In a break up, save the children.
In a nutshell, that’s the theme of Assoc Editor Chua Mui Hong’s article this morning. Good read, balanced read. She addressed the angst, but reminded those who signed the petition that it is the future of the school that they will have to have hope in. Her concluding words are embracing to the heart and soul, and I will flesh it out later. Before that, let’s go for the jugular...
Leading the charge is none other than Yale-NUS College (YNC) President Tan Tai Yong. The break up more than ruffled his feathers. He expressed that he was “gobsmacked and flabbergasted.” Those are strong words.
As an aside, gobsmack means “utterly astonished” and flabbergasted means “greatly surprised or astonished.” President Tan could even have been aghast, dumbfounded or even speechless, but you get the drift.
If the decision to close YNC was a top-down reaction, then President Tan’s astonishment was also a top-down reaction. Just that it was a top-down that gave a good down-up suckerpunch on those who think they know better. 
And it also gave the YNC students, past and present, a good seize-the-day-and-gather-ye-rosebud kind of ventilation that they needed to sign on the dotted line demanding for an accounting and awakening. To put it bluntly, one can even see it as woke culture on steroid at campus.
Anyway, Chua doesn’t mince her words here. From an objective standpoint, and written on official ink, she wrote: “Making a decision to shut a college over the head of its president and governing board smacks of hubris, a disregard for institutional autonomy and a total lack of respect and trust for the individuals involved.”
She added: “Sadly, from my experience, this is by no means unusual in Singapore.” Ouch...how’s that for a returning-hand gobsmack serve?
Well, if you are into conspiracy theories, it is anyone’s guess why this was done under the student-body radar, even behind the back of the college’s president. Alas, that is the problem when you take matters into your own ironclad-hand and wring it from top-down. It just leaves big gaps for scurrilous speculations to fill. And, can you blame the busy grapevine and wagging tongues?
Mind you, this is no ordinary institution. It’s the creme-de-la-creme of Southeast Asia, and tops amongst the world. That is, only the best brains are packed into those formidable four-walls that many can only quietly admire from afar.
But then, we all know that the best brains do not necessarily equate with a good soul when push comes to shove, and I guess there is more than meets the eye here. That is why even YNC president is gobsmacked, utterly astonished.
At this point, let me just say that strict paternalism may be necessary when running the country in a crisis or in a state of genuine emergency, not one that is desperately man-made.
But during more prosperous times, when a nation is in her grooves of secure development, the leadership must double-down on father-knows-best and double-up on mother-and-child-bonding. Anything less would generate more heat than light, or more suspicion than affection.
As Chua puts it: “...such high-handed decision-making is guaranteed to foment distrust and cynicism, loosen cohesion and drive a wedge between leaders and people. Already, some YNC students are talking about feeling betrayed.”
Here, I recall a phrase from Dead Poets Society that goes like this: “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.”
That is the marrow-sucking energy of our young this day and age. And an institution of such repute and stature would want to harness that energy, not by a I-know-best stance, but with mutual respect, trust and nurturance.
For we need brain, yes, but we need soul too. More importantly, we need heart, and here is Chua’s heart-felt plea to those aggrieved as I end. Have a great weekend.
“Your feelings today of hurt, anger, disappointment and betrayal over the decision are valid. Vent them safely with your friends, then set them aside.”
“Be cool-headed and analytical about what's best about YNC that is worth preserving. Then channel your energy into trying to preserve the best of that spirit and energy in the new NUS college. Remember that disrespecting NUS is disrespecting half your heritage.”
“And deep within you, don't let the flame die. What you feel now is the rage and despair of the powerless in the face of decisions made by those with power that affect you directly. One day, when you become powerful yourself, when you are in positions of authority, remember how it feels like to be powerless and not respected.”
“And then resolve always to do your best to act differently - to make decisions in a different way, that includes not excludes, that shares power not removes it, that respects stakeholders, not treat them as dispensable.”
“Creating such a culture of collaborative leadership would be a good legacy of YNC for Singapore.”
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