I don’t need to read your central thesis to know that several of your predictions have not taken place – at least not so far – yet you claim credit as if they did. Personally I find your self-congratulatory tone rather tiresome and immature, so I’m guessing your thesis needs more work.
Interesting article. However there are some points that I would like to offer a differing opinion. When the author mentioned that only Tamil was recognised as a language, he seemed to be implying that perhaps Hindi & Bengali should also be recognised. While there is a huge number of foreign workers who speak the aforementioned languages, they are not citizens. Should a country therefore officially recognise their mother tongues due to the sheer numbers who are here on work passes? Perhaps Germany should also do the same given the number of Turkish nationals who are living and working there. Granted, Singaporeans need them to do the jobs which Singaporeans deem as too menial, however likewise they also need the jobs that the country provides. I am making the reasonable assumption that they left their families in their homelands for some rational reason, and I can think of none other that is as prevalent as making more money than what they can get back in their homeland. So long as Singaporeans treat them with respect, I do not see why there is any issue with viewing them as foreigners. Mutual respect and appreciation can be achieved without integration. Is the author suggesting otherwise? After all, for most of them, working in Singapore is meant to be temporary . They just wish to earn enough to buy a plot of land or business back home.
If I may quote ” If Singapore’s emergency and justice system are trustworthy, allocate their time and attention fairly and can be relied upon to react quickly to emergencies – which most people believe they are – then this fact needs to be impressed upon foreign workers, and needs to be proven to them. Vigilante actions are less likely if everyone has faith in the mechanisms of justice. ” The author also seemed to be implying that the delayed emergency response may very well be attributed to the fact that the caller was a foreigner.Sometimes the response time of emergency services may be hampered due to traffic conditions. After all, the traffic condition is dire enough for Singapore to introduce the COE to limit the number of cars on the road. Such instances are not that uncommon and Singaporeans have experienced it too.
However I agree that there is something to be said about their living conditions. However to be fair, the author failed to mention that part of the problem is due to the rising property prices in Singapore. He gave the suggestion that Singapore should provide better living conditions. However he did not provide a solution to the next logical question, ie Who pays for it and where do the funds come from? This is a much more pressing and practical administrative issue that needs to be answered. Almost all will not find fault with his suggestion that the living conditions for foreign workers should be improved. However I am willing to bet that the next question which I posed is one that will be fraught with differing opinions.
Another ancillary point is that while some of the comments are uncalled for, there may be some legitimate grievances among Singaporeans too. The scenes of the Sun riots are something that most Singaporeans could not fathom. The strikes last year already stretched the limits of the norm in Singapore. In Singapore, the poor people do exist too. The main gripe of Singaporeans is this: They have generally been law abiding, such as getting the requisite permission from the authorities to hold protests at Hong Lim Park to air their grievances, however it seems that a sizable group of foreigners (notice I did not use the word all) have an utter disregard for the law. In my honest opinion, while there may be underlying foreign workers’ grievances that have to be addressed, Singapore should not appease them and give the impression that resorting to violence and attacks on property are legitimate ways of getting what they want. That may be a legitimate avenue in their homeland, but as the saying goes “When in Rome do as the Romans do.” Apart from caveats on cultural and religious practices, that statement holds true till today.
Khun Pavin is quoted in The Guardian UK today as follows: “This is only a short-term solution because there is no guarantee that the Democrats will come back and play by the rules,” he said. “It seems like Thailand is going nowhere.”
Thailand is not “going nowhere.” If Peua Thai wins the election in February (most likely) they will form another government. Small parties will support them not the phalange mis-described “Democrats” who cannot win elections and rely on mobs, the courts and the military to put them into power. Neither the army nor the royal institution will wish to give up the neutrality they have judiciously and carefully maintained so far, to give overt support to Suthep/the Democrats. That also assumes that the Anti Corruption Commission does not disqualify from public office all the 312 Peua Thai MPs who voted for the Amnesty Bill or PT itself. If that happens, or the phalange Democrats boycott the election to deny legitimacy to the result, or the phalange mob takes to the street, or the court nullifies the election, what will result? An even more violent struggle than took place in 2010, to move Thailand forward to being a parliamentary democracy, where parliament is sovereign, and the wishes of the majority of the voters, as expressed at the ballot box, will prevail.
