1. "Errant retailers at People's Park Complex draw more complaints than Sim Lim Square - CNA 13 November 2014"
Hmmm. First Sim Lim Square and now People's Park Complex retailers? Do we a lot MORE dirt in Singapore retail scenes that we care to reveal? Should we be worrying seriously! OR suckered tourists and consumers will just continue to come and be suckered?
2. "Malaysia Airlines steward fired over alleged sex assault on passenger - AFP Nov 13, 2014"
When will it ever end? Malaysia Airlines simply just cannot get out of the unwanted limelight this year can it?!!
3. "Khaw Boon Wan clarifies Facebook post showing mock riot - Stomp Nov 13, 2014
SINGAPORE - National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has responded to a mock riot simulation exercise which received criticism from Singapore netizens for featuring South Asian workers.
Photos of the simulation were posted online early this week on Mr Khaw's Facebook page, showing a joint exercise organised by the police, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the dorms operators and grassroots organisations.
AFP reported that the drill took place in a migrant workers' dormitory on October 26 and the "photos showed workers standing next to flames and confronting police officers decked in riot gear. One image showed workers kneeling on the ground surrounded by police officers."
According to the Mr Khaw's Facebook post, it was to "test [their] capability" and "it was a useful way to network up the various agencies, and spread preventive messages".
However, the exercise has drawn flak from many locals for being "insensitive" and having "racial undertones". Many felt it was unnecessary to use real foreign workers and also insensitive to only use one ethnicity in the mock exercise."
Should the netizens be SO SENSITIVE IF the workers participated willingly and have no ill feeling about it?
Lessons for me are:
1. prepared for the worst to recur is a good prudent approach as Little India Riot did happened last December. A most improbable event it might had been. So, the need to have this 'mock riot exercise' is necessary;
2. as to should the 'mock rioters' be mainly or only featuring the foreign workers, it is reasonable to say that it should be since the scenario of other group of rioters is hard to imagine. Hopefully the strategic planning process did consider the possibilities but eventually eliminated this one from 'allocation of limited resources' perspective'. i.e. practice on the most likely scenario instead of the least likely one;
3. once it is clear that the mock exercise with the foreign workers are reasonable, the government, as the Minister had done, just need to state the rationale for staging the mock exercise with these elements and leave it to the readers, besides those netizens who 'protested about the lack of sensitivity', to decide if they want to accept the rationale provided or not. There is NO need to so called 'rebuke' any 'unreasonable and persisting' criticism of this exercise.
For me, as long as we believe that excessive consumption of alcohol was one of the main reasons for the Little India Riot, there will always be a risk that the next riot may still be from the foreign workers as the other deficiencies were NOT addressed since they were dismissed as not the main root causes.
Hmmm. First Sim Lim Square and now People's Park Complex retailers? Do we a lot MORE dirt in Singapore retail scenes that we care to reveal? Should we be worrying seriously! OR suckered tourists and consumers will just continue to come and be suckered?
2. "Malaysia Airlines steward fired over alleged sex assault on passenger - AFP Nov 13, 2014"
When will it ever end? Malaysia Airlines simply just cannot get out of the unwanted limelight this year can it?!!
3. "Khaw Boon Wan clarifies Facebook post showing mock riot - Stomp Nov 13, 2014
SINGAPORE - National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has responded to a mock riot simulation exercise which received criticism from Singapore netizens for featuring South Asian workers.
Photos of the simulation were posted online early this week on Mr Khaw's Facebook page, showing a joint exercise organised by the police, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the dorms operators and grassroots organisations.
AFP reported that the drill took place in a migrant workers' dormitory on October 26 and the "photos showed workers standing next to flames and confronting police officers decked in riot gear. One image showed workers kneeling on the ground surrounded by police officers."
According to the Mr Khaw's Facebook post, it was to "test [their] capability" and "it was a useful way to network up the various agencies, and spread preventive messages".
However, the exercise has drawn flak from many locals for being "insensitive" and having "racial undertones". Many felt it was unnecessary to use real foreign workers and also insensitive to only use one ethnicity in the mock exercise."
Should the netizens be SO SENSITIVE IF the workers participated willingly and have no ill feeling about it?
Lessons for me are:
1. prepared for the worst to recur is a good prudent approach as Little India Riot did happened last December. A most improbable event it might had been. So, the need to have this 'mock riot exercise' is necessary;
2. as to should the 'mock rioters' be mainly or only featuring the foreign workers, it is reasonable to say that it should be since the scenario of other group of rioters is hard to imagine. Hopefully the strategic planning process did consider the possibilities but eventually eliminated this one from 'allocation of limited resources' perspective'. i.e. practice on the most likely scenario instead of the least likely one;
3. once it is clear that the mock exercise with the foreign workers are reasonable, the government, as the Minister had done, just need to state the rationale for staging the mock exercise with these elements and leave it to the readers, besides those netizens who 'protested about the lack of sensitivity', to decide if they want to accept the rationale provided or not. There is NO need to so called 'rebuke' any 'unreasonable and persisting' criticism of this exercise.
For me, as long as we believe that excessive consumption of alcohol was one of the main reasons for the Little India Riot, there will always be a risk that the next riot may still be from the foreign workers as the other deficiencies were NOT addressed since they were dismissed as not the main root causes.
No comments:
Post a Comment