I REFER to Mr Joseph Tan's letter, 'Baby's birth cert reverses parental joy' (Sept 20).

I am not Chinese, but I can fully empathise with Mr Tan's feelings as a parent when it comes to what is auspicious for his newborn daughter.

Blessings are what any parent can give in abundance to his offspring. Giving the child an auspicious name is a blessing. Not wanting an inauspicious number in the child's birth certificate is also a blessing. If anything symbolises death in a particular culture, no parent from that culture will accept it for his offspring. Even the most 'rational' parents will react this way.

Singapore has built itself a reputation as a rule-abiding and law-enforcing place. But it is not wrong to count on the Government to be flexible and sensitive in implementing its rules. For Mr Tan, here are the reasons: Buyers can choose the numbers for inanimate objects like mobile phones. If they can do that, surely they should have some say if the number for their baby's birth certificate is disturbing. Mr Tan only wishes for a number that is not inauspicious.

Second, the front-line officer was right to stick to the rules. But the higher authorities have discretionary powers to make exceptions, if customer satisfaction is assured and the cost is not high. It is hard to imagine what great disaster would have happened if Mr Tan's appeal was granted.

Finally, the Singapore system already has measures in place to ascertain a person's religious affiliation. There are many free thinkers who are not sensitive to numbers. Would it be so difficult to allot the 'problem number' to one of them?

Prema Jayakumar (Mrs)

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Oct 3, 2008.

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