Thumbs up for totalitarianism

On 28th Nov 2008, global terrorism claimed its first Singaporean victim, in the Mumbai attacks that have claimed 195 lives and many more injured. As nearly every Singaporean should know by now, Ms Lo Hwei Yen was brutally shot and killed in the Oberoi Trident Hotel, together with many others who were held hostage by terrorists. Every media front is covering this extensively and European newspapers are awash with more indepth reports of the events unfolding including new intelligence gained from the aftermath, including seized credit cards from Malaysia and accomplices from Mumbai locals.

Thailand is fast spiraling out of control, with Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports at a virtual standstill with PAD anti-government protesters sieging the airports. Thailand has lost millions in travel and import/export with the lack of airport access. Thousands flee by road, rail and air (if possible) back to Malaysia, Singapore and beyond.

I truly pity the Thai national in Mumbai who flees from one chaos only to be in another.

It is times like these that I grudgingly tip my hat off to the Singapore government and its police forces for managing to keep its promise of “No More Violence” ever since the heady period of Singapore domestic violence courtesy of the Hock Lee bus riots and Maria Hertogh racial riots, among others. Domestic violence does nobody any favours and it is certainly not doing any for Thailand and India. While it is in the best interests of psychotic terrorists to make citizens succumb to the climate of fear, one cannot help but fear and it is that fear that paralyzes a vibrant city like Mumbai or Bangkok.

Or Singapore for that matter. For a country that has 60c of every dollar flowing out due to a heavily export and international business centric economy, domestic chaos is the Damocles Sword of Singapore’s very survival in the global economy. MSK’s escape aside, Singapore has done exceedingly well in its job to prevent anything untoward from happening to her. From stamping out racial and domestic riots, to the nipping of the JI bud, to close ties with its neighbours.

However the spectre of MSK’s haunting presense (or lack of?) continue to prick. Can or will something similar to Mumbai happen to Singapore? As P N Balji puts it, is anyone safe? Singapore’s intelligence agencies must work doubly hard from now on.