An analysis on Singapore's Tigerwoods episode

Jack Neo's sexual escapades have engulfed the nation for more than 1 week (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). I am not here to judge him morally. Although I have never had a mistress, it is not because I am more morally upright but because my line of work devoids me of such opportunities. I am not rich, not attractive and there are few women in my industry.

Here is my hindsight analysis on the actions of the characters on this week's hottest script - the mistakes they made and how they could have handled it better.

Jack Neo

• He held a supposedly "tell-all" press conference which ended up antagonizing the press. The so-called "tell-all" conference lasted only 3 minutes. He wasted the reporters' time and he shouted at them. Never antagonize the press if you have skeletons in the closet. Irritated reported will simply dig harder to uncover more skeletons out of the closet to get even. This was the same mistake made by TT Durai. If Durai had not the arrogance to put himself against SPH, he could have continued collecting his $600k annual salary. His past misdeeds would have still gone unnoticed and he will still be nationally revered like Jack Neo before this incident. If you are a public figure, always make friends with the press. Keep your cool no matter how angry they make you.
• I do not know what Jack Neo exactly said to his good friend, Minister George Yeo, on the phone. After the phone call, BG Yeo called upon fellow Singaporeans to rally around Jack Neo and his family. Maybe Jack Neo painted a much better picture than the ugly truth. Hence, our esteemed Minister readily believed his friend, lent his stature to support someone unworthy and made a fool of himself.  When I make a mistake at work, I tell my boss the whole truth and take the blame fairly due to me. The worst thing is to ask your boss to support you and then hide facts from him. You risk embarrassing your boss who sticks his neck for you. In BG Yeo, Jack Neo has lost a good and powerful friend. 
• Jack Neo should not have gotten his wife to speak out at the press conference. As he said himself in the conference, the mistake was his alone and his wife was uncomfortable dealing with the press. Then, why did he have to drag his wife along? When Tigerwoods made his public apology, the wife was in the audience. This is rightly so because men who cheat on their wives should apologize to their wives first and foremost, not the public. By dragging his wife in to accompany him in the apology, the public gets the impression that he is making use of her to gain sympathy from the press to discourage them from digging more skeletons out. On careful observation of the press conference video, one cannot help but suspect that the fainting was staged. When Jack Neo stood up to get ready to leave, the way he held his wife looked as if he already expected the wife to faint. 

Irene Kng (the wife)

The mistress was shocked by the calm reaction of the wife to her husband's cheating. Instead of making a din, her immediate reaction was to sit alongside Jack Neo in negotiations with the mistress to settle the issue. She behaved more like a businesswoman than a wife. She works for her husband as the finance manager of J-Team. Being a mother and wife as well as an employee, she had a duty to protect the husband's business which supports the family. On this score, she has done her duty well and deserves our respect.

If the business fails, both mother and father will lose their jobs. Because of the clean, wholesome image that Jack Neo has created through his movies, the scandal will certainly lose him fans. Like Tigerwoods, he has already lost some advertising income.

It is her choice to stand by her man and the public respects that. However, what cost her public support was her remarks that suggests that she was resigned to the fate that men cheat on their wives. It almost looks like she finds it acceptable and normal to have a cheating husband. Firstly, the remarks hurt the many indignant, highly educated women who divorced their cheating husbands. Secondly, they harm the interests of every married woman because this kind of attitude encourages men to fool around more. (What's the big deal, if I am exposed, society will readily forgive me). Thirdly, if such a man is not caught and the wife behaves like it is "ok", there will be more victims(1, 2, 3) along the way.

Before the scandal, Jack Neo brings in the money for the family. After the scandal, his income stream will inevitably be hit. Being less dependent on the husband, there is lesser incentive for the wife to stand by her man. In fact, the incentive to divorce the man is greater now. There is no need to spend on private investigators to dig up evidence for court. The press has already done a good job on that. Since cash flow is going to dry up, it is tempting to grab whatever assets is available now before it is spent or hidden away.

Jack Neo had better start treating his wife with more respect from now on.