As Singapore enters into the fourth day of mourning with the passing of our founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, it is apparent at how much of an impact one man has left in the lives of many. In just one day, thousands queued up in the hot sun and all the way up till midnight to pay their last respects to him. Yet, with his passing, it has also spurned the ideas of shameless profiteering and marketing.
With the queue for the public to pay their last respects to Mr Lee snaking all the way from the Parliament House to Clarke Quay, people stood in line for up to 8 hours and more just to make their way in. Thus, for some, they decided to “provide services” such as offering up their spot in the queue nearing the entrance to the Parliament House as well as queuing for in advance or paying respects on behalf. With fees from $10/hr to $1000 for a spot, it was certainly a distasteful act in progress.
However, that was not the only distasteful act that sprang up with the passing of Mr Lee. A bread company decided to commemorate him by selling breads with a play on his surname. While the sales of the breads were to be donated to charity, the public were offended nonetheless by the marketing made by the company for the utter disrespect they have shown. The breads were then pulled off shelves immediately and an apology posted online on their social media site. The intention is definitely without malice, though sadly the execution was not appropriate at this time.
(images credited to their respective owners)
