The Story of a Disease

 

The only real story of the new decade is Covid-19. This little virus, which started in Wuhan China (even if some segments of the Chinese Communist Party might beg to differ) ended up becoming affecting the entire globe. Life as we knew it ended and somehow in between the shut downs, protest and so on, something else emerged that might resemble a new normal.

Countries around the world got shut down because of the virus. Economies got battered and lives were lost. America, the world’s most powerful economic and military power took the worst hit thanks for managerial incompetence. Covid-19 effectively that the aspiring Alpha-Males of the global order were the worst leaders and the countries that did best were those run by women.

Singapore was not spared. The government was quick to implement safe distancing measures and temperature screenings. Our infection rate amongst the local population was low and the government enjoyed basking the glory of positive international headlines. Unfortunately, the virus didn’t care too much for headlines and proceeded to expose one of the most shameful aspects of Singapore’s society – the marginalization of the foreign labourers on whose backs much of the economy depends on. The unsanitary conditions in the dormitories where most of the workers are housed proved to be ideal breeding grounds for the virus.

However, in the process of dealing with the foreign workers, a lot of ugly things were exposed. The government stepped in to assist the dormitory owners “upgrade” their premises, despite the fact that the dormitory owners had made vast sums from housing workers in poor conditions. It was perhaps something of a coincidence that some of the dormitory owners were connected. On a personal note, I did get a forum letter published on why the government was bailing out a business that added no value to society and had profited from what can only be described as exploitation. My letter was quoted by an opposition politician and the CEO of the largest dormitory operator wrote a reply.

My take is that the virus has exposed an ugly underbelly of Singapore. However, more needs to happen for Singapore and Singaporeans to understand that prosperity and things like care for the environment and not locking people from developing nations are not exclusive to each other. It was good that people were forced to understand that poor conditions that the workers faced could put them at risk and therefore the welfare of the less fortunate was no longer a charity issue but a personal interest one. Unfortunately, as the threat of the disease has worn down, the lesson seems to be forgotten or has lost less urgency.

On the personal front, it was a surprisingly decent year. Being forced to stay at home was actually good for me. I dropped quite a few kilos and based on my last visit to a medical establishment, my blood pressure is normal as opposed to high or hypertense. My belt is now a necessity rather than a fashion accessory. I like that and I make it a point of walking more and walking up stairs. I’m not a natural gym goer but I am enjoying being healthier than I have been in sometime.

For yet another year, I was sustained by work in liquidations. Despite my distaste and aversion to files and paperwork, I actually did have a good time. The main part of this is due to working with a group that I had, until now, never dealt with on a business level – the Chinese Ah Peks in Shorts. This is the group that makes Singapore tick. These are the guys who know how to look for opportunities. They had perfected what one call the perfect collaborative business model where individuals came together for a project, contributing their individual talents and then sharing the profits accordingly.

My other big triumph was managing a PR project as part of a consortium of other PR practitioners and consultants. While my bread and butter were in the corporate morgue of corporate insolvency, the cream I earned was helping promote start-ups in the birthing pod of venture capitalism. It was good to play a role in helping boost entrepreneurship and I am grateful to my new friend, Mr. Ha Vu Huang, who lead the consortium of consultants as well as to my team mates, Mr. PN Balji and Ms. Kavita Balakrishnan.

The main project is, of course this blog. Isolation allowed me to produce more and I am pleased that Mr. Mark Goh of VanillaLaw LLC became the first person to purchase the rights of one of my postings. I believe this blog is something I can grow and get a few more eyeballs. There was, of course the start of the relationship with TRemeritus, which now picks up my pieces and spreads them to a wider audience. I’m sure having my name spread to a wider audience can only be a good thing, though I have as yet figured out how to monetize things.

On the family front, my little girl turned 21 and is officially no longer a little girl. She remains the main blessing in my life. She’s been a big help to me and I believe that with her around, the future, come what may should be optimistic.