Written by: Timothy Sonniah
Currently, the world is in mayhem as every country is putting up its best strategies to conquer the Coronavirus pandemic. Since its outbreak, the epidemic has killed hundreds of individuals, inflicted fear in millions of individuals worldwide, and slowed down the government and corporate operations globally. Although several countries are recovering gradually, the aftermath will take a while for people to get through eventually.
Earlier this week, Meghan, who is a journalist for the New York Times, came up with a reflection article on issues regarding Singapore that were brought to the light by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The article titled “A Sudden Coronavirus Surge Brought Out Singapore’s Dark Side” begins with giving a reflection of how the country thought that it was safe after a few cases. Even with 500 and above infected individuals, all activities in Singapore went on as usual as malls, clubs, and hotels remained opened, and children went to school as usual. The citizens only wore masks if they were unwell, and testing for the Coronavirus was minimal.
The government remained adamant in adopting more strict measures without knowing that the virus was spreading rapidly among the people in crowded buses, malls, and schools.
Meghan gives an insight into life in Singapore, a cosmopolitan state full of excellent social amenities. However, she goes ahead to reveal other details about the state, which most people do not know. Unlike other countries, in Singapore, the freedom of press and speech is surprisingly curtailed. The law prohibits homosexuality, drug use, and trafficking equal to a death sentence (the convicted are sentenced to death and hanged at dawn).
The privacy of the people is quite limited as the entire city in full of military surveillance cameras; any person accused of vandalism experiences canning as a punishment for his or her actions(Nytimes). And all communication channels are continuously monitored, including private mobile phones. While other countries are now handling the Covid-19 pandemic, Singapore is still dealing with malaria and tuberculosis.
These are some of the conditions in which several countries around the world have a cure for and yet pose severe threats in Singapore (Nytimes). Right now, dozens of immigrants are dying in the city due to the pandemic; their poor wages can barely sustain them leave alone to cater for their treatment.
Freedom is an essential part of human life; every person has a right to privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom to press. Some of the laws are obnoxious and destructive to the normal functionalism among individuals. Sexual oppression is among the issues which existed in the pre-modern era; in this decade, every person should enjoy their different sexual orientation and religion without facing any form of discrimination or condemnation.
References:
ORPHIC MAGAZINE 