Following news of actor Christopher Lee's dad's passing and amid reports that his girlfriend, fellow Mediacorp artiste Fann Wong, did not attend the wake in Malacca, irate members of the public have poured in with various complaints.
According to media reports, the elder Mr Lee passed away on Tuesday morning due to a heart attack. His funeral will be held on Saturday, Feb 14.
Fann, 38, who is in the midst of filming an upcoming local drama serial, cited her busy filming schedule as the reason for not attending the wake.
Although she did not make the journey, representatives from her family, including her parents, brother and brother-in-law made the trip as a show of respect.
When news spread of Fann's absence from the wake, more than 100 SMSes from irate listeners poured in to DJs from Chinese radio station 100.3FM. 70 per cent of them lambasted Fann for not attending her would-be father-in-law's wake.
Callers even listed the "sins" that Fann had committed:
1. Not attending the wake, "a crime punishable by death in the past"
2. Not demonstrating filial piety, especially as a public figure and role model
3. Giving flimsy excuses for not attending the wake: "Only acceptable excuses are if she's overseas or if she has chicken pox!" said callers
4. Not showing respect to Christopher's family
5. Showing more importance to work than family
6. Not being respectful
"Really, really, busy"
Fann's manager has jumped to her defence, saying that she is "really, really, busy".
She told reporters: "Fann is currently filming scenes back-to-back and she really can't take time off.
“She is so busy that even I, as her manager, have not seen her for a few days!"
According to her manager, they can only communicate through SMS, and even then, "Fann only replies at midnight".
"Fann did not request for time off"
Fann's employer, Mediacorp, has been criticised for being "cold and heartless", for not releasing Fann from work to attend the wake.
However, according to the director, Mr Xie Min Yang, Fann did not request for time off from filming to attend the wake in Malacca.
He continued: "Fann's filming schedule is so tight that I have not had the chance to talk to her about this."
Missing from obituary
It was also reported that Fann's name was missing from the obituary, news of which prompted more comments from 100.3 listeners.
However, 85 per cent of them found "nothing wrong with it". They expressed the view that since the high-profile couple is still officially just "dating" and not a married couple yet, it is only right that her name is omitted.
Relationships are also unpredictable, they said. "Who knows what would happen between them in the future?"
Only about 30 per cent of listeners were on Fann's side. Since Fann's parents actually went to the wake, it showed sincerity, they said. What was important was that Fann was filial to the elder Mr Lee when he was alive.
Other callers commented that as long as Christopher's family was fine with it, it should not be a problem.
