has found himself in the headlines this week for smoking marijuana. For his admission, Schooling has been issued a formal letter of warning by the Ministry of Defence “informing him of the serious consequences of drug abuse meted out to all SAF personnel, who may be sentenced up to nine months detention in the SAF Detention Barracks.”
As a result of his success in the arena of competitive sports, he has been labelled as a role model with certain expectations imposed on him. But these are societal projections and is it on him to live up to our expectations – expectations that he never asked for? He is an athlete, and he wins medals – end of story.
Secondly and unavoidably, Schooling’s “indiscretion” has shone yet another spotlight on the drug issue in Singapore. Singapore has long since clung to the belief that harsh drug laws prevent drug intake. Yet in Singapore where people are now able to travel globally, do these laws still work? At the end of the day, we are all human beings. We all make mistakes. Does every mistake require a “punishment”? How about simply looking at mistakes as a learning experience? Both for the helper and the employer.