A WORD FROM THE MP
January 2012

The Elephant and the 6 Blind Men

Dear Kampong Glam residents,

Recently, at a house to house visit, several residents separately suggested to me differing ways of how to resolve an estate amenities issue, using their own life experiences. Although each suggestion had some merit, they were not complete enough. I was very heartened when we all agreed these suggestions needed more thought, and even agreed to meet up to brainstorm for ideas for better and more lasting solutions.

This incident reminds me of one of my favourite parables. The Elephant and the 6 Blind Men. In this parable, the 6 blind men described the elephant based o the part of the animal they touched.
Everyone felt that his description was correct. The truth of the matter was, their descriptions were both right and wrong. Because each one touched a part of the elephant, their views were only partial. I found the moral of the parable applicable to many areas of life.

At work, I find senior executives who focused only on specific policy goals and do not gather sufficient inputs of either ground staff or users. The policies they developed often became irrelevant and short-lived. At the interpersonal level, I found that it is common to arrive at conclusions about people based on the little hearsay we hear about them. Some people whom I was advised to avoid, turned out to be good people when I finally got to know them. It is therefore useful to obtain more information about people before writing them off too hastily.

The Parable of The Elephant and the Blind Men taught me a powerful life lesson; It is useful to seek out relevant data and other perspectives for a fuller picture before we arrive at conclusions about people or situations. It is a valuable lesson which is easier said than done, but a useful one. I hope you will find this parable a meaningful one too.

May the year 2012 bring us all in Kampong Glam closer together so that we can all find more complete and better measures to make our community and homes a vibrant and happy one!


Best regards,

Denise Phua Lay Peng
Grassroots Advisor & MP for Moulmein-Kallang GRC