When a policeman lies.......

I almost could not sit in the Parliament session on 21st May afternoon to listen to DPM and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng's presentation of the Committee of Inquiry Findings on Mas Selamat's Escape. Because I requested to "sit in the public gallery facing PM Lee Hsien Loong".

A young Chinese policeman shook his hands at his Malay colleague when he heard my request. The Malay policeman then told me, "The public gallery is full."

I was stunned because I noticed that the the box holding Identity Cards was half empty. I asked him, "Are you sure? The whole gallery? What about the other side?"

He replied,"All full."

When I started to protest, a senior Malay Parliament staff stepped forward and said,"May I look at your attire, Mdm? ...... Sorry, you cannot go in because you are not properly dressed. You are wearing track pants."

I argued that I had entered Parliament twice in this same pair of track pants but he brushed that aside as "probably they overlooked". He curtly said, "You can go check it up". Then they ignored me. They just brushed me aside and served the next visitor.

Undaunted, I went to Peninsula Plaza to buy a pair of long pants, changed into them and went back to Parliament again. I was given a pass. When I entered the public gallery, I discovered that it was quite empty.

A Japanese visitor (seat K22) who was sitting on my left, wore a golf T-shirt and a pair of golf pants with red lines running down the sides. Isn't that sports attire?

I'm annoyed that the Malay policeman lied to me. If I wasn't allowed to pick and choose my seat, he could have told me so. If it is due to security reasons, he could have been frank with me. I made time to attend that particular Parliament session but was denied entry for no apparent reason. This again is civil servant mentality at work.

It suxs when a civil servant with a little authority behaved badly.

10) What is the acceptable dress code? Visitors are requested to dress modestly and not to come in shorts, jeans, round-neck T-shirts or slippers. (It didn't mention no sports attire.)

I sent an email to Parliament Secretariat on 22/4/08, the Chief Security Officer gave a ridiculous reply.

Another email was sent to Singapore Police Force.