with the naming of the station near it after the institution's founder Tan Kah Kee. The MRT station would be serving more than just Hwa Chong students. The station name should be useful and meaningful to a majority of commuters."