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Gandhi
Ambalam reading the letter to the embassy representative moments
before he bolted
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From
one despotic regime...
09
Oct 07
Mr Madisen, the security guard on duty at the
Burmese embassy told us he would convey our request to see
ambassador to the embassy staff.
During our week-long
stay outside the rather dilapidated building at 15 St Martin's
Drive, we came to learn that the portly and affable security man
earned a measly $1,300 a month, working 12-hour shifts, six
days-a-week without paid leave and no benefits whatsoever.
That's how hard the NTUC works to "protect" our
workers from exploitation. But that's another story for another
occasion.
Right now the focus is on Burma. When a
bespectacled man appeared a few minutes later looking like he was
walking on eggs, SDP Chairman Gandhi Ambalam asked if he was the
ambassador.
"No, I'm not," he replied. "The
ambassador can't meet you. You can give the letter to me."
His body language was a dead giveaway to his
I-wish-was-somewhere-else demeanour. "And please don't take
my picture," he confirmed as the cameras started
clicking.
Mr Ambalam explained to him that the group was
there to hand the petition and the 1,107 signatures collected to
the ambassador. "What's your name and position in the
embassy?" Mr Ambalam inquired.
"I don't want to
tell you," the ambassador's ambassador replied. That's okay,
we'll just call him Secretary 1.
"Can I just read out
the petition letter to you then?" the SDP leader said. Mr
Secretary 1 mumbled something and nodded
"To U Win
Myint, Ambassador, Embassy of the Union of Myanmar," Mr
Ambalam started off. So far, so good. "It is with disgust
that we learn about the murderous assault…"
As
if seeing a ghost, the representative bolted when he heard these
words and skipped back into the embassy grounds muttering, "I
can't take your letter…"
Touche! We obviously
hit a raw nerve. It's exactly the reaction we had expected.
Now
the ambassador and the embassy staff would know what the more
than 1,000 petitioners think and how we really feel. We could not
have asked for a better conclusion to the week's petition
effort.
And we had captured the Mr Secretary 1's dastardly
reaction to our letter, at least up to the point that read
"murderous assault." It was priceless.
The
world should see it on YouTube. Unfortunately, the Singapore
police had other ideas. (See
next story)
Enter Mr Madisen. He
dutifully promised to hand the petition over to the ambassador.
We thanked him and said our goodbyes.
Job done and point
registered. Now for the next regime…
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