FAP Traitor PM: Social policy rethink can come later

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

PM Lee: Social policy rethink can come later

December 25th, 2013 | Author: Editorial

PM Lee with wife Ho Ching meets first responders over breakfast at Rochor NPC. (Photo: AsiaOne)


Over breakfast at Rochor Neighbourhood Police Centre yesterday (24 Dec), PM Lee said that the government-appointed Committee of Inquiry (COI) must first ascertain why the Little Indian riot occurred, before broader issues of whether social and population policies need to be re-thought can be addressed.
PM Lee said:
I think first we deal with this riot and the problems, and then after we have got the COI and we have identified what caused this, were there deeper causes or was this an incident of a riotous mob isolated in Little India on that evening, then we can discuss whether this raises broader questions for our society.

I do not accept that we must straight away ask whether fundamental approaches or the whole way of how society is organised needs to be re-thought immediately. Let’s establish what caused this.
This drew a strong reaction from a netizen called muppet on the AsiaOne forum:
He said let’s establish what caused this, he is trying to say that he really doesn’t know what caused the riot.
When it comes to the justification of paying themselves so many millions into the stratosphere being the highest paid politicians in the world, they’ve to benchmark themselves to the top 5% of highest earners but when something goes so terribly wrong putting us singaporeans at risk for our life, he suddenly has the mentality of a 3 year old. Amazing politicians we have isn’t it?
Nevertheless, PM Lee said that it was important to ensure a situation similar to the Little India riot does not happen again.

However, it is not known if the COI will even examine how social and population policies may be linked to the riot, when it is evident to most netizens.

Mr Lee spoke to the media after listening to dramatic accounts from 38 officers who were among the first to arrive at the scene of the Little India riot involving some 400 mostly Indian foreign workers. Some of the rioters have been charged while others have been repatriated. Another 200 have been given advisory warnings and allowed to continue working in Singapore on conditon of good behaviour.

“It’s very useful to me when I’m reading the reports and deciding what to do next, to have that almost first-hand feel of what happened that night,” Mr Lee said.

He added, “I have a lot of respect and I was impressed with the way they explained what they were going to do, and how they planned and acted. It was not on the spur of a moment, but their years of training, as well as their collectedness, their calm and their courage at the key moment.”

PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching was also there to listen to first-hand accounts from the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers.

“I came to express my appreciation and to encourage them to continue to do their duty as Singaporeans expect them to.” Mr Lee said.

He revealed that the Home Team has been experimenting with wearable cameras (:confused:) and other technologies to boost their operational effectiveness.

However, even before PM Lee convened a COI to ascertain the causes of the riot, MP for the area Lui Tuck Yew had already said that alcohol “could have been a contributory factor”. Following his remarks, the sale of alcohol in Little India was severely restricted on weekends.

At an interview the day after the riot (9 Dec), Mr Lui told the media [Link], “When I came down to Race Course Road last night and I was able to pass those who had been taken under the police custody, I think in my mind, it was quite evident in smelling the environment, that alcohol could have been a contributory factor.” To bolster his argument, he said that beer bottles and beer cans were some of the projectiles hurled during the riot.


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