It has been a whirlwind for the Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, who stirred controversy with their sex blog and kept the moral police busy.
They’ve recorded a Q&A YouTube video at the very beginning of the explosion of the so-called scandal to address the many questions they were being flooded with, they’ve facilitated countless interviews and meetings with the media in both Singapore and Malaysia, and as we speak, Alvin Tan is still waiting to hear the final verdict from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
From where he might or might not be expelled from.
Since the start of the “Sumptuous Erotica” drama, the promiscuous duo have made clear that they saw no need to apologize for their sex blog, despite the very public spitting on and criticism from people in the region – particularly Malaysians and Singaporeans.
As a matter of fact, there was word that they could both face a maximum five years’ jail or RM10,000 fine or both if charged and convicted. Of what exactly, you ask? Of committing any offences under Section 292 of the Malaysia Penal Code and Section 5 of the Film Censorship Act 2002 for possessing circulating, exhibiting, distributing, displaying, manufacturing, producing, selling or hiring, any film or film-publicity material which is obscene or is otherwise against public decency. (Source)
Perhaps that was a rude wake up call for Vivian Lee, who have since made her first public apology via Facebook on 2nd November 2012 (Saturday). The posting read:
During the first week, shortly when news of this incident broke out, my mind was in a total state of blank and I seemed to be in a daze half of the time. Everything seemed surreal to me as it was both unexpected and unprecedented. For the entire week, I was forgetful, absent-minded; and I took longer than usual to process information and had difficulty responding even to simple questions. In short, I was suffering from a severe case of mental block. Three weeks now into the incident, I am in a more coherent state of mind. Therefore, I would like to point out some things which I have been yearning to get off my chest for the past three weeks.
The occurrence of this saga has stirred a whirlpool of both negative and positive opinions alike. Many have been (and are still) debating on the morality of our actions. Some individuals perceived this issue as nothing extraordinary and said that it is our prerogative to do what we deemed please as long as no harm is inflicted on others whereas there are also individuals who said that what we did was immoral and it was a stunt pulled for the sake of gaining fame and cheap publicity. I have no qualms with people judging us and I have no intention of stopping them from doing so. However, what really irate me was the fact that some of the comments were lopsided and were passed out by individuals who simply shoot their mouths off without any prior knowledge or clear understanding of the situation. To me, morality is a very subjective matter and should be viewed from various angles/ perspectives with a fair, unbiased and non-judgmental mind.
Now,let’s get straight to the point. First and foremost, I DID NOT publicise the blog in a way at all, contrary to popular belief. If I had wanted the so-call fame and cheap publicity that much I would have done so long ago in so many ways. I could have circulated the link of the blog via emails, put up advertisements in websites, paste posters of my blog on lamp post ala Malaysian ah long style or better still go directly to the media and say “Hey, here’s my blog link. Go check it out and please spread the word around!” for quick and immediate effect. But then again, I shall reiterate I DID NOTHING like that.
ADVERTISEMENTApart from that, another thing that really puzzles me is the humongous fuss that was kicked up over this issue. Questions never cease to pop up in my mind whenever I ponder over this. Did our blog inflict any harm or pain in anyone? Did the blog cause the stock market to crash or the country to suffer an economic crisis? Did the blog cause anyone to be diagnosed with incurable terminal illnesses? Besides, it’s not like we strapped anyone to a chair, taped his/ her eyelids and forced them to view or blog.
I also wonder why can’t people be more pragmatic and focus more serious that are significantly detrimental to the nation’s well-being such as corruption, drug abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence, robberies, murders and homicides. Our country could have been a better place if people use their time in a more productive manner by thinking of ways to tackle the aforementioned issues and cooperating with authorities when necessary, instead of harping on this sex blog issue (which is relatively trivial). Some concerned individuals even try to play the moral card and impose their values on us by demanding that we make a public apology. Sorry to say but I believe that the only party who truly deserves my apology is my family, especially my mother (whom I have apologised to) for causing her hurt and distress.
(Pregnant pause) Okay, on second thought, I would also like to take this opportunity on the behalf on Alvin and I, to apologise to both the Singapore and Malaysian government if we have unintentionally said or done anything offensive.
Lastly, I would like to thank a certain group of keyboard warriors for taking out some of their “precious time” to give us “constructive criticisms/ advices” by leaving comments filled with hatred and contempt on our statuses, which will be eventually ignored.
(Source)
Maybe she has finally realized the severity of the subject? You think?
