Rarely do i feel disturbed by comments made by people on various issues whether it’s on news sites, on random blogs i visit or anywhere anyone feels free to put a foot down and stamp a comment regarding anything.
Full comment here reproduce without any permission:
Takeda Shingen: I think that judging Soi Lek’s ability to perform his job with the issue of the morality of him having an extra-marital affair is like comparing apples to oranges.
Firstly, if Soi Lek was a Muslim, he could have taken his mistress on as a second wife and this affair would be a moot point.
It is only because non-Muslims are lumped into the ‘Christian’ view of one life partner that we find him immoral. Look at the Mosuo women in China who practice polygamy with multiple husbands.
Is this wrong? If a man/woman has all the means to looks after multiple partners fairly, why can’t his/her actions be deemed ‘moral’?
The question that should be asked here is, ‘will this extra-marital affair effects his ability to do his job?’
John F Kennedy was famously rumoured to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. The FBI produced evidence of Dr Martin Luther King having a mistress.
John Edwards was recently thrown into scandal over the ‘love child ‘from his affair.
But did these instances stop them from achieving the righteous goals they strived to obtain?
John McCain himself had an affair which led to him divorcing his first wife. Yet people still believe in his leadership abilities.
In Korea, there are laws that passed out prison time for adultery. These laws have been objected to because it infringes on our freedom.
The reason Chua Soi Lek was voted back was because, until the infamous video was leaked people, people still believed he did his job well and that he is also a victim of a political assassination.
What you do in private, so long as you do not violate anyone’s freedom, is your own business. And as long as your private life is separate from your work, it should not be used as a tool to judge you at your job.
Before i make any critical assessment of the person i do not even know, i’ll agree with him that in issues of governing, one does not necessarily need to know if someone has ever cheated. He was voted back probably because people think he will serve their interest well and better than other candidates. He was the best there is, whatever that means.
However, if an act can be morally deemed wrong, i.e with the test being if you were the victim, would you just shout “shit happens?” or do you go into a rage about what constitute publicly accepted moralism, then that act is not justifiable in the society we live in. Concerning Kennedy, sure he made a fine President, presided over a time where liberalisation was all the buzz, free love and free sex and the Beatles were celebrated. Women were being liberated. But if Kennedy shags your wife, do you beat him to a pulp or do you give your utmost blessings for him to run beloved America? Like democracy, utilitarian rules help shape public opinion on ethics and morality.
All your heroes happen to live swell lives. You don’t get married to tell your wife you love her and shag someone else. Not even if you have the flipping cash for child support, insurance and tertiary education for a football team. You can divorce her, and marry your mistress, but that’s a little fickle and selfish, and defeated the point of your first marriage. It’s legit and natural to be bashful about so-called leaders, since they set the tone on a broad level. You want a role model, someone perfect, but they only exist in the ideal world. In our world, we select the “best candidate for the job.” In this case i agree with you. Just that i find even the mere thought of considering affairs as a normal course in life a little disturbing.
Polygamy and adultery, depending on which way you see it, has always been a spiteful debate. Some societies practice it, some wholly against. Blaming Christian views is an oversimplification of facts. The sanctity of marriage is signified by love and vows made to one’s partner, and one of common sense. When you fail to keep that vow, how would i know if you can keep any vows or promises. What assurances does one have that he will live up to keeping harder promises to people he does not even know, but claims to care so much about? Whether or not an affair affects the ability of one person is a moot point to begin with. Depending on how you measure performance, there’s not a single way to quantify if the affair has a bearing on him. But it certainly has a bearing on us. Because we might not trust him anymore. That matters. Not your liberal stance and your questionable claims about what constitutes freedom.
