By Sonia Suka
The New Paper reported yesterday that Foyce Le Xuan was advised by her pastor from City Harvest Church (CHC) not to speak to the media about revealing all the details of Jack Neo’s advances towards her, six years ago.
It would have been alright if Foyce got this advice from a pastor from any other church but CHC. Why? Because CHC is the same church that Jack Neo and his family go to; and they are being counselled by the pastors from this church as well.
Is there a conflict of interest in CHC counselling both Jack Neo and Foyce Le Xuan?
CHC is, after all building a multi-million dollar, 12,000-seater building and it is in their interest to keep the best donor in its membership, to see the building project through.
The remorseful Jack Neo may very well turn out to be one of the biggest contributors towards this building project. It is human tendency to cover-up our sins with money. Is that not the reason why many temples and churches coffers overflow?
Even if Jack and Foyce are being counselled by two different pastors, do they not come under a hierarchy? Do these pastors themselves receive their counsel from the ‘higher-ups’, who guide them on what to say to Jack and more importantly to Foyce?
It seems that it is precisely because the church had advised her not to speak with the media that she is unable to move on. Foyce after all, seem to have so much of bitterness in her heart towards Jack, describing him as ‘devil’ and ‘inhuman’; and it is good for her to come clean to the media – especially in this case, lest she be made out to be an attention-seeker or even worse, a liar.
If the rationale behind the advice really is that going to the media is not a good way to resolve such issues, should not have the pastors advised Jack the same? Why did a pastor from CHC accompany Jack and his wife for the press conference (which went horribly wrong), if this was indeed their fundamental reason?
It seems that Foyce has evidence that she was harassed by Jack and the pastors at City Harvest Church should not hold-back Foyce from coming forth to the media with this evidence – especially since Jack has conducted his case through the media.
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Theforgottongeneration,
“Don’t they know they were involved with a married man (aka there is a wife and family)?”
you seem to imply that Foyce & other gals are the fool… such attitude is very unhealthy for a progressive society. it sends a very wrong & strong signal (high profile case mah) to potential victims of sexual harassments by superiors, bosses, etc, that such incidents are tolerable, not a crime & should take it as part & parcel of work hazard. worse they get blamed for it? lolz…
victims of sexual harassment should not fear negative public backlash if their case (of harassment) is real. the fear of making a police report will be a nation calamity. that is why there is a keen interest on how the situation unfolds.
Speculations, concerns, anxieties and curiosities result when media is used and it wont help the ‘victims’ any bit until some truth is established. Be good that the authority be giving time (hopefully not too long) to get light into it.
gemami
Mar 17, 2010 8:05
You are still living in the age of fear. If you had been here earlier, you would have realized that at TOC, these sort of discussions have a way of sorting itself out.
Sure, there are heated debates with no-holds-barred emotions, arguments and counter-arguments, but in TOCland, we have the habit of ‘wiping the table’ when all the ramblings are done for a particular thread.
Let us not instill fear into our fellow-citizens. It does not work anymore.
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Religious harmony, respect one’s religion, holding trust and respect for the nation’s ministers, etc these are the vital factors that hold Singapore together and which Singapore’s success rests on! The law will come down heavily on anyone attempting to destroy these core values of the nation!
Well written Sonia.
Hi My Views,
I understand your point and your concern, but then again, your conclusion is that some are attempting to ‘destroy these core values’ as mentioned by you. I beg to differ. I see it as people stepping forward to discuss, share and opined difficult issues. This must be seen as a society that is maturing, that is now more forward-looking and more ready to thrash out issues that bind the core foundation and structure of our society.
There is nothing new with the comments posted here. Most of these are thoughts that were kept under the carpet for the longest time, for which we are now ready to bring them out into the open. We have to start trusting in a more mature society, something which even the current rulers are observing by the side, to see how well we regulate ourselves and how well deal with difficult issues.
What TOC and its many readers, posters and commenters are doing here is a great service to the government, in that the opinions expressed here are true to the heart and straight to the point. We tell it as it is with no clout of uncertainty or ambiguity. If they are fearful of such comments, then I think it is true that they have lost it.
Why are we allowing ourselves debating over this non urgent issue?I dun see anything wrong with this article.At least I can see another beauty.Why got so carried away when CH is involved?Din the pastor advise Foyce not to speak to the media?
Many want to have money,try ways to be a billionaire,many want to try all varieties of fruits,foods,travel to many countries and boast about their achievement .What is wrong with someone who have no such interest but only want to have many girlfriends?
If you observe,both if not all the complainants and the subject gave themselves Ang Mor names,this shows that they are westernised and already have that western thinking.
So ,need not worry about them.Concentrate on how to make Singapore a better place to live.
