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13-12-2013, 03:30 PM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
What really caused the Little India riot? – The Real Singapore
DECEMBER 09, 2013
Yesterday evening, a private Singaporean bus driver knocked down and killed a pedestrian in Little India. This sparked a large, angry riot with more than 400 people marching through the street shouting, throwing bottles and causing havoc.
While it is clear that this fatal accident was what sparked the protest, we can also reflect to see why such an incident could cause such a huge reaction.
If everyone was happy with their lives and there was not much stress, an accident such as this would usually result in a few police and an ambulance being called, followed by friends and family of the victim going to the hospital or otherwise mourning and helping authorities take down statements.
Why was there such a violent outburst?
Some witness reports indicate that the police had perhaps not handled the situation well.
On the surface, this could easily be put down to the foreign workers being more rowdy and less law-abiding than Singaporeans but in reality everyone has a boiling point and people are not naturally violent or blood-thirsty.
The big difference might be that we are taught from young to be fearful of the Government and listen to authority.
When foreign workers come to Singapore, they do not have the same “training” and can become more rowdy more easily.
This is particularly a problem when the Government brings these FTs here in large numbers and they bring with them their values and cultures and do not learn from Singaporeans how they should act here.
Last night, this was clearly a problem with a riot breaking out.
Many netizens commented that the photos and videos looked like they were not taken in Singapore and further raised concerns that if this is happening, it is not a far stretch to say that other problems such as higher crime rates and more occurrences of rape might be happening soon too.
Although the Government was quick to condemn people for politicking the situation, some reflection is necessary.
Tan Chuan-Jin posted on Facebook: “Stay Calm. Don't speculate. Singapore Police Force is on the ground. This is not a game. Nor time for politicking. Our guys are on the line. Support them please.”
Now that the situation is over and under control, reflection on the real cause of the incident could help to prevent such issues from occurring again.
These people must have been stressed out and otherwise frustrated with their lives to so eagerly break out in a riot.
This could be due to work-related factors such as long work hours, low pay, no welfare and other forms of exploitation from their bosses. Singapore has many reported cases of foreign worker exploitation so this is really not an unrealistic possibility.
Singapore has no effective workers’ unions and so workers’ complaints and concerns are rarely heard.
When people are oppressed in such a way with no way to vent their frustration or get recourse, they will eventually boil over. All their frustration and stress is like fuel awaiting a spark to ignite the flame. Perhaps this is what happened yesterday evening.
Of course, it was still wrong for the people to act out in such a way so as to endanger lives and property but it is not fair to make racist remarks.
These people are not too different from Singaporeans, it’s just that they might not be as “well trained” as Singaporeans to not act out.
When Singaporeans are angry, we “riot” online through social media and alternative news sites.
What is worrying is that the PAP is also interested in clamping down on online freedom and dissent. When Singaporeans turn to the online space to vent their frustrations, it is dangerous for the PAP to stem such discussions as it effectively closes to stress release valve and Singaporeans will continue to get more and more frustrated.
If the government never listens to the people and never changes, how much longer do you think Singaporeans can just quietly take it?
Singaporeans continue to work the longest hours in the world, have high levels of stress and high suicide rates and many go online to vent. Meanwhile, thousands of foreigners are brought in in the name of pushing GDP growth.
Perhaps Singapore should take this riot as an opportunity to reflect on the current situation and decide what Singapore’s priority should be.
Should we continue to chase GDP at the expense of workers, exploiting foreigners and locals alike and allowing stress to boil over, or should we look more into welfare and keeping stress at a manageable level?
Perhaps nurturing local talent and ensuring “undesirable” jobs have a living-wage could help the situation. If only the government listened to the people’s concerns more. – The Real Singapore, December 9, 2013.
* This editorial on TheRealSingapore.com is written by its chief editor Mohd Farhan.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?170353-What-really-caused-the-Little-India-riot-–-The-Real-Singapore&goto=newpost).
