MCYS raids the homeless. Again.
Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 1:04PM In yet another story you would not find in our esteemed mainstream media, Andrew Loh continues the TOC coverage of homelessness in Singapore, this time uncovering how the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), headed by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, conducted a raid on the homeless campers at Changi Beach after receiving a request for an interview with Al-Jazeera.
On Monday, 29 March, I went to Changi Beach in the morning. I had been there several times before in the past few months and have always been greeted by the sight of tents lined along the beach front. This time, however, the beach was completely empty of any tents, except for one put up by a young Chinese couple.
Later I chanced upon one of the women who frequent Changi Beach. “They came and raided the place every day last week,” she told me. She was referring to officers from Nparks and MCYS. “Some of them were fined S$200,” she said. “So that is why there is nobody there now?” I asked her. “Yes, they have all disappeared. I do not even know where they have gone,” she replied.
Why did the authorities decide to conduct such raids and do so particularly during that week? One answer could be that the authorities got wind that Al-Jazeera, the news agency based in the Middle East and which has an office in Kuala Lumpur, was in Singapore to do a programme on the issue of homelessness here.
In other words, instead of working with Al-Jazeera, they used the information as an opportunity to dispose of the miscreants who were camping in the park. Instead of acknowledging the issue, they decide to raid the homeless and keep up the facade of Singapore as a land where everyone automagically has a home and food on the table. This is what the Minister of MCYS means by doing their duty "for the people who need our help", by removing the homeless off the parks wielding the law.
The machinations are simple, well-rehearsed, and executed like clockwork: reject the interview, "clean up" the place, order the press to spin up the official story, get a minister or two to defend their policies, and hope enough Singaporeans buy into it to retain power. If necessary, block the nosey parkers like Al-Jazeera from broadcasting in Singapore, as they have just done. Truth be damned, the Singapore Story must be spun, ad nauseum, and no one shall question its authenticity.
The insidious and callous way MCYS has chosen to handle this issue is just another manifestation of the PAP's arrogance; never admit errors, and use the entire state press machinery to manufacture consent and lull the populace into indifference. It is easier to manage apathetic voters than those who dissent actively, and it is in their political interest to keep large chunks of the electorate in that mode.
And I think they have largely succeeded, at the cost of sacrificing whole generations of Singaporeans. As Kirsten Han's reactions have shown, there is an increasing number of locals who feel disgusted at the way the PAP government is governing.
I can only hope that this will translate to a resounding vote of rejection of the PAP at the ballot box. If that does not materialise, then we only have ourselves to blame.
(h/t: Gwee Li Sui)
Reader Comments (3)
That last, of course, assumes that enough of the disgusted will both be allowed to vote and take the opportunity to do so. If consent can be so easily manufactured, what chance has a popular mandate of being genuine?
@Jeff: That is correct. With the electoral system here even a loss of the popular vote might not be enough to unseat the PAP. But one step at a time, get the people the news, and get them out there to vote.
I think they should be able to tent on the beach as long as they are gone before sun rise. If they are not hurting anyone let them be. Thanks for the post.