Spying Scandal in USA
It is interesting to read about the big hoo-ha over the recent revelation that President Bush had endorsed eavesdropping on international communications of people in the United States. The fear of having Big Brother looking over one's shoulders and the average American's overwhelming concerns about protecting privacy and personal freedom is such a direct contrast to what we are experiencing here.
Singapore may not be the freest of countries by America's standards but so what? We are free to roam the streets at night without worries of being mugged. We may not carry guns but who needs it in Singapore? Our children are able to go to school without having to pass through metal detectors. Racism is not a major problem in Singapore. There are only rare cases of people who are so destitute that they are sleeping in the streets. No one can have the best of everything. Some tradeoffs are sometimes necessary.
I wonder what will happen if the same eavesdropping scenario is transposed to Singapore. Most probably the Singaporean response will be much more muted, possibly due to people's apathy about these issues, but most probably because Singaporeans are not that particular about privacy issues when it is perceived to be justified for the greater good of the community. Unless something of such a nature does come to light in Singapore, I will never know what will be the actual response.
Singapore may not be the freest of countries by America's standards but so what? We are free to roam the streets at night without worries of being mugged. We may not carry guns but who needs it in Singapore? Our children are able to go to school without having to pass through metal detectors. Racism is not a major problem in Singapore. There are only rare cases of people who are so destitute that they are sleeping in the streets. No one can have the best of everything. Some tradeoffs are sometimes necessary.
I wonder what will happen if the same eavesdropping scenario is transposed to Singapore. Most probably the Singaporean response will be much more muted, possibly due to people's apathy about these issues, but most probably because Singaporeans are not that particular about privacy issues when it is perceived to be justified for the greater good of the community. Unless something of such a nature does come to light in Singapore, I will never know what will be the actual response.
Comments