Daily Lesson from Life 19 March 2009

"WSJ editor fined for contempt T

he newspaper was fined S$10,000 for allowing publications which attacked S'pore's judiciary. -Thu, Mar 19, 2009 AFP

SINGAPORE - A senior editor of the Wall Street Journal newspaper was fined S$10,000 Thursday for allowing the publication of articles ruled to have attacked the city-state's judiciary.


The Singapore High Court ruled that Melanie Kirkpatrick, a deputy editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page, was in contempt of court. The ruling followed a similar judgement earlier against publisher Dow Jones Publishing Company (Asia) Inc.

Defence lawyers did not contest the contempt proceedings. Kirkpatrick, based in New York, was found liable for allowing the publication of three articles which, according to Singapore prosecutors, questioned the independence of the city-state's courts.

The articles in question were two editorials and a letter by a Singapore opposition leader published in the Wall Street Journal Asia in June and July 2008.


Judge Tay Yong Kwang decided not to impose a heftier fine of S$25,000 dollars sought by the Attorney-General '- the same amount slapped on the business newspaper's publisher.

The defence said in a submission to the court that Kirkpatrick "had no intention or desire to undermine any institution in Singapore, including the Singapore Judiciary and its individual judges." "

The long running feud between WSJ and the Singapore government. Another chapter!

Lessons for me:

1. when you have something constructive to say, do it without incurring extra expenses on yourself!;

2. calm down your emotion so that your rationality can emerge to handle properly your response in pushing the 'need-to-change-the-world' message;

3. pick the right fight and swallow your pride and get smart! The money that were used to pay for the fine could have not put to much better use!

As leaders must insist on doing the right things like defending values that he or she believed firmly in, they still need to be smart and work within the system until the change arrive like a stealth fighter! Someone who are less composed will pick that fight. We don't have to!!