There are two things that have stuck in my mind about today and both relate to the disadvantaged. We have just returned from Redhill, an estate not far away from our own.
There is an old Indian man who can be found most days, strategically positioned at the corner of the building and adjacent to the Redhill MRT station exit. In this location he can hustle pedestrians as they make their way to the road crossing.
He is begging. As people approach his hand will extend, palm upwards, seeking money. This is common place in cities such as Calcutta but was never publicly on view in Singapore when the current Minister Mentor was PM.
Perhaps even more disturbing was a second old man in his late seventies, doing his rounds of the recently vacated tables in the Redhill Food Centre.
When he thought no one was looking he would cast a furtive look around, sit down and finish the dregs of a soupy noodle bowl or munch on a cast aside chicken bone.
He must have spent a good hour going up and down the tables in this fashion. Whether he was suffering from dementia or genuinely hungry I do not know. The old man's actions made me feel profoundly sad.
In the first case, the law against begging should be strictly enforced. There is no need for it in modern Singapore as there are safety nets ranging from community charity to government assistance for the most needy. You cannot walk down a main thoroughfare without being propositioned by tissue sellers and that too is an activity akin to begging.
No one needs to beg. The government is aware of the dire financial straits of some of the elderly and recent budgets have identified funding to support his group. What appears to be missing is sufficient policing of these regulations.
I cannot help but wonder what the begging on the street situation will be when the two casinos come into action in 2010. There will need to be a crack down on this activity well before then and I am sure the authorities will do so.
In the second case, I would hope that some of the Redhill hawkers will quietly refer the old man's plight to community workers.
It's been a sobering afternoon all round.
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Friday, 24 August 2007
Power Napping Par Excellence
The opossum is a canny creature and coming from New Zealand I know that there are millions of the critters destroying the indigenous forest.
When accosted, our furry friend feigns slumber and adopts a deathly pose. In so doing it often escapes a confrontation and when danger passes, goes about its business in a self contented manner.
I have observed that Singaporeans on the public transport have also developed this capability. No sooner have they found a plastic MRT seat than they descend into a trance-like state.
Any effort at engaging in a morning conversation with one of them is utterly futile. No matter that a canned voice intones "Please mind the platform gap" and "Please report any suspicious parcels under your seat". All such entreaties fall on deaf ears. The ears in question being strategically blocked by an array of iPOD cables.
I have also noted that often if a young person is seated and an elderly person is about to board the public transport, the seated party's descent into sleep is all the more rapid - no doubt to avoid having to give up their seat to someone more deserving.
From conversations with Singaporean friends and colleagues it would appear that many of them travel long distances to and from work so frequently arrive back home late in the evening. After their evening meal they do not get to bed until 11 pm or later. With an early start the next morning, sleep deprivation is clearly a factor influences their transport behaviour patterns.
So in the main, my morning ride into work on the MRT and bus are accompanied by a deathly hush - 'vigour mortis' if you will excuse the pun.
I've grown to enjoy this period of quiet contemplation where the observation of one's fellow passengers can surreptitiously take place through lowered lashes.
After all they do say that power napping is good for you.
When accosted, our furry friend feigns slumber and adopts a deathly pose. In so doing it often escapes a confrontation and when danger passes, goes about its business in a self contented manner.
I have observed that Singaporeans on the public transport have also developed this capability. No sooner have they found a plastic MRT seat than they descend into a trance-like state.
Any effort at engaging in a morning conversation with one of them is utterly futile. No matter that a canned voice intones "Please mind the platform gap" and "Please report any suspicious parcels under your seat". All such entreaties fall on deaf ears. The ears in question being strategically blocked by an array of iPOD cables.
I have also noted that often if a young person is seated and an elderly person is about to board the public transport, the seated party's descent into sleep is all the more rapid - no doubt to avoid having to give up their seat to someone more deserving.
From conversations with Singaporean friends and colleagues it would appear that many of them travel long distances to and from work so frequently arrive back home late in the evening. After their evening meal they do not get to bed until 11 pm or later. With an early start the next morning, sleep deprivation is clearly a factor influences their transport behaviour patterns.
So in the main, my morning ride into work on the MRT and bus are accompanied by a deathly hush - 'vigour mortis' if you will excuse the pun.
I've grown to enjoy this period of quiet contemplation where the observation of one's fellow passengers can surreptitiously take place through lowered lashes.
After all they do say that power napping is good for you.
Monday, 20 August 2007
Set Pieces And Set Lunches
Two days ago we had the Prime Minister's National Day Rally message broadcast on all local channels. The video has been archived on the Web.
The first thing that impressed me was Lee Hsien Loong's linguistic abilities and stamina - he delivered the entire address in Malay before switching to the English presentation.
When I asked a Singaporean colleague the next day what she thought of the speech she said that the PM has "broken the record". I was somewhat taken aback as I was not sure what she was referring to.
