Chin: I tried to fend off all requests for data by saying ‘trust me the numbers are good’, but it’s not working.
Chan: You must hold the line! Don’t give in! You don’t know what some jokers will do with the numbers….!
Chin: But the numbers are good, we are on solid ground. There’s no need to hide anything.
Chan: We are not hiding anything. We are protecting the people from themselves. You want us to waste time trying to tell people the difference between absolute numbers and proportions or explain terms like local employment and linear regression charts? We have a country to run!
Chin: Hmmm. Well, at least some people will know what the numbers mean even if some others don’t….
Chan: That doesn’t matter! So long as some jokers put in a way that can be falsely interpreted, it’s dangerous. We will see society unravel, undermine our institutions and destroy the peace and stability of our country.
Chin: Wah. That serious ah…
Chan: Of course! That’s why we have POFMA.
PS. I want to make clear that Chin Chan is a fiction of my imagination. I have been using this for some time now. I never had the intention of using the surnames to refer to any specific person. SERIOUS. I have always seen them as anonymous civil servants. My apologies to the civil service.
An ex-journalist who can't get enough of the news after being in the business for 26 years