As a buaya,I only attack on my preys when opportunity comes or when they give me the opportunity.Its your duty to stay away .I am hungry ,I need to eat…..
I don’t have a good impression of christians anymore. Why are so many christians so hypocritical? They say one thing and do they do another. They clamor for worldly goodies and are so materialistic, yet speak of the afterlife and so much better it is. I don’t get them.
If ppl in power behave wisely. We will not have pastors and ministers having to justify why they have double standards in their wheeling and dealing
http://dotseng.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/jack-neo-le-foyce-and-george-yeo-the-three-stooges/
Thre’s nothing to fear about christians, and if one does and claim that it is because of some “christians” views here (it could be someone is imitating as christians as well), it only shows that one was already highly fixated in their dislikes for christians. So, please do not try to stir up anti-christians feelings.
Most important, Jack Neo & Foyce’s issues have nothing to do with religion, christians or christianity, though some would love to make use of this saga and create the link to discredit christians.
Sonia’s article clearly was not to address Jack or Foyce’s case, it is very obvious that she was trying to run down christians and christianity, for whatever agenda known to herself!
To DaffyDuck,
Not all…
Real Christian Pastors/Priests who are truely faithful are able to tell you the verse/chapter and page from the Bible.
Con-men and tricksters [most of them] are unable to.
So there are many weak minded, muddled and too trusting folks taken as tools and fools to be milk and used up…in the end these folks became bitter at themselves instead of going after the people who made them bitter in the first place.
My 2 cents.
Wisdom is definitely in short supply. We should look within for strength and not try to find in experimental architecture.
I’m not bitter at all. I just feel that christians are not who they claim themselves to be. They’re not People of God. They’re Pretenders of God.
I know what you mean. They actions do not match with what they say. Just look at those two bozzos! And that Pastor Rony Tan. How come he got away for his vile remarks on the gay community here? This is double standards. Then again, I don’t expect much from PAP anyway.
My Views,
March 18, 2010 04:44
“Religious harmony, respect one’s religion,…”
more accurately, the fragile tolerance some have, that ISD needs to come out publicly to have a chat with a Pastor?
“holding trust and respect for the nation’s ministers, etc these are the vital factors that hold Singapore together and which Singapore’s success rests on!”
eh, trust has to be earned, & that takes effort, just like people do not expect free lunch. dun confuse it with blind faith & subservience. if that is the formula for S’pore’s success, it’s little wonder local SMEs often feel they are 2nd fiddle to foreign MNCs.
the so called “success formula” may very well be holding local companies back from spreading their wings, to achieve greater heights of success!
@mice is nice, Mar 17, 2010 18:40
The fool is Jack. Totally agree that true victims of sexual harassment by bosses, superiors, spouse, etc.. should stand up to such abuses; I have experience helping one such in my life.
However, do you think Foyce will make police report, etc… if her career had advanced under Jack, or if Jack’s infidelity didn’t blow out? Victim, attention seeker, fence sitter, opportunist or claws out?
How much are CHC pastors paid?
Why not donate to Haiti and Ethiopia?
I am sure mother theresa would do it if she is paid highly.
Am i right?
@mice is nice, Mar 18, 2010 17:23
I think you miss MV’s point, which was:
“…..Religious harmony, respect one’s religion, holding trust and respect for the nation’s ministers.…”
Notice the subtle link of respect and religion with MINISTERS! It’s like these three are mutually interdependant or related, the 3 pillars in life. If one can love God, then why not our god-like ministers, the saviours of Singapore — that kinda thing. To demand for respect is usually sign of desperation, insecurity or pure dominance.
Anyway, that is a fool I wouldn’t waste time on, but you seems to have high tolerances for engaging people. Bless you; its your call.
i believe about 50- 80 % of what lexuan says is true.
i think jack neo is always think of taking advantage of young girls. jack neo should be arrested by police and jailed for taking advantage of young girls.
TOC - You allowed Daffy Duck to post ” I don’t have a good impression of christians anymore. Why are so many christians so hypocritical? They say one thing and do they do another. They clamor for worldly goodies and are so materialistic, yet speak of the afterlife and so much better it is. I don’t get them.”
But when I corrected him to say that it is “not just Christians who are hypocritical. There are also Muslims, Buddhists, hindus who are hypocritical. Therefore, his statement should be “why are so many people hyprocritical ?. I thought that this is a much fairer statement. ” But you chose to censure my post and not Daffy duck ? WHY ?
hi theforgottongeneration,
nice to know that a victim trust you enough to seek your help on such matters.
