April 20, 2014 by Angie Ng

PM Lee: 2nd Anniversary of joining social media

In a facebook video posted on April 20th, PM Lee noted that it had been two years since he joined Facebook and Twitter, and a year since he posted to Instagram.

“It’s been a fun journey sharing with you, things I have been doing, people I’ve met, places I’ve been, and once in awhile, pictures I’ve taken. Thank you very much for reading my posts, commenting on them, liking them, sharing them with your friends. I appreciate it a lot. We hope you will continue to read and go on a journey with us together.”

Some highlights of PM Lee’s posts:
◊  Selfie with Malaysian PM Najib Razak @
Commonwealth Head of State Meeting, Sri Lanka

◊  Little India riot
◊  Malaysian Airlines MH370 Condolences
◊  MM Lee Kuan Yew’s honorary degree from National University of Singapore
◊  Singapore Day in London

Popularity:
♥  Facebook ∝ 322,000 Likes
♥  Twitter ∝ 68,000 Followers
♥  Instagram ∝ 31,000 Followers

Since MICE Ranking personnel are advocates of animal rights, our favorite post would be that concerning a barn owl that had pop in for a surprise visit….

PM’s visitor a real hoot

Lee Hsien Loong
“Found a surprise visitor in my office this morning. A beautiful barn owl had flown into the building overnight, and perched itself comfortably high up out of reach. We called the AVA and Bird Park for help (but not the police). They managed to capture the owl, and released it unharmed behind Sri Temasek.

The Istana grounds are a green refuge for many species of birds and animals. We should preserve and create many such green spaces all over our island, so that in our urban environment we can enjoy the natural flora and fauna of Singapore. – LHL”
November 20, 2013
https://www.facebook.com/leehsienloong/photos/a.344710778924968.83425.125845680811480/616784985050878/?type=1

It is nice to know that AVA (Agri-Food & veterinary Authority of Singapore) handled it so well for PM Lee.

MICE Ranking personnel had a shock in July 2013, when we enquired from National Parks Singapore (NPARKS) the name of a bird which had been calling out: “Wa wa! Wa wa!” in a sweet and melodious tone that really brightens up the atmosphere around our office.  No one has sighted it, but the bird or its lineage has kept us company for years.

“It (the mysterious bird) has become so much a friend we hear on and off, and therefore, it would be nice if we get to know more about its origins,” we wrote as a finale to our query, acting like wondrous kids awaiting in anticipation for an enlightening response from the bird experts at NPARKS.

Instead when the reply came, our enthusiasm was crudely crushed, with our query promptly classified under the subject heading: “Bird Nuisance Feedback”, along with a demand request for more details to call for an investigation, c.c. to various different officials at AVA.

Before the unceremonious switch, our subject heading was:  Which Singapore birds make sounds of “wa wa, wa wa”?

Bird Nuisance?!  Surely, the intent was to kill our precious bird!

It was such an atrocious reply we shot back a rejoinder – and since the respondent hadn’t seem to understand English – we resorted to Singlish!

“You never read letters properly is it?
This bird, as I mentioned, is not a nuisance.
I am asking your experts’ advice which breed this bird is because I want to blog about it.
Instead you asking me the breed?!?!?”

What’s wrong with these officials who are supposed to look after animals and parks?
They’ve lost their love, their compassion!
They’ve also lost their work etiquette: they never replied!

Thus we are glad that PM Lee never had to suffer the shocking stance that we have the distinct annoyance of encountering.

And most of all, it is always a blessing when the leader of the land has compassion for all creatures, big or small.

Barn Owl, Credit: Wikipedia