"Well", she said "When the Old Man (meaning the Minister Mentor and father of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew) was the PM he was known for lengthy presentations. His son's effort was even longer".
Then she went on to add, "We liked Goh Chok Tong (PM from 1990 until the current incumbent took over) as his National speeches were short and to the point"
This was not the sort of analysis I had expected.
From my own perspective I found Lee Hsien Loong's address interesting as he set out the path the country needed to follow over the next decade or two. The information was clear and succinct and punctuated with well chosen multimedia presentations and the odd dash of humour thrown in.
Certainly it is a carefully orchestrated 'set piece' for public consumption but I found it a profound contrast from the political doggerel we used to be fed in MMP- dominated New Zealand. At least with the Singaporean Government, when they say they are going to do something they do it!
There is to be a lot of emphasis on addressing the realities of an aging population, including re employment opportunities for those who reach the official retirement age, which is currently 62.
The HDB estates are to receive heavy investment and in our own area of Queenstown, the Dawson subdivision will become a fully fledged estate with all of the park and community facilities. This includes the ability to house an additional 10,000 people which will be a huge boost to our neighbourhood. No doubt land and property values rise still further.
Education was the other piece of the jigsaw that received considerable prominence. A fourth university is to be built to cater for pent up local demand. In my opinion this makes far better sense than continuing to pursue often fraught partnerships with external providers, as typified by the ill fated UNSW Asia project.
As I work in the tertiary sector this news has been well received. Colleagues bent on career progression no doubt foresee opportunities arising as a result.
Today is the second day of my second week at NUS. You will note from the above that 'food' has not been mentioned once - it is about to be now.
Across the road from our offices is the student canteen and a good lunch of rice with two vegetables and a two meat option costs less than $3. Adjacent to this canteen is a Japanese 'fusion' restaurant and having decided to treat myself, I partook of their Chicken Cutlet Curry set. The "CCC" cost me just over $7 and included miso, a free lemon tea and a dessert.
I hasten to add that this is my main meal of the day and we have a very light evening meal. Such dining preferences are a source of wonderment amongst my Singaporean acquaintances who can not contemplate going without a substantial evening meal. We have however got used to this routine and make up for it with a hearty breakfast the next morning, something that many Singaporeans go without.
The first thing that impressed me was Lee Hsien Loong's linguistic abilities and stamina - he delivered the entire address in Malay before switching to the English presentation.
When I asked a Singaporean colleague the next day what she thought of the speech she said that the PM has "broken the record". I was somewhat taken aback as I was not sure what she was referring to.
"Well", she said "When the Old Man (meaning the Minister Mentor and father of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew) was the PM he was known for lengthy presentations. His son's effort was even longer".
Then she went on to add, "We liked Goh Chok Tong (PM from 1990 until the current incumbent took over) as his National speeches were short and to the point"
This was not the sort of analysis I had expected.
From my own perspective I found Lee Hsien Loong's address interesting as he set out the path the country needed to follow over the next decade or two. The information was clear and succinct and punctuated with well chosen multimedia presentations and the odd dash of humour thrown in.
Certainly it is a carefully orchestrated 'set piece' for public consumption but I found it a profound contrast from the political doggerel we used to be fed in MMP- dominated New Zealand. At least with the Singaporean Government, when they say they are going to do something they do it!
There is to be a lot of emphasis on addressing the realities of an aging population, including re employment opportunities for those who reach the official retirement age, which is currently 62.
The HDB estates are to receive heavy investment and in our own area of Queenstown, the Dawson subdivision will become a fully fledged estate with all of the park and community facilities. This includes the ability to house an additional 10,000 people which will be a huge boost to our neighbourhood. No doubt land and property values rise still further.
Education was the other piece of the jigsaw that received considerable prominence. A fourth university is to be built to cater for pent up local demand. In my opinion this makes far better sense than continuing to pursue often fraught partnerships with external providers, as typified by the ill fated UNSW Asia project.
As I work in the tertiary sector this news has been well received. Colleagues bent on career progression no doubt foresee opportunities arising as a result.
Today is the second day of my second week at NUS. You will note from the above that 'food' has not been mentioned once - it is about to be now.
Across the road from our offices is the student canteen and a good lunch of rice with two vegetables and a two meat option costs less than $3. Adjacent to this canteen is a Japanese 'fusion' restaurant and having decided to treat myself, I partook of their Chicken Cutlet Curry set. The "CCC" cost me just over $7 and included miso, a free lemon tea and a dessert.
I hasten to add that this is my main meal of the day and we have a very light evening meal. Such dining preferences are a source of wonderment amongst my Singaporean acquaintances who can not contemplate going without a substantial evening meal. We have however got used to this routine and make up for it with a hearty breakfast the next morning, something that many Singaporeans go without.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