It’s interesting for you to say “Thais are the historical enemies of the Burmese”
What about the Chinese? Remember the attempted Qing invasion (1765-69) of Burma? The Burmese had to withdraw their troops from Ayuddhaya to fight the bigger threat the Chinese. Maybe China was protecting their vassal state Siam? What about giving away the Kokang region to some runaway Ming princelings? (but dark-skinned Rohinguas in Arakan that’s a no no for Burmese lol) Nowadays (I heard) runaway Chinese princeling families prefer to go to the US or Canada or (even) Australia! Go figure.
Singaporean are oppressed but never resist. That’s why most Singaporean see this as scary and unruly. This riot to my opinion is a bust of frustrations.
klloh, are you sure that all ambulance in singapore takes 10 minutes to arrive at an incident? when my father had a stroke in the evening at about 6pm during peak hour, the ambulance took more than half an hour to arrive and the paramedics said it was traffic and no vehicle gave way. so who is driving those cars in singapore? foreigners? keep your simplistic comment to yourself. don’t make us singaporean sound like an idiot. have you seen how in the UK the vehicles on their motorway (expressway) react when an ambulance need to pass? they give way. a huge space, enough for the ambulance to move at 100km/h. what do cars in singapore do? follow after the ambulance cos they are moving fast and some cars gave way.
some riots are just combustible. singapore government still runs on a decent level. reasonable public transport, reasonable tax, etc etc. let’s say if the government is corrupt and does not even care about its people. what make you think that we won’t be doing what bangkok is doing now?
Excellent article Aim. It’s so difficult for Canadians in general to make sense of the issues and events in Thailand. Your analysis is masterful. It helps me immensely in following what is going on in this remarkable country too little covered by our media. Thank you for the list of how few in fact have died despite the huge size of mobilizations. This speaks so well for the character of your people generally.
It was a reaction to an accident. That’s how South Asians react to accidents in their homeland – beat up the driver of the vehicle causing the fatality, burn his vehicle and any other public property. This is because they do not have an efficient and fair police, ambulance response systems. So the same mentality / reaction can be expected to be applied in whichever part of the Globe they may be.
It is to understand this behaviour pattern and as part of their social education when in Singapore, foreign workers need to be educated and briefed on how emergency response systems work in Singapore, and zero tolerance of taking law into their own hands.
In understanding and solving the problem, identify it correctly and seek its solution, not lump every other stuff into it and balloon the causes.
Hey Mister,
If you are not a Singaporean, these rioters are not disrespecting your laws, not disturbing your homeland’s peace n security, not destroying all your nation has worked hard to build….therefore, keep your comments to yourself. Your comments are not accurate n not appreciated.
So you are suggesting the “super clean” Suthep be allow to do a “Kim Jong Eul” dictorship in Thailand, lording over the rest of Thailand whose citizens do not know better than to want an election?
BTW, can you also see the number of “thumbs down” These are not by un-educated farmers!
If we do an election right here in NM, you will lose. Of course, you will not accept the result either. Somehow, you will manage to insinuate that most NM readers are on Thaksin’s payroll.
Eddy – this is an excellent analysis.
Klloh,
It is clear from your grammar that you have no justification to be commenting here. And you should check your facts. Singapore has the poorest response rate per km in the developed world for emergency services. Perhaps it was your car that wouldn’t give way to the ambulance.
Happy migrant workers don’t go around burning cars and busses. Why would anybody dependant on another country for their livelyhood jeopardise their only means of existence?
Singaporeans need to look outside the well they live in to understand how the rest of the third world lives.
I suspect most people who have visited the area recently on a weekend would not find it difficult to imagine that a riot could break out there.
“perform the dirty, difficult jobs that well-educated Singaporeans don’t want to do”
I keep hearing this being repeated over and over by government officials but I wonder if people should accept it so readily as indisputable fact. After all, it’s increasingly not just construction workers and nanny positions but also administrative and customer service jobs that are being filled by foreigners. They’re brought in by employers (and allowed in by our government) partly because we truly don’t have enough people and partly because they are simply cheaper.