“However, do you think Foyce will make police report, etc… if her career had advanced under Jack, or if Jack’s infidelity didn’t blow out? Victim, attention seeker, fence sitter, opportunist or claws out?”
the thing is that when such incidents do occur, the onus is on the victims to report it. unless, it turn out that she made up the claims, her character should not be the main focus (potential victims of such crimes do not need such social stigma). just as men should not be seen as guilty unless proven so, if Jack Neo did nothing wrong he should not be (that) afraid of anything others throw at him.
“Notice the subtle link of respect and religion with MINISTERS! It’s like these three are mutually interdependant or related, the 3 pillars in life. If one can love God, then why not our god-like ministers, the saviours of Singapore — that kinda thing. To demand for respect is usually sign of desperation, insecurity or pure dominance.”
actually, i did not till you mention. hmmm, “god-like ministers”. unless there is a public holiday (is 1 day even enough?), like Deepavali, Christmas…? haa…. :D
All these signs and symptoms. PAPaya just has a load of it, the answer will come in a matter of time. The longer it delays, the worse it becomes. Use our votes to find out in the coming election
@mice is nice
No joking, bird flew but the jailer took out frustration on the helper; such ppl just need to dominate someone else in life. Sad fact.
Extra public holiday?? Now you are talking ……. sure to gain votes. Maybe upgrading of lift too stale already. Now why can’t our ministers be creative like that, instead of coming up with a cooling off day. (ha, ha)
theforgottongeneration,
No joking, bird flew but the jailer took out frustration on the helper; such ppl just need to dominate someone else in life. Sad fact.
eh, i dun understand wad you saying…. -.-
maybe to those ministers, my ideas are no class? maybe some prefer big ideas like F1 race, YOG, S’pore Flyer, IRs… all these are internationally known, high profile…?
I just simply cannot understand why a pbm award winner is like this. Very shameful. Why was he given such award when his character is apparently to be questioned?
@where is pinkie hiding?
“….I just simply cannot understand why a pbm award winner is like this….”
Maybe unfortunate that winning awards is not true measure of a person character? Remember we had our share of someone getting a May Day award after blowing $56-60(?) billions SGD.
Do you wash your dirty linen in public? If both are from the same church, they are like family members, shouldn’t family member resolve issues privately? If any matters within the family has gone public, that means they no longer treat each other as family members.
Jack is definitely wrong to cheat on his wife, he will get his punishments and he is right now. By the way who is this girl? Trying to jump onto the Jack wagon just in time to launch her new album? Did they have sex?
No!!!
So??? If I hug my female colleague, does that amount to sexual harassment?
Please!!!
If your colleague don’t like you to hug her, then it’s sexual harassment. Foyce has a right to lodge a complaint.
Ben-o-all-question,
“If both are from the same church, they are like family members, shouldn’t family member resolve issues privately?”
yes, both of them are from the same church. but even stepfathers can be hauled to court for raping his stepdaughter, likewise fathers face the same law…
is that a view shared by most Christians? i wonder… then i think parents who’s daughters attend churches alone (not with family in tow) ought to keep a closer tab on them, especially if their daughters display telltale signs of withdrawal, behavioural changes, etc….
forgot to add like family but in reality not related = not family.
Ben-o, you family so “happening” wan arh? :D
The pastors involved, or dragged into this saga, should know that they serve GOD and not celebrities, how much Jack Neo donated to church can’t redeem his SINS and LIES
NOT to insult mega church, but they are not held accountable to any world wide advisory body, they simple preach what they like
if the church pastor interfere to prevent joyce to expose the evidence, they can be charge for obstructing justice, obstructing evidence and maybe intimidating to joyce, might even be held liable as co-culprit in the whole case.
Its just a personal opinion here. no offence.
I am suprised that Sonia can write such an article based on presumtions and suppositions ?
So what if Fiona and Jack belong to the same church ? Does it mean there must be a conspiracy then ?
I thought reporters need to have some level of integrity rather than trying to sensentionalise a article based on one’s own misguided decductions.
I can see the path of where Online citizen is going if more such writers such as Sonia is in its team……the road to sleazy unfounded taboild reporting.
Despite the fact that Sonia had set out to misled readers with her highly erroneous and deceitful article, TOC had allowed such an article to be published without verifying its credibility and truthfulness. This speaks of the clear lack of moral and social responsibility on TOC’s part.
One cannot but also sighed at the kind of mob mentality of some posters here, who had lost their sense of logic, and the ability to distinguish between truth and lies.
Readers,
1. If the hubby commits adultery in singapore, do you think it is a crime ? I dunno. But do you?
2. If a private investigator report proves hubby commits Adultery, do you think singapore law penalise the adulterer? i dunno. But do you?
According to today’s newspaper , one lady wrote in and said , quote “During the divorce proceedings, I realised that even if one has a private investigator’s report proving adultery, Singapore law does not penalise the adulterer.”
What say you?
What say you, AWARE?
In this respect, if its true, I would feel very disappointed with AWARE for not fighting for women in this aspect.
Aware need to help women in this aspect. Why should the Adulterer expect the Woman to Endure, Accept or Forgive his adultery? By the same token, can the man accept the wife who sleeps around with men ? If this man gets an investigator and proves her adultery, does the Singapore law penalise the woman?
What standard should a so-called First world have in this aspect?
Lets hear from you, the 1st world citizens.
Clarence Lee.,
Are you somehow related to ……how do you know and is so sure to say Sonia has set out to mislead the readers?Care to share?
If the pastor had indeed gave that advise to Foyce,I dun see anything wrong on the article.
Whether reader choose to belief Foyce or the pastor,its their choice.We should not discourage contributors from writing.They are matured to know the consequence.
I have reason to believe that the Pastor gave the wrong advice,becos my junior member ‘s attitude has change after spending too much time on their seow group.
lack moral & is deceitful? sounds like Jack Neo….
how many people with a strong herd mentality under peer pressure & prolong indoctrination can distinguish between truth and lies meh?
According to my friend from a local media who has attended the so called press conference by the “Victim no 2″, she sang a song at the end of it and showed her new album. Is she so sad she needs to sing or ….. you be your own judge.
If Jack Neo is one of the biggest contributor to this church, then this is not a very rich church, I have never seen Jack Neo in any ranking in Forbes or Fortune. What do you think he is worth? USD10 Million, USD50 Million, USD100 Million? I don’t know, probably just a few million Singapore dollars, many in Singapore are worth more than him.
I think she is angry that Jack denied making advances towards her, she is not sad. Singing a song or promoting her album is not really attention seeking, it’s part of her work.
Hi Sonia, please do not dragged the church through this mud. It is just speculations on your part.
Sonia was not specualting, she had craftily and knowingly used Jack Neo’s incident to achieve her clear agenda in attacking Christians and their Churches.
Wealth, Power, Sex & Religions rules in this sinful world!
When the missionaries came to Africa, they have the bible and we have the land. They said to us “Let us pray”. When we opened our eyes, we have the bible and they have the land.
This is Christian missionaries ! Now we know why so many people want to be Pastor. The richest man on Earth is the Pope, not Bill Gates or Carlos Slim or Warren Buffet.
There is no doubt CHC is not a church but a self enriching entity using Jesus Christ to enrich themselves. Poor Jesus Christ.
well i think there is more trash between this foyce & our famous jackass. it is being swept under the carpet to protect the church creditability & its image.
just look at today news abt catholic priests who molest & abused 200 deaf kids in europe for 40 yrs & the vatican claims to not to know abt it.
religions do have its own politic, mind u
Let’s us not drag the church’s name onto the street becuase of members’ petty squabbles.Foyce is seeking cheap attention and kciking up dusts that might blind herself. Anyway i find her cheap to bring this up to add salt to the the wound. She and Jack could have sorted out long before this and not now.
if Jack Neo wanted cheap thrills, dun he know where to get it?
want fresh meat go supermarket… :D
Hey! City harvest has a multi million equity stake in Suntec and has been registered as a charity all these while which has many benefits like tax exemption et cetera.
City Harvest is ISO certified and generates many revenue too.
Sun Ho generates many revenue as well, had to leave CHC or tongues will wag further.
Have you observed who are the followers of CHC? The age group and income group and other demographics?
Now we see pastors mediating for Jack Neo.
Mimicks Peter Russell, “What do you think”?
Well Foyce should have let it all out in 1 blast and get it over with. Reveal everything like Wendy. Now she is under “divine restraint”
Nothing will come out from the police report, just watch.
Does this have anything to do with religion? Why is the church being debated when 1 member did something wrong? Should the whole Singapore nation be condemned when 1 singaporean commit adultery?
Do the media have the right to judge? Actually all you who are so interested in ‘helping’ the victims should instead be praying to your God that the victims will be able to resolve and find peace.
I really do pray that all you who aren’t involved in this crisis will be able see the light in this whole situation and move on.
And to Sonia Suka, you must be someone that has no religion. Because, you don’t a thing about what u wrote. Christians giving to church isn’t called DONATING. Which verse used the word DONATE? It’s either tithing or giving. Now, i think you owe the public an apology for writing about something you know totally nothing about.
@Just Kang
The church did contribute money, tents and sent medical teams to Haiti for disaster relief. Same for Sichuan’s earthquake. And how much is the pastors being paid has probably nothing to do with you :)
@adam
Did the law say that a pastor cannot dress in Armani suit or that the wife of a pastor cannot wear any
clothes she like? Hmmm
Whatever the church does is always being criticized. Zzzzzz