What really caused the Little India riot? – The Real Singapore
DECEMBER 09, 2013
Yesterday evening, a private Singaporean bus driver knocked down and killed a pedestrian in Little India. This sparked a large, angry riot with more than 400 people marching through the street shouting, throwing bottles and causing havoc.
While it is clear that this fatal accident was what sparked the protest, we can also reflect to see why such an incident could cause such a huge reaction.
If everyone was happy with their lives and there was not much stress, an accident such as this would usually result in a few police and an ambulance being called, followed by friends and family of the victim going to the hospital or otherwise mourning and helping authorities take down statements.
Why was there such a violent outburst?
Some witness reports indicate that the police had perhaps not handled the situation well.
On the surface, this could easily be put down to the foreign workers being more rowdy and less law-abiding than Singaporeans but in reality everyone has a boiling point and people are not naturally violent or blood-thirsty.
The big difference might be that we are taught from young to be fearful of the Government and listen to authority.
When foreign workers come to Singapore, they do not have the same “training” and can become more rowdy more easily.
This is particularly a problem when the Government brings these FTs here in large numbers and they bring with them their values and cultures and do not learn from Singaporeans how they should act here.
Last night, this was clearly a problem with a riot breaking out.
Many netizens commented that the photos and videos looked like they were not taken in Singapore and further raised concerns that if this is happening, it is not a far stretch to say that other problems such as higher crime rates and more occurrences of rape might be happening soon too.
Although the Government was quick to condemn people for politicking the situation, some reflection is necessary.
Tan Chuan-Jin posted on Facebook: “Stay Calm. Don't speculate. Singapore Police Force is on the ground. This is not a game. Nor time for politicking. Our guys are on the line. Support them please.”
Now that the situation is over and under control, reflection on the real cause of the incident could help to prevent such issues from occurring again.
These people must have been stressed out and otherwise frustrated with their lives to so eagerly break out in a riot.
This could be due to work-related factors such as long work hours, low pay, no welfare and other forms of exploitation from their bosses. Singapore has many reported cases of foreign worker exploitation so this is really not an unrealistic possibility.
Singapore has no effective workers’ unions and so workers’ complaints and concerns are rarely heard.
When people are oppressed in such a way with no way to vent their frustration or get recourse, they will eventually boil over. All their frustration and stress is like fuel awaiting a spark to ignite the flame. Perhaps this is what happened yesterday evening.
Of course, it was still wrong for the people to act out in such a way so as to endanger lives and property but it is not fair to make racist remarks.
These people are not too different from Singaporeans, it’s just that they might not be as “well trained” as Singaporeans to not act out.
When Singaporeans are angry, we “riot” online through social media and alternative news sites.
What is worrying is that the PAP is also interested in clamping down on online freedom and dissent. When Singaporeans turn to the online space to vent their frustrations, it is dangerous for the PAP to stem such discussions as it effectively closes to stress release valve and Singaporeans will continue to get more and more frustrated.
If the government never listens to the people and never changes, how much longer do you think Singaporeans can just quietly take it?
Singaporeans continue to work the longest hours in the world, have high levels of stress and high suicide rates and many go online to vent. Meanwhile, thousands of foreigners are brought in in the name of pushing GDP growth.
Perhaps Singapore should take this riot as an opportunity to reflect on the current situation and decide what Singapore’s priority should be.
Should we continue to chase GDP at the expense of workers, exploiting foreigners and locals alike and allowing stress to boil over, or should we look more into welfare and keeping stress at a manageable level?
Perhaps nurturing local talent and ensuring “undesirable” jobs have a living-wage could help the situation. If only the government listened to the people’s concerns more. – The Real Singapore, December 9, 2013.
* This editorial on TheRealSingapore.com is written by its chief editor Mohd Farhan.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?170353-What-really-caused-the-Little-India-riot-–-The-Real-Singapore&goto=newpost).