Time-Piece

You doubt it. And there’s so much questionable news and commentary in all the media. But still. Still, you would not put it past the best creative minds; seasoned, canny and sharpest ad men. (Less so women.) Page 24 item today on the neighbouring politician Novanto and his (known) $10m scam. The story had been running on-off for months. On the page 10 banner prior highlight of the story ahead. Eventually trawling onward there on page 24 the poor drowned rat was pictured, hauled up before the KPK, by the looks of it finally cut loose by his Golkar party and reportedly suffering five days of diarrhea with the anxiety and prison diet. As well as the “at least US$7.3m (SG$10m) in kickbacks” there was also “a Richard Mille watch worth about US$135k for his role in....(the rort).” Well may your jaw have dropped at that point if not at the chief matter itself…. Here these horological items feature in advertising throughout the republic, no pretender to real social standing on this island and the wider region goes without something of the kind on his wrist. One has heard of Rolex of course; Cartier and maybe Heuer. The Rich. Mille was unknown to this former kampung boy at least. However, and here is the present matter: flip back to the full page ad on page 5. Was it got right first glance? Was it?... WOW-WEE! What do you see? Engineering to cream your jeans. Highest top-most precision and styling with encrusted jewels arranged in finest artistry. Mouth-watering truly. A co-incidence? (Never noted previously in the pages of the Straits Times. Not once; not the Rich. Mille. No two ways about it with that ingenious branding. RICH. Mille! Not likely that would have gotten by.)

NB. As for where the pilfered funds had been specifically routed by Novanto — in “some overseas bank accounts in Indonesia and overseas” — anybody’s guess.