F1 and our future
Singapore Democrats
As the souped-up engines roared and the fancy cars
burned rubber on our roads, one in four Singaporeans turned up
enthusiastically to watch the racing spectacle, making it a sport
for the people with real mass appeal.
Yes, that's what happened in 1966 when the Singapore Grand Prix
was held at its permanent Upper Thomson circuit. Half-a-million
people from a population of close to 2 million thronged the area to
witness and enjoy the event in a carