Spill the Beans --------> Things Done More Right (Hopefully)

On Monday, much much more information about how the rubbish items had come to be given out as lucky draw prizes at the CC's activities, emerged.

Woah, I also didn't expect this, but here is a summary:

a) The rubbish items had been offered to the organisers in a "Removal Open House Garage 'Offer'" by the 'PBM' sponsor when the 'PBM' sponsor was about to move house! So, the organisers went to grab whatever they could. They eventually managed to snap up most items which they then diligently wrapped up prettily. Now there is a whole carton load of these wrapped items standing in one of the organisers' home waiting to be distributed as lucky draw 'prizes'!!

b) Amongst the offered items was a statute of the Goddess of Mercy which the 'PBM' no longer intends to worship at his new home! Although the organisers had initially declined to take this item, the 'PMB' had insisted that they accept this item, too. In fact, he was said to have personally delivered this item to one of the organisers' home!!

c) Despite all their involvement in the 'selection' and wrapping of the rubbish items before offering them as prizes for lucky draws conducted during the CC's activites, the organisers had continued to tell the CC people that the items had been given to them already wrapped and that they had been 'innocently' giving out the sponsored items without knowing what the items were!! Such liars!

d) Many of the other lucky draw 'prizes' received by previous and other participants had also been rubbish items such as used hair-clips and old pocket pouches. Someone who had previously joined one such One-Day Tour at Mother's invitation (Mother pays for the tickets for some of her friends every now and then) had received a used lunch-box which could not even close properly!!

Aiyoh! I think the problem is bigger than I had thought. Fortunately, the problem is not ours.

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At about 7pm, the Senior Manager of the CC called me at home. She had spent some time tracing Mother's contact particulars through their computer system (Mother is a Passion Card holder, mah) and then, after speaking to Mother, had requested to call me. Mother gave her my number.

The SM started off by offering her apologies etc. Usual stuff, lah. Then before she could say anything else, I proceeded to share the above additional information with her. She went, "Ha?! Really, ah?! Aiyoh?! How could they?!"

Needless to say, she was utterly shocked at learning the organisers' role in selection and wrapping of the sponsored rubbish. She was also most astounded when I told her how the organisers had tried to pressure Mother and myself to go and retrieve the Chinese chess set from the CC and had demanded that we throw it away ourselves!!!

Then the SM confessed that she had initially planned to call to try to explain how the organisers had also been a 'victim' of sorts and therefore I should not 'blame' them for embarrassing us. But her stand was almost completely changed when she heard the additional information. She now feels that the organisers, as compared to the 'PBM' sponsor, were even more culpable and they were the ones who ought to be counselled!

I pointed out to that she should not be too impulsive and jump to the easy conclusion that the 'PBM' sponsor had been faultless. The 'PBM' sponsor should never have offered such rubbish in the 1st place! Being a 'PBM' grassroots leader, especially, he had been less than honourable to have offered such rubbish to the organisers who were relatively less educated and in a way, gullible and impressionable and so were merely easy-to-manipulate elderly folks. In any case, the organisers had been doing a good job trying to act like real tour guides onboard the coach etc, too.

The SM agreed with me that the 'PBM' sponsor should not have offered such rubbish in the 1st place. But she also shared that it would not be 'nice' to tell the sponsor to stop sponsoring rubbish. This, I don't agree with her, but I told her that I will leave it to her how to deal with the matter, lor.

Actually, it is a very simple thing. If sponsor gives rubbish, then you can either reject the rubbish or accept them. If you choose to reject, then a simple and straighforward explanation for decision is all that is needed.

If you choose to accept the rubbish, then you can further choose to either throw them away without using them for your activities, or you can make it known to your intended recipients that these are recycled items and therefore leave it to the intended recipient to decide whether or not they want to take the rubbish.

Simple solution, correct? Anyway, maybe they have more political concerns than we realise??

Well, the focus of this follow-up posting is what the SM next told me.

She explained that it is common for the CC to receive all kinds of feedback, good and bad. In fact, they receive complaints almost all the time. But never has the CC received a feedback which is as sincere and genuine (these were words she used) as my little note to them. Most of the feedback which they have received are frivolous complaints or untrue allegations.

So the SM was very grateful for my bringing this matter to the attention of the CC because the CC had all along left it to the organisers to deal with those One-Day Tours all by themselves. So the CC had been in the dark all this while. I find this strange, considering that these activities are being held in the name of the CC.

Anyway, she said that she would do all that is within her means, to put things right. She sounded very sincere, so I think she meant it.

For the good of the community as a whole, let's hope that she will succeed and things will be done more right from now on.