Rather than being too “educated” as a workforce to willingly do certain jobs (as a sidenote, most foreigners in entry level admin jobs tend to be qualified graduates working below their pay grade), the greater factor is likely that Singaporeans cannot raise a family in Singapore on the income being paid to many foreign workers.
Here is the interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBF9QzQoWbU. Abhisit is noticeably and predictably vague about Suthep’s proposals. He emphasises dissolving parliament but does not say whether he supports a people’s council. Sly as he is, he has still not to my knowledge pinned his colours to the mast as to whether he supports a people’s council. It is in his interests to be vague and to take a wait and see approach. Of course he supports the demonstration in that he supports the desire to oust Yingluk, but the demonstration does and will mean different things to different people and Abhisit is seeking to capitalise on the ambiguity of the situation and is hedging his bets to see how the demonstration pans out. At some point though he and the so-called Democrats will need to formulate their position more clearly.
Yingluck’s police had indeed shown restaint and must be commended. The police limited themselves to non-lethal riot control measures. But the 400,000 plus protesters were more amazing in their very peaceful protests (armed only with their convictions and courage, and nothing else).
Contrast with the Y2010 UDD rioters, assault rifle shooting/M79-grenade launching anarchists and the arson finale withf some 36 buildings torched, anyone could readily conclude that indeed anytime you see the Reds/UDD, their Red protests would always end up in flames and bloodshed. And that indeed is what happened, with the Reds terrorizing unarmed Ramkhamhaeng students for 17 hours with Yingluck’s police not responding to the university rector’s call for help/protection, and, HMK security forces had to resort to the rescue.
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Who can stop the Thaksin system?
In the absence of Thaksin we have to make do with Tony Abbott.
Thailand’s stark choice
I don’t need to read your central thesis to know that several of your predictions have not taken place – at least not so far – yet you claim credit as if they did. Personally I find your self-congratulatory tone rather tiresome and immature, so I’m guessing your thesis needs more work.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
Interesting article. However there are some points that I would like to offer a differing opinion. When the author mentioned that only Tamil was recognised as a language, he seemed to be implying that perhaps Hindi & Bengali should also be recognised. While there is a huge number of foreign workers who speak the aforementioned languages, they are not citizens. Should a country therefore officially recognise their mother tongues due to the sheer numbers who are here on work passes? Perhaps Germany should also do the same given the number of Turkish nationals who are living and working there. Granted, Singaporeans need them to do the jobs which Singaporeans deem as too menial, however likewise they also need the jobs that the country provides. I am making the reasonable assumption that they left their families in their homelands for some rational reason, and I can think of none other that is as prevalent as making more money than what they can get back in their homeland. So long as Singaporeans treat them with respect, I do not see why there is any issue with viewing them as foreigners. Mutual respect and appreciation can be achieved without integration. Is the author suggesting otherwise? After all, for most of them, working in Singapore is meant to be temporary . They just wish to earn enough to buy a plot of land or business back home.
If I may quote ” If Singapore’s emergency and justice system are trustworthy, allocate their time and attention fairly and can be relied upon to react quickly to emergencies – which most people believe they are – then this fact needs to be impressed upon foreign workers, and needs to be proven to them. Vigilante actions are less likely if everyone has faith in the mechanisms of justice. ” The author also seemed to be implying that the delayed emergency response may very well be attributed to the fact that the caller was a foreigner.Sometimes the response time of emergency services may be hampered due to traffic conditions. After all, the traffic condition is dire enough for Singapore to introduce the COE to limit the number of cars on the road. Such instances are not that uncommon and Singaporeans have experienced it too.
However I agree that there is something to be said about their living conditions. However to be fair, the author failed to mention that part of the problem is due to the rising property prices in Singapore. He gave the suggestion that Singapore should provide better living conditions. However he did not provide a solution to the next logical question, ie Who pays for it and where do the funds come from? This is a much more pressing and practical administrative issue that needs to be answered. Almost all will not find fault with his suggestion that the living conditions for foreign workers should be improved. However I am willing to bet that the next question which I posed is one that will be fraught with differing opinions.
Another ancillary point is that while some of the comments are uncalled for, there may be some legitimate grievances among Singaporeans too. The scenes of the Sun riots are something that most Singaporeans could not fathom. The strikes last year already stretched the limits of the norm in Singapore. In Singapore, the poor people do exist too. The main gripe of Singaporeans is this: They have generally been law abiding, such as getting the requisite permission from the authorities to hold protests at Hong Lim Park to air their grievances, however it seems that a sizable group of foreigners (notice I did not use the word all) have an utter disregard for the law. In my honest opinion, while there may be underlying foreign workers’ grievances that have to be addressed, Singapore should not appease them and give the impression that resorting to violence and attacks on property are legitimate ways of getting what they want. That may be a legitimate avenue in their homeland, but as the saying goes “When in Rome do as the Romans do.” Apart from caveats on cultural and religious practices, that statement holds true till today.
Thailand’s 2013 protests in comparison
Khun Pavin is quoted in The Guardian UK today as follows: “This is only a short-term solution because there is no guarantee that the Democrats will come back and play by the rules,” he said. “It seems like Thailand is going nowhere.”
Thailand is not “going nowhere.” If Peua Thai wins the election in February (most likely) they will form another government. Small parties will support them not the phalange mis-described “Democrats” who cannot win elections and rely on mobs, the courts and the military to put them into power. Neither the army nor the royal institution will wish to give up the neutrality they have judiciously and carefully maintained so far, to give overt support to Suthep/the Democrats. That also assumes that the Anti Corruption Commission does not disqualify from public office all the 312 Peua Thai MPs who voted for the Amnesty Bill or PT itself. If that happens, or the phalange Democrats boycott the election to deny legitimacy to the result, or the phalange mob takes to the street, or the court nullifies the election, what will result? An even more violent struggle than took place in 2010, to move Thailand forward to being a parliamentary democracy, where parliament is sovereign, and the wishes of the majority of the voters, as expressed at the ballot box, will prevail.
Myanmar’s military: Money and guns
It’s interesting for you to say “Thais are the historical enemies of the Burmese”
What about the Chinese? Remember the attempted Qing invasion (1765-69) of Burma? The Burmese had to withdraw their troops from Ayuddhaya to fight the bigger threat the Chinese. Maybe China was protecting their vassal state Siam? What about giving away the Kokang region to some runaway Ming princelings? (but dark-skinned Rohinguas in Arakan that’s a no no for Burmese lol) Nowadays (I heard) runaway Chinese princeling families prefer to go to the US or Canada or (even) Australia! Go figure.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
Singaporean are oppressed but never resist. That’s why most Singaporean see this as scary and unruly. This riot to my opinion is a bust of frustrations.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
klloh, are you sure that all ambulance in singapore takes 10 minutes to arrive at an incident? when my father had a stroke in the evening at about 6pm during peak hour, the ambulance took more than half an hour to arrive and the paramedics said it was traffic and no vehicle gave way. so who is driving those cars in singapore? foreigners? keep your simplistic comment to yourself. don’t make us singaporean sound like an idiot. have you seen how in the UK the vehicles on their motorway (expressway) react when an ambulance need to pass? they give way. a huge space, enough for the ambulance to move at 100km/h. what do cars in singapore do? follow after the ambulance cos they are moving fast and some cars gave way.
some riots are just combustible. singapore government still runs on a decent level. reasonable public transport, reasonable tax, etc etc. let’s say if the government is corrupt and does not even care about its people. what make you think that we won’t be doing what bangkok is doing now?
Thailand’s 2013 protests in comparison
Excellent article Aim. It’s so difficult for Canadians in general to make sense of the issues and events in Thailand. Your analysis is masterful. It helps me immensely in following what is going on in this remarkable country too little covered by our media. Thank you for the list of how few in fact have died despite the huge size of mobilizations. This speaks so well for the character of your people generally.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
It was a reaction to an accident. That’s how South Asians react to accidents in their homeland – beat up the driver of the vehicle causing the fatality, burn his vehicle and any other public property. This is because they do not have an efficient and fair police, ambulance response systems. So the same mentality / reaction can be expected to be applied in whichever part of the Globe they may be.
It is to understand this behaviour pattern and as part of their social education when in Singapore, foreign workers need to be educated and briefed on how emergency response systems work in Singapore, and zero tolerance of taking law into their own hands.
In understanding and solving the problem, identify it correctly and seek its solution, not lump every other stuff into it and balloon the causes.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
Hey Mister,
If you are not a Singaporean, these rioters are not disrespecting your laws, not disturbing your homeland’s peace n security, not destroying all your nation has worked hard to build….therefore, keep your comments to yourself. Your comments are not accurate n not appreciated.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
It got nothing to do with low pays ..
IT’S ALL ABOUT BEING UNRULY AND THE LACKS OF RESPECT TO THE AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF SINGAPORE.
Thailand’s 2013 protests in comparison
So you are suggesting the “super clean” Suthep be allow to do a “Kim Jong Eul” dictorship in Thailand, lording over the rest of Thailand whose citizens do not know better than to want an election?
BTW, can you also see the number of “thumbs down” These are not by un-educated farmers!
If we do an election right here in NM, you will lose. Of course, you will not accept the result either. Somehow, you will manage to insinuate that most NM readers are on Thaksin’s payroll.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
Eddy – this is an excellent analysis.
Klloh,
It is clear from your grammar that you have no justification to be commenting here. And you should check your facts. Singapore has the poorest response rate per km in the developed world for emergency services. Perhaps it was your car that wouldn’t give way to the ambulance.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
Happy migrant workers don’t go around burning cars and busses. Why would anybody dependant on another country for their livelyhood jeopardise their only means of existence?
Singaporeans need to look outside the well they live in to understand how the rest of the third world lives.
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
[…] Stop and think: lessons from Little India (asiapacific.anu.edu.au) […]
Stop and think: Lessons from Little India
I suspect most people who have visited the area recently on a weekend would not find it difficult to imagine that a riot could break out there.
“perform the dirty, difficult jobs that well-educated Singaporeans don’t want to do”
I keep hearing this being repeated over and over by government officials but I wonder if people should accept it so readily as indisputable fact. After all, it’s increasingly not just construction workers and nanny positions but also administrative and customer service jobs that are being filled by foreigners. They’re brought in by employers (and allowed in by our government) partly because we truly don’t have enough people and partly because they are simply cheaper.
Rather than being too “educated” as a workforce to willingly do certain jobs (as a sidenote, most foreigners in entry level admin jobs tend to be qualified graduates working below their pay grade), the greater factor is likely that Singaporeans cannot raise a family in Singapore on the income being paid to many foreign workers.
Thailand’s stark choice
Here is the interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBF9QzQoWbU. Abhisit is noticeably and predictably vague about Suthep’s proposals. He emphasises dissolving parliament but does not say whether he supports a people’s council. Sly as he is, he has still not to my knowledge pinned his colours to the mast as to whether he supports a people’s council. It is in his interests to be vague and to take a wait and see approach. Of course he supports the demonstration in that he supports the desire to oust Yingluk, but the demonstration does and will mean different things to different people and Abhisit is seeking to capitalise on the ambiguity of the situation and is hedging his bets to see how the demonstration pans out. At some point though he and the so-called Democrats will need to formulate their position more clearly.
Who’s who in Thailand’s anti-government forces?
[…] Thai academic Aim Simpeng put it, “… for a political party to be so desperate to suggest a complete dissolution of the core […]
Thailand’s 2013 protests in comparison
[…] Thailand’s 2013 protests in comparison — New Mandala […]
Thailand’s 2013 protests in comparison
Yingluck’s police had indeed shown restaint and must be commended. The police limited themselves to non-lethal riot control measures. But the 400,000 plus protesters were more amazing in their very peaceful protests (armed only with their convictions and courage, and nothing else).
Contrast with the Y2010 UDD rioters, assault rifle shooting/M79-grenade launching anarchists and the arson finale withf some 36 buildings torched, anyone could readily conclude that indeed anytime you see the Reds/UDD, their Red protests would always end up in flames and bloodshed. And that indeed is what happened, with the Reds terrorizing unarmed Ramkhamhaeng students for 17 hours with Yingluck’s police not responding to the university rector’s call for help/protection, and, HMK security forces had to resort to the rescue.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/383732/students-left-under-siege-as-day-turned-to-nightmare