On IR
Okay, again there is a lapse in entries. But anyhow, who cares right?
Work has been crazy actually. its literally 12 hour days for me last week. But work is not much to talk here anyway, so i will just skip that part. I realise I have been neglecting the social criticisms part of my blog which was the mainstay of my entries previously. But so i guess it will be a good time to write one.
Casino. Casino. Casino. We don't call that anymore. We call it in its euphemistic term: intergrated resort. Well the winners ave been announced and the bidding process of the whole exercise is done and dusted. But just some observations made during this period. Did you suddenly realised that we suddenly had a new government organisation that handles gambling addiction: National Council on Problem Gambling-if I got the name right- just when the whole IR issue came into place.
If my conspiracy theory serves me right, this probably serves to "present" the issue of gambling as perfectly "manageable" and can be "controlled" through government adminstration/intervention. Not to discount its altruistic intentions, the timing of its publicity is almost uncanny. We always had Toto, we always had 4-D, we always had horse racing, hell we even have football betting, but when did gambling suddenly becomes a problem? The issue of problem gambling suddenly became an "issue" when IR came into place. The bureaucrats and technocrats had to present the "issue" of gambling as a "non-issue" or at least "perfectly manageable" in the eyes of the electorates to make it easier for them to slide down the throat. A "strong argument" of gambling as a difficult social issue suddenly became a "non-issue" when it is portrayed as a technical or adminstrative issue- to be seen as easily controlled and monitored by "impartial goverment adminstrators and bureaucrats".
On record, I am not against intergrated resort. It's economic benefits is enormous and keeps liquidity flowing in our financial blood vessels, moreover it helps to keep SIngapore vibrant with its melting pot of contrasting cultures but nonetheless, this IR issue is reflective of how public sector has been able to conditioned us to accept certain difficult decisions. Its two-prong attack of economic persuasion with subtle manipulation of the public imagery has proven to be effective. The muted response against the setting up of IR bores testimony to its well-executed strategy.