AS MUCH as I sympathise with former Miss Singapore World Ris Low’s predicament, there is no denying the fact that the saga was fuelled by mistakes on her part and that of the pageant organiser.

After her win in July this year, Miss Low had first come under fire for speaking English poorly during an interview recorded in a video clip that was later posted online.

It was then made public that she had been sentenced to 24 months’ probation for credit-card fraud, two months before she was crowned.

In the wake of that news, conflicting public statements from Miss Low and the organiser have created an impression of the organiser’s disorganisation, and called its credibility into question.

It seemed really afraid to be embroiled in any incident.

It was slow to react to the recent news about Miss Low, the winner of the competition that it had hosted.

This clearly shows its lack of understanding of the contestants.

The company stated that there wasn’t any way for it to check on Miss Low’s criminal background.

Does this mean that the company is oblivious to whatever the contestants had done prior to their participation in the contest?

Considering that the victor of the competition would go on to represent Singapore at an international pageant, is such a modus operandi acceptable?

Blaming Miss Low’s poorly spoken English on bipolar disorder, which she suffers from, is ridiculous.

The said disorder affects only the mood and, apart from causing behaviour linked to depression, does not affect speech or expression.

How sure was the company, then, that her bipolar disorder would not have acted up, if she had represented the nation at the international event?

On her part, Miss Low did not do herself any favours as the controversy grew.

Being a public figure, she should have known that her every comment and word could be used against her and she would be scrutinised by the public.

However, it seems that she is ignorant of this fact.

Asked when she had informed the organiser about her brush with the law, she gave at least three different versions of events.

A company tasked to hold a contest to find a representative for the nation at an international event should be more prudent in the interview process when looking for participants, just like companies when they recruit employees.

A moment of brilliance in a two-hour competition cannot render irrelevant a lifetime of folly.

The repercussions for the company – and the nation – could be immense.

If an organiser could not conduct itself responsibly, then a repeat of “The Curious Case of Ris Low” would probably surface in the near future.

ERM World Marketing is looking to nominate another participant as Miss Singapore World, but the gloss has already been taken away – the supposedly best participant to represent the nation is being replaced.

So, the wisest move now would be to withdraw the nation from this year’s international pageant.

I hope that the organiser will not make the same mistake next year.

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