Tag Archives: LITTLE INDIA RIOT

The COI, quickly set up before the weekend to assure the public, would issue its findings in 6 months. I’m not at all particular if there is a COI or not. Nevertheless, the composition of the COI with visible Indian members is also an assurance to the foreign workers and overseas South Asian audience that there is no racism underfoot. The COI is in essence a public relations show that if there is something wrong, the government would fix it. There is however a missed opportunity here if the government really wanted to stage a show – the COI should have also included a PAP MP, and also a WP MP.

The causes of the Little India riot are of course many and I do not want to over simplify the problem. That being said, I sincerely believe that chronic frustration over their working conditions are a significant part of the equation. It is therefore crucial to address the needs of our construction workers too. In the words of labour activist, Jolovan Wham: “I think it’s a good first step, but this should pave the way for legislation to be enacted eventually… Such a basic wage should apply to sectors like construction, marine and services, for instance, and also apply to workers of all nationalities.”

How do we end up with such a disproportionately large number of foreign workers of one nationality and ethnicity? There is no good reason which can justify such a skewed proportion of Indians in our labor force. For the sake of diversity and inclusiveness? In that case, we should not only have a wide variety of nationalities and ethnicity but more importantly, a fair and even distribution of the number of workers from different nationalities. For the sake of meritocracy? Indians are not well known for their building and construction skills. They come from a country notorious for its under-developed infrastructures and decrepit buildings. If I’m not mistaken, a couple of years ago, a newly constructed bridge for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi collapsed just on the eve of the opening of Commonwealth Games.

The police are investigating a formal complaint of abuse filed by three Indian nationals facing criminal charges for rioting in Little India on December 2013. The complaint, by construction workers Rajendran Mohan and Ravi Arun Vengatesh, as well as IT project manager Arun Kaliamurthy, alleges physical assault and verbal abuse by police officers during the course of their arrest after the riot.

At our neighbourhood coffee shops, there is heavy advertising of the cheap beer available, with young girls promoting and serving the beer. Some coffee shops even organise mini “getai” with a lucky draw and games to draw people to drink more. I have come across residents sleeping at the void decks and public places, thrown out by their families for their drinking habits. When they run out of money, they drink cheap samsu (distilled spirits).

The 44-year-old’s eatery — Prata City — is located on the ground floor of a shophouse which is within a zone around Little India where authorities have imposed stricter regulations on alcohol sale and consumption in light of the Little India riot on Dec 8 last year. Under the new regulations for the designated zones which will last for up to six months, public consumption of alcohol is banned on weekends, public holidays and the eve of public holidays.