Tag Archives: LITTLE INDIA RIOT

"The Prime Minister... (in his) eagerness to make this point on alcohol, suggests there has been a great scramble to find a cause, a reason, to exonerate the Government and its policies," said Dr Wijeysingha, adding that the State's decision to deport the suspected rioters before they could go to trial meant it was a "wasted opportunity to examine the alcohol thesis".

Mr Selvam added on Tuesday that there was "no evidence" of rioters wanting to kill somebody the night of the riot. COI member Andrew Chua also supported the chairman's argument, adding that since life was not an issue, the argument was whether more action should have been taken to prevent damage to property - which bore the brunt of violence that night.

In the end, despite the inappropriate comment made by Tee Tua Ba, “You made the problem worse!”, would you not agree that it was not a bad outcome. Zero lives lost. Sure, he may have improved on some things. He could have made himself more prominently as the chief commander on the ground. Or as the COI might have preferred, gone on a walkabout, fired some warning shots, charged at the “active” rioters – basically do everything differently.

Meanwhile, the ongoing inquiry into the Little India Riot also shows areas in urgent need of attention. For a start, the protocols in place may be too rigid. They may look good in theory, but when an actual situation arises, it could warrant immediate evaluation by first responders, who may want to act to contain the situation while awaiting backup. The Home Affairs Ministry should stand ready to support its officers on the ground and these officers should not be overly tied down by protocol as the situation evolves.

Bravery is defined by using common sense, exercising self-restraint, doing the right thing and doing it right. In this instance, self-restraint was a sound decision. It is no different from digging in the foxhole while artillery drop shell after shell, but you hold, you don’t charge. More self-restraint is required to hold the ground and only strike when the timing is right. I don’t think it is easy for officers there to just fob back things hurled at them with no certainty when reinforcement will come. The commander on the ground made decisions on the fly based on what he saw, what he heard and what his gut feelings were.

“It is a small miracle that Little India had coped with such acute congestion all these years until the unfortunate events of December 8,” says Eugene Tan Kheng Boon, Professor of Law at Singapore Management University. He adds, “Yet, the law and order narrative does not sit well with the long-standing issues in Little India, such as the easy availability of alcohol, littering, other public nuisances and overcrowding.”

“The accident happened at the wrong place, at the wrong time.” Settled in the rustic enclave of Belilios Lane, business on a Sunday evening was taking place as usual when the riot began. “But I’m very sure this is the last time this happens in Singapore, the government will make sure of that.”