Of Sin and Silver

All that glitters is not gold -- so the saying goes.

In a perverse fulfilment of the cautionary adage, everything shiny in Singapore right now is instead silver. The tiny nation is going ga ga over its 'citizen' paddlers' achievement, but their China-born athletes' jerseys said it all: SIN.

Ending the competition-obsessed nation's 48-year Olympics medal drought was dramatic, but equally so is the widespread revulsion towards their 'success'.

Perhaps true blue Singaporeans' lack of enthusiasm had already got to Li Jiawei before the Games had even begun. Li, who led the country's contingent at the opening ceremony, was caught dragging Singapore's national flag across the floor as she smiled awkwardly to the crowd.

Maybe she got distracted by her one-time Beijing neighbours in the Bird's Nest Stadium. Aptly-named, she must be thinking now, with online excrement raining down on her and her Sino-saturated team.

At least the multiple SIN Sportswoman of the Year has been a citizen of the country for over a decade. Her silver-achieving teammates, Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu (who?) might not have even missed their motherland -- they acquired their pink ICs only earlier this year.

Just as well, for their faces would flush a similar shade if they could comprehend such damning online jargon as 'mercenary', 'hollow victory', 'farce', and 'charade' that bedevil their medal.

Government lackeys point out that Li, Feng and Wang should be admired -- they gave up their lives in China to fight for Singapore and after all, isn't the nation a collection of immigrants anyway?

Perhaps they have ignored the fact that the trio are globally ranked 6th, 7th and 9th: not much chance to enter a Chinese all-star team that boasts the world's first-, second- and fifth-ranked players.

Likely on the Sinoporeans' minds: 'What next better shot at glory than a country that will lavish me with a million a win? Why, even if I don't get the gold, guaranteed adulation bu chuo ba!' Feng and Wang would go Faster (get citizenship), Higher (reward better), Stronger (support for me me me!) before you could say, er, Faster Higher Stronger.

Yes, our diaspora has been internationally collected. But we identify most with people we see and mingle with; Lee-you-can't-vote-for-an-avatar-on-Second-Life-Hsien Loong has realised as much. Our national 'heroines' are virtual (pun unintended) strangers: they didn't come from 'my batch' or 'your batch'; their parents haven't paid tax all their lives; their brothers weren't trooped off to Tekong. And she may be good darting left and right, but Li's allegiance still lies with the Middle Kingdom.

Feast on their fighting spirit. Coo about their individual courage. But stop there. All that glitters is indeed not gold -- and surely not worthy of rousing our national pride.