Public Apology to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore

["Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) " <zhang_enming@lavabit.com>]

I was misconstrued as having insulted Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. My 
words were twisted and misinterpreted and I feel that there is a need to 
explain myself and set the record straight.

[b]What really happened[/b]

It was sometime in Aug/Sep in the year 2009. The setting was in the 
Tampines Central office of Asiasoft Online Pte Ltd. I was having a 
***verbal*** conversation with Melvin Lee, my new I.T. department 
manager, when he challenged me to complete an I.T. assignment within a 
specified period of time. In response to his challenge, I replied in 
Mandarin: "If I cannot complete the I.T. assignment within a specified 
period of time, then Lee Kuan Yew is wang ba dan". I used to be fond of 
using other people's names to "bet" with people but now no more. The 
Minister Mentor's name came into my mind spontaneously and I used it to 
"bet" with my I.T. department manager.

[b]Explanations[/b]

1. It was not my intention to insult the Minister Mentor at that time. 
Please note the use of the IF... THEN... statement in my verbal 
conversation.

2. I did not know wang ba dan [hanyu pinyin] means bastard at all until 
I consulted Goh Meng Seng much later.

I would like to apologize to the Minister Mentor and the Prime Minister 
of Singapore if I have offended them in any way. I swear it was not my 
intention to insult the Minister Mentor. Please forgive me for using 
your name carelessly to "bet" with my former I.T. department manager.


Yours sincerely,

Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) Dip BEng(Hons)
Alma Maters:
(1) Singapore Polytechnic
(2) National University of Singapore