OF COURSE the Miss Singapore Universe (Beauty Bites The Dust, LifeStyle, June 15) should not be scrapped. But we should invest more in the contest.

In some countries, the girls devote their entire youth to the contest.

For example, Miss USA helps out with Project Sunshine in Kenya during her reign.

In my opinion, Singapore holds the Miss Singapore Universe pageant for the sake of sending a representative to take part in the annual Miss Universe pageant.

Not much effort is put into grooming Miss Singapore Universe title-holders to shine in the Miss Universe pageant.

And the effect snowballs.

We don't get any placements in the Miss Universe pageants and local producers pay less attention to the local pageant.

Other countries hold their local pageants months before the international pageants so that there will be sufficient time to prepare the representative for the international stage.

In the case of Miss Singapore Universe, Miss Shenise Wong barely has seven weeks to prepare for the contest in July.

Garrick Liw

This article was first published in The Straits Times on June 21, 2008.