Singapore has returned to what is politically known as “phase 2” alerts, thanks to an outbreak of cases of Covid-19 in Karaoke joints and the fishery ports. I’ve effectively lost my restaurant side gigs, which had given me much needed pocket money to supplement my weekly income from corporate insolvency and it looks like things will be quiet for a while. A best friend’s mother and brother are down with the virus and life looks a little less promising than it did a few weeks ago.
In many ways,
the return to these measures is a sign that our government, which the world perceives
as being a model of super competence, is a little less than what its public
image suggests. The government in particular has been facing plenty of brick
bats thanks to the out break in karaoke lounges, which all of us have known
were a polite euphemism for whore-joints.
I’ve argued on
many occasions that Singapore has what one would call an enlightened approach
to the vice-trade. Lee Kuan Yew famously stated in his book that a total ban on
the trade would only force it underground, so it was better to keep in out in
the open. Our red-light districts aren’t as famous as Thailand’s more obvious
flesh markets but they’re not the crime infested dens that you see on Western
dramas. The police do make their presence felt once in a while. It’s enough of
a presence for the pimps and prostitutes to understand that they need to stay
on the right side of law enforcement but not so much that business is actually
affected.
Whilst this approach
worked well in normal times, the point remains that these are not normal times.
Bars, clubs and other night spots have all been shut down because, well, it’s
been proven that the best way to spread this virus is at places where crowds gather.
Singapore’s “vice-scene” has been no exception. Geylang, our most prominent spot
for the vice trade has been transformed from a bustling spot of activity into a
sleepy centre of not very much. Sure, in normal times its fine for the sexually
deprived to have a place to relieve themselves but in normal times, you want to
limit the places where people are likely to get something nasty.
So, many of us
are questioning why the karaoke lounges were allowed to stay open and more
importantly how was it such where they were able to do so under a legal
loophole where they officially claimed that they would “pivot into food and
beverage outlets.” What’s more annoying for the tax payers is the fact that those
who claimed they were pivoting, helped themselves to a government grant of some
$50,000. The pivot is best explained by the following cartoon in our mainstream
news
What is perhaps
far worse than the actual outbreak itself, has been the explanation provided by
the government. Singapore’s most pugnacious fighter for truth and justice, our magically
unconflicted writer and enforcer of laws, Mr. K Shanmugam proceeded to deliver
the what can only be described as a tax-payer insulting, how dare you expect us
to do the job you’re paying us to do speeches in parliament. Mr. Shanmugam’s
speech can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI7hD7MI-Ic
One has to ask
if Mr. Shanmugam is determined to provide Singaporeans with another reason not
to vote for the ruling party? Why is it such that a ruling party with every advantage
determined not to provide the voters with their one simple request – a little
bit of humility.
Mr. Shanmugam
should perhaps look at what Bill Clinton did after his was acquitted in his
1998 impeachment trial. Mr. Clinton invited
reporters to the rose garden and ensured that he looked suitably contrite for
his role in subjecting the nation to an impeachment trial. He told the world, “There
is no fancy way of saying, I have sinned.” Like him or loath him, Mr. Clinton’s
contrition after that key moment in his presidency, played a role in ensuring
that he saw his presidency as one of the most popular presidents around. People
overlooked his indiscretions and obvious flaws and focused on his achievements.
This is something
our politicians need to learn. The current situation has no precedent. Nobody can expect perfection. However, what we
do expect is greater accountability and while we can expect mistakes and
oversight, we do expect leadership to own its mistakes. The dialogue should be,
you made a mistake, now tell us what are you going to do about it. It should
not be “How are you expect me to do my job.”
No comments
Post a Comment