“Singapore a listening society,” says Ronald McDonald

Weeks after the uproar began, McDonald's Singapore decided to reinstate the pig Doraemon in its Chinese New Year collection. In a society where the pig potentially invokes fervent emotion, McDonald's symbolic reversal is big news.

The exclusion of the pig stirred mostly predictable responses and some unpredictable ones too. Most noticeably, many ethnic Chinese were visibly disturbed by a perception they were slighted by the local McDonald's franchise. Some went so far as to demand a public apology from the corporation.

All individuals take pride in their heritage. A little bit of chauvinism is natural. We saw that in the local media and internet forums.

As China's star rises so does the pride of the international Chinese diaspora. The Beijing Olympics marked a high point in prestige for the People's Republic. A point not lost on most Chinese Singaporeans.

What can Singapore learn from a seemingly innocuous incident about stuffed toys?

For starters, Singaporeans are too sensitive about racial issues. Way too sensitive. Sensitive is good. Common sense and common space are better.

McDonald's had the right idea but implemented it clumsily.

It's a fact that we live in a multi-religious society. It's also a fact that Singapore is a reasonably compact little island. Corporate decisions have an impact in all our neighbourhoods.

Hence, McDonald's was rightfully conscious of Muslim sentiment when planning the promotion. Life is rarely a zero-sum game, unless we chose to make it so.

Yet, McDonald's pursued a 'black or white' policy; an exclusive 'either-or' approach. Nothing in life is that simple. All life's excitement happens in the undefined grey zone– not in the predictable black or white.

Spare some sympathy for McDonald's. Had they included the pig in the initial set, in all likelihood some Muslims would have objected. Because the pig was excluded Singaporeans indulged in a rare public debate on religion, identity and collective social values.

In this instance, race and religion were transformed into a uniting factor.

Sensitivities to race and religion should not be allowed to move into the realm of the absurd. Viewing individuals purely from the perspective of race demeans individuality.

Common sense and common space, it's the way of the future.

Muslims boycott McDonald’s in Singapore

McDonald's latest toy promotion to commemorate Chinese New Year has caused a stir among the Muslim community. The promotion set comprises soft toys depicting the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, including a pig.

"McDonald's is a certified Halal restaurant. It has no right to give away soft toys which could portray a pig in positive light," said Mullah Halal. "I have formally requested the Singapore government to remove pig meat from all food courts and live pigs from the zoo. The Infocomm Development Authority is evaluating censoring the word 'pig' from the internet while schools are waiting for guidance from the Ministry of Education regarding removing the word from all approved texts," continued Mullah Halal.

"Once the p** has been dealt with then we will turn our sights on alcohol and alcoholic beverages. Such items are haram and have no place in our society."

The Singapore Fictional Times, January 14, 2010

Thankfully, the above is a figment of my imagination.

But what exactly was McDonald's thinking when it omitted the pig from the twelve characters Doraemon set? A boycott by the local Muslim community to protest the inclusion of a pig in the set!

(For the uninitiated, Doraemon is a Japanese manga series. Doraemon is a robotic cat from the twenty second century who travels back in time to help a schoolboy named Nobita Nobi.)

The incident is a 'political correctness gone wild' situation. McDonald's has exceeded the limits of sanity and entered the realms of the absurd.

All animals, including pigs, are part of God's ecosystem.  

Pigs, alcohol and other 'haram' items are plentiful in Singapore. Shall we expect that hotels and bars stop serving alcohol out of deference to the sensitivities of the Muslim community?

Why leave out the Hindu community? Like McDonald's in India, maybe McDonald's Singapore should stop serving beef products. The cow is as holy as the pig is haram.

In any society there is an element of give and take. There may be some red lines for the sake of respect and tolerance. In all other areas, common sense and reason are the guiding principles. We slay our own demons and create our own good deeds through exercising our Free Will.

If Singaporean Muslims are perturbed by pig soft toys then the Singapore system has failed to establish a genuinely tolerant, multi-cultural society. The government and the Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) may find it easy to enforce laws, but common sense is slightly harder to implement by decree.