12/14/2013

Little India Riot – a 500,000 puzzle to solve



There are half a million single men women workers from all over the world working here in the numerous construction site. On weekends or day off, there are half a million men and women not working. What would they want to do? Where would they want to go? What were they thinking? What were they dreaming?

There are these half a million lonely men and women away from their homes that have social needs, human needs, emotional needs. How to take care of them? Little India, Golden Mile, Peninsula Shopping Centre, Lucky Plaza etc are where they gathered. If they are not allowed to be in these places, where will they go, what will they do?

The places they congregate are the lesser evils. If they don’t have these places to go, what do you think would happen? Half a million men and women, not counting the PMEs that would make it more than a million, are in need of leisure, entertainment, relaxation, let off steam. They exist and cannot be ignored.

This is the puzzle that people who brought them here do not want to know and think that the problem will go away if no one talks about it. These are real people, the good, the bad and the ugly. They cannot be bottled up in a can. And the people of Singapore are now faced with this problem, to live with them and hoping that nothing bad would happen to them. If it does, it is the fault of the Sinkies.

16 comments:

The said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The said...

The presstitutes are at it again. For 5 days after the riot, it was reported as 400 rioters. From today, it is now reported as 400 DRUNK rioters. Wow, the ministers suggested that alcohol may be a factor in the riot, and now the press is taking the cue and labeling the rioters as drunks.

They are drunk. They are happy with their pay and living and working conditions. So, the results of the COI are out. No need to waste time and money on the COI.

Official COI findings and recommendations:
1) Rioters are drunk.
2) Foreign workers are happy with their pay and working conditions.
3) Recommend banning alcohol in Little India - problem solved once and for all.

And they live happily ever after .....

Anonymous said...

@December 14, 2013 9:58 am

they are drunk becos they are

happy

incomes are high. enuff to spend on liquors

ah neh garment veBy the powderful and ready to protect their shitizens

knnccb ..... i daft

PSS said...

Mr CCL: "This is the puzzle that people who brought them here do not want to know and think that the problem will go away if no one talks about it. These are real people, the good, the bad and the ugly. They cannot be bottled up in a can. And the people of Singapore are now faced with this problem, to live with them and hoping that nothing bad would happen to them. If it does, it is the fault of the Sinkies."


"No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable." Adam Smith, "Father of Modern Economics", 1723 – 1790, British Economist cum Philosopher, author of the book “ An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Weath of Nations” published in 1776.

PSS said...

Mr CCL:"There are half a million single men women workers from all over the world working here in the numerous construction site. On weekends or day off, there are half a million men and women not working. What would they want to do? Where would they want to go? What were they thinking? What were they dreaming?"


“In the past the man has been first; in the future the system must be first... The first object of any good system must be that of developing first class men.” Frederick Winslow Taylor, 1856-1915, “founding father” of Scientific Management and Efficient Movement, mechanical engineer turned management consultant, author of “ The Principle of Scientific Management” published in 1911.


Poring at the principles or pragmatism, whatever one calls it, on how modern Singapore is founded upon, on the management frontier, one can't help but to associate the approach used by the pioneer generation leaders to that of the findings of Frederick Winslow Taylor who lived in the mid-ninthteen to early twenty century era.

This prescriptive approach to management focused on efficiency and justazposing it in the way post-independence Singapore was managed early on, the worker was no more than a digit to achieve the aim of the managers or the business owners.

In this 21st century era of present day Singapore, is this approach still being practised in the government's management style and philosophy?

If it is, is this scientific “prescriptive” approach focusing on efficiency of the business and treating the human factor more like a digit or a machinery tool to achieve the objective of the organisation ( the state ) still relevant and viable in our present day society?

Going back to the five basic objectives of an economy which are namely: 1) sustainable economic growth, 2) low inflation rate, 3) low unemployment rate, 4) healthy balance of payment and 5) stable exchange rate, how can such objectives be best achieved in present era Singapore without creating widespread discontent, grievances, disenchantment etc with the establishment on the whole?

Likewise, going back to the four core political problems of a society namely: 1) the creation of a common identity, 2) the organisation of effective instruments of power, 3) the establishment of legitimacy of the authority and 4) the production and distribution of goods and services, how can such fundamental political problems be resolved without alienating the masses or a big section of the population?

PSS said...

Beside smacking of a management approach ( scientific “prescriptive” approach ) that of a bygone era in the late nineteen and early to mid twentieth century, it also smells of a mix of Max Weber's bureaucratic, power and authority centric approach in achieving efficiency.

“The fully developed bureaucratic apparatus compares with other organisations exactly as does the machine with the non-mechanical modes of production.” Max Weber, (1864-1920), German sociologist, author of his famous book “The Protestatnt Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”.


All these seems to culminate in the usage of the management theory as advocated by Henri Fayol.

“There is no one doctrine of administration for business and another for affairs of state; administrative doctrine is universal. Principles and general rules which hold good for business hold good for the state too, and the reverse applies.” Henri Fayol ( 1841-1925 ), author of “General and Industrial Management” published in 1916

PSS said...

The whole point of this discussion is that in that era ( late nineteen/early twentieth century ), in the thinking of these authors, the place or position of human or the people does not occupy a prominent priority in the onset of their management approach. The education and thinking of our pioneer generation leaders were had and largely formed in the 1930s to 1950s where the influence of the management approach advocated by Frederick Winslow Taylor, Max Weber and Henri Fayol were fairly pervasive and more or less the order of the day.

With the onset of succeeding generations, are such management approaches entirely relevant in occupying the centre stage and based principally to manage so called Singapore Inc? Will it work well going forward? In the current era, beside economic needs, are there not other higher order of needs such as? Where is the humane touch? Where is the people first factor? Does GDP performance superceding everything else still a workable and overarching premise to manage a modern city state?

The Chinese has the following saying:

“民以食为天,国以民为本”。

The paradigm of placing GDP growth ahead of its people's welfare may be an outdated thinking and approach that needs much refresh and updates to keep up with the time.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi PSS, welcome to the blog. Nice comments. In the name of pragmatism, the interests of the people can be sacrificed.

Anonymous said...

Sinkies must be thankful for the diversities the foreigners have brought to them and got a lot to learn from the foreigners.

Anonymous said...

What are the lessons the Sinkies can learn from the rioting foreigners?

Anonymous said...

KNN, do not know what to say.

Anonymous said...

—针见血, 刺重要害.

Anonymous said...

we pay million dollar salaries so people will be honest as ministers.

why not pay million dollar salaries so people do not riot?

Anonymous said...

Where would they go?

May I suggest they open up the Istana to host these foreigners on weekends. Confine them there and have a liquor outlet to provide all the booze and let them get drunk and burn the place down. Then they will know who the bad guys are.

Why used such a large fucking space to hold just one good for nothing deity? And for that matter the deity in the Istana is well and truly redundant.

Anonymous said...

@Veritas,

Please come and comment about FT High Cast..

We all FTs miss you...

ha ha ha ha....

b said...

The gahmen extreme evil appetite for profit has gone insane and they are really mad beyond rescue. They need to step down immediately and hand over the government to more sane people.