12/17/2013

1.1m foreign workers, not 500k

In a Bloomberg report today, it is stated that the number of foreign workers here is 1.1m and not 500k. In the same report it quoted Chuan Jin as saying that the govt is slowing down the number of foreign worker intake in view of the riot in Little India.
This change in policy would invite criticism from the same bunch of idiots accusing Singapore of racism, discrimination and exploitation of foreign workers. Now when lesser workers are allowed, they will change their tune and would demand that more workers be allowed to work here. These double headed snakes would always have their say, that Singapore owes them a living but they could not do anything to provide better jobs and decent standard of living for their fellowmen in their own dastard countries.
 

1.1m or 500k is still too big a number for a highly densely populated island to absorb. And the risk of rioting, in bigger number, is always there. With more than 1m of them here, there will be 1m reason to trigger a riot. With 500k, there will be 500k reasons to do the same.
 

Are our police prepared and equipped to deal with a mob of 50,000 on the street? Do we have the manpower, equipment and resources to be mobilized when there is an outbreak of violence? How many men will be needed to quell such an unrest? It only takes 20 minutes to set the city and the housing estates ablaze. It is not easy to mobilize so many uniform men to take on such an urgent task even if this is carefully planned and with many drills conducted to get the men ready. I have not seen such an exercise carried out in a scale that may be warranted one day.
 

We have been playing with fire for so long and getting away with it through our good fortune. After the Little India Riot, the reality of such an eventuality is getting very real and the risk that much higher. As of today, if a massive riot occurs, I am very pessimistic of the outcome. I don’t think our police are ready for it. And the likelihood is that they would not have enough troops on the ground and a joint operation with the support of the military must be in order.
 

How fast can the govt mobilize enough men in a short span of time to deal with a major unrest is a big question. The root of the problem is the big number of foreign workers in our midst. Would we get away a second time with minimal life lost, injured or equipment and buildings razed?
 

Oh, it is an isolated incident that would happen once in 50 years. Not to worry. The next one will be another 50 year.

13 comments:

  1. "We have been playing with fire for so long and getting away with it through our good fortune."
    RB

    Tiok.

    But do you know what is the greatest fortune? To rule over Sinkies and Sinkies elected WP as the strongest opposition!

    I mean this is greatest fortune for PAP lah, of course. The mother of all fortunes!

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  2. 1.1 million FWs in this tiny little dot is excessive.
    Instead of slowing down the intake, our leaders should reduce the numbers here.
    Why spend more money to build dormitory for FWs when they should build more housing for the citizens.
    In this papers, there was a report of HR manager fined, jailed for abuse in café.
    Well, this is the type of people we have here as HR manager.
    Perhaps he is a FT. Certainly look like one and behave like one.

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  3. dun need rocket scientists to work out the sum.

    the number of work permits approved and issued by MOM from Monday to Friday will provide the statistics

    this include renewal of existing holders and new applicants

    other scheme like EP, dependant passes not included

    knnccb .... toddy, toddy .. i wanna drink toddy

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  4. "Are our police prepared and equipped to deal with a mob of 50,000 on the street?"
    RB

    Please lah, RB don't ask hypothetical questions.

    WP Low Thia Khiang publicly said he does not like to answer hypothetical questions, like for instance "Will WP agree to a coalition govt with the PAP in future?" This scenario was suggested by WP MP Pritam Singh shortly after he got elected.

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  5. Ya lor, no use asking hypothetical questions.

    For instance, if the sky fall down how ah?

    What will I do if I become billionaire?

    Got use or not, you tell me lah?



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  6. ang tou ... dun worry

    next mayhem ... ah neh already hinted..

    they send in the army ... hopefully see leopard tanks along the street

    plus apache, chinook aka the flying coffin. unfortunately no
    F35, haven't arrived back in Singapore

    navy .... what role??? maybe submarines to protect the sea lanes ... i guess

    you think ah neh or others dare to mayhem??

    knnccb ... dun pray pray with garment, dun test their patient, dun test their willpowers to protect daft like me!!!

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  7. "To rule over Sinkies and Sinkies elected WP as the strongest opposition!"
    Anon 8:46 am

    Tiok. Sibei tiok. And some more this fortune will not change, at least not by 2016.

    Who don't agree, please kee chiu!

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  8. Look like we have to build more condos just to accommodate these FTs next to your or my backyard! May be we can nominate some of them for Peace Award!

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  9. We are so kind to all the FWs and FTs. KNN, they said we are racist and exploiting them.

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  10. redbean is assuming that hordes of foreigners are going to riot, rape and pillage the cuntry to oblivion.

    He's exactly like the PAP suggesting that the ISA is a damn good idea and has to be kept on the law books for "national security".

    Govt: "We can't trust Singaporeans to behave themselves politically"

    Redbean: "We can't trust foreigners to behave themselves socially".

    Sama sama. Same culture, same thinking. Which is why I stand by my prediction of self-inflicted destruction.

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  11. /// PAP'a greatest fortune is to rule over Sinkies ///

    This I fully agree.
    Sinkies are indeed a great source of revenue.

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  12. Why ahnehs? Eastern europeans also cheap leh. They are also more pleasing to the eyes. They should introduce a racial quota to the number of FWs just like the way they do with HDB.

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  13. Any cheap workers everywhere are only exploited by the middlemen aka papapigs and their cronies. All the monies go into paying these papapigs big fat pay cheques, big houses, big cars, luxurous holidays, branded everything. Cheap labourers and locals are losers, the winners are the papapigs. The papapigs will as usual shift all the blame to the naive, easily manipulated, ill-informed, timid locals knowing very well they will blindly believe whatever those papapigs told them.

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