Law enforcement is not our cup of tea. What we love most is lawlessness. I took a long sigh of relief because I had really missed my country a lot. More than that, I came back from Singapore without paying a single cent in fines. I was speaking in silence: Oh, Mother Earth, I’m here again![break]
In Singapore, the NO signboards always cautioned me. Here, everything is fine because there are no admonitory signs. If you’re powerful, especially as a member of any political party, then you’re eligible to do, literally, whatever you like. You’re foolproof when it comes to breaching the law. No one will come to you to correct, fine or cane you for your illegal act.
I wanted to catch a cab to reach home. So, I bargained with the driver. But he wanted no less than Rs. 500. I got in the cab, nonetheless. But the cabby fled from the scene to fetch more passengers. It was scorching hot inside the cab, and I was forced to wait for him without any complaints. I thought about the cabbies in Singapore. They’re amazing folks there. They never tried to cheat me, and they never bargained. I had booked a cab the night before by phone before leaving Singapore in the morning. The cabby was late not even by a nanosecond.
Finally, the taxi moved from TIA. Then it was virtually at a standstill. There was a long queue of vehicles coming in and out of the airport. I waited patiently, as I knew there was no point in being anxious about getting home early. Traffic jams are our daily destiny.
I saw the driver by my side spitting from his window. I felt awkward, because I saw two foreigners inside his vehicle. Spitting in public places in Western society is as awkward as defecating in public. The driver’s act reminded me that I was very much on my soil. In fact, I had arrived from a country where spitting in public is an offence that extracts a heavy fine.
After seeing the wonderfully fine city-state of Singapore, I came to the conclusion that law enforcement in the land is a must. For the larger public good, law is essential. And the law should not spare the powerful, rich, and mightier people should they breach it. Wherever I went in Singapore City, I saw signs of don’ts and dos. There are varieties of NO signs everywhere: No pets, No Smoking, No Bird Feeding, No Bird Catching, No Trespassing, etc. If you breach any, you need a deep pocket to pay the fines.
In Singapore, the rule of law prevails from womb to tomb. While I was there, I followed the case of the Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu which was splashed in newspapers. The Singaporean authority wanted him in connection with two hit-and-run accidents in December last year, which killed one person. During the court proceedings, the authorities produced various witnesses, including CC (close circuit) camera footage. They produced the footage of the accident scene, bar and other places he had visited that night. Thank God, he escaped because he was already in Romania.
After the court verdict, there were several engagements with the Romanian government to try him in their court. For that, the government is asking a Romanian diplomat from Japan to visit Singapore to clarify its position. Their tireless effort to bring him to justice gives a sense of the passionate effort for law enforcement.
In Singapore, everyone must abide by the law. Ignorance of Singaporean laws is not an excuse. So anyone who enters this republic tries hard to be a law-abiding person.
Recently, Singapore introduced casinos. This seems to be a charming new avenue. But as in other areas, the government governs the casinos with a rule of law. It has its own law to try casino-related offences. What I like most is a verdict with regards to one man who was trying to cheat. A Chinese national was jailed for 10 months for sneaking in a $600 bet in order to deceive a dealer into paying him S$6,000 after the result had been declared.
Cheating or deceiving is a serious offence. The judge said that a strong message must be sent out to all potential casino cheats that they would face substantial sentences if convicted. This shows zero tolerance on the issues of cheating and forgery. But I mustn’t compare Nepal with Singapore, it’s too obvious. Cheating and blatantly lying are regular phenomenon here.
In Singapore, the law governs all aspects of life. There is no problem in eating in restaurants or at hawker stands. All are okay because they meet the basic standards of food ingredients and hygiene. If you find a cockroach on your plate, you have the opportunity of receiving a lifelong treatment from the food stall. A friend had such an experience. A customer found a cockroach at one of the famous international food chains. Then a Singaporean consumer raised the issue. You cannot keep anyone quiet with any kind of ‘offer.’ Such cases are sent to the concerned authorities. In the end, there was an agreement with the consumer and the food chain, the latter agreeing to treat the man his entire life, if he fell ill. This happened because of incorruptibility.
Does the same happen in our country? Never. There is not a single authority to govern eateries. What are we eating? Who cares about it? Do we really know the standard of the eateries? The Singaporean government grades all its eateries as A, B, C. The authority visits them regularly, and if found to be unhygienic, they’ll be punished.
I read some news related to eateries. An Indian rojak stall at the Geylang Serai temporary market was involved in a mass food poisoning incident. The government shut down the food stall. The court fined the owner. The court said that if the man’s wife and his children want to reopen the stall, they must receive basic training. But they cannot employ the man in the stall. If the authority finds the man in the stall, then the wife will be fined for the offence.
The rule of law ensures health and proper food for consumers, and because of this strict provision, Singaporeans eat at hawker centers during their busiest hours. Even school kids eat there because the food is as safe as at home.
In Singapore, the primary concerns of the general public are guarded by the law. Health, education, public transportation, potable water, power supply, and solid waste management are basic facilities provided to the people. The entire country is neat and clean. The buses and trains are shining and clean. Flashy cars run on the roads. Cabs are properly maintained. You are not allowed to eat inside buses and trains. Even inside the railway platform, eating and drinking is prohibited. No one dares breach the law. Strong law enforcement makes Singapore a ‘fine’ city because of its strict laws.
What makes our city filthy? Why are our buses and cabs full of dirt? Why are there stains in every nook and corner of the city? There is no governance in these areas, that is why. Vehicles run on the streets exhausting smoke. But Singapore manages itself efficiently. There is no smoke and dust in the city.
Even in a democracy, laws and discipline are essential. Without effective law enforcement, we cannot make a clean and green country. To achieve cleanliness, Singapore even banned chewing gum. Cherian George writes in his book, ‘Singapore The Air-conditioned Nation’: “The rule of law, of primary importance in civil association, is relegated to a supporting role… Singapore’s most world-renowned stricture – the New Guard’s 1992 ban on the import and sale of chewing gum – is another example of how even a seemingly trivial habit had to be subordinated to the goal of efficiency – in this case, the efficiency of cleaning crews and even of the public transport system, since gum stuck on train doors had disrupted services.”
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