The govt is asking, ‘What is the cause of this riot’

My view is that anyone who has a little brain and asking this question does not deserve an answer. You don’t need a super talent to know the answer. You don’t need to start an inquiry to know the answer. When you do that, it is an indication that you do not want to know the truth, you do not want to know the answer.

We have something like half a million foreign workers here. And one can agree that many of them are decent workers out here to do a decent job, to earn a decent living to feed their family. But with half a million, you only need to have 1% that is unhappy for whatever reasons, you can stare into a horde of 5 thousand potential rioters. This is a big number game, big data.

Let’s not kid ourselves that you can’t find 1% that will be trouble makers for the right or wrong reasons. And given the conditions and terms of their employment, many of them, maybe 50% or more would have problems and grudges and difficulties earning a decent living because of exploitations. And who is the biggest beneficiary to this scam? No prizes for guessing. And when they gathered together in tens of thousands or a hundred thousand, you think every will be peaceful forever, no trouble will come from these nice people? Are you born yesterday?

Have we learnt our lesson after this event? Do we sincerely believe that everything is alright, do a little cosmetic changes, don’t sell liquor, more police patrol, etc etc will avoid another riot? You can’t be so naïve right?

The root of the problem is still there. Half a million of exploited workers, underpaid, over worked and living and working in unsatisfactory conditions are tinder waiting to be set alight. And don’t forget, these are simple folks from the villages, uneducated, callous, boorish, with no social graces, and will turn foul and wild at the slightest provocation, no matter how decent and nice they are?

Have we not built enough flats to stop bringing in more of such nice people here? Boon Wan at one time threatened that he would not have the workers to build the flats for Sinkies. Now his happy problem is that he is slowing down his building programme. So?

Is this an opportune time to take our winnings and walk away unhurt? What had happened could be very much worse, and the worst is still out there waiting to happen. Have a little wisdom, or count the probabilities, stop the greed, start to unwind and reduce the presence of these very nice and simple folks here. Let them go, stop exploiting them for their cheap labour. Do a bit of charity, do some good deeds by not ensnaring so many of them here. The consequences of the next incident could be one that we cannot afford to pay for.

Take this as a lesson, a reminder, like the owl, that things can go awfully wrong and we will regret to continue down this path. Or shall we continue to bring more of them here, refuse to listen, be like deaf frogs, no ‘hew’, and believe that we can get away with it a second time like this one, with minimum casualties and damages to properties.

Do we want to see Singapore burning before calling it off? Do we really not understand what this whole incident is all about, we do not know how it came about?

Who’s kidding? Remember a picnic on East Coast Park could cause a riot? Here we have a mob in a hundred thousand every weekend, foreigners, single men, hungry, new to our way of life, exploited and all in debt. You have a perfect concoction to go on a rampage. You mean you dunno?