Singapore’s lack of originality and creativity is taking another beating. In its annual celebration of National Day, the Government commissions the performance of feel-good jingles about the state of affairs in the country.
This year is no exception…well…except that the commercial for one of the National Day music videos was found out to have been lifted from a Japanese ad for a children’s foundation.
The Japanese version was made to encourage creativity and denounce discrimination. It tells of a boy placed in a mental institution when all he was doing was something different from the other children.
The plagiarised edition shows similar scenes put in with other story-lines and backed by PAP-style lyrics. The copy-cat version was picked up by a STOMP user and is making news in cyberspace even as the local media maintains an uncomfortable silence.
Whoever produced the Singapore version saw it appropriate to steal the idea that had a noble and touching message, and turn it into propaganda for the PAP. The state can’t even be original about being dishonest. Isn’t it sad?
By the way, plagiarism is the fancy word for cheating.
Read also Stolen star shines an unflattering light at http://www.yawningbread.org/
Japanese video “The Whale”:
Video of Singapore’s NDP 2008 Theme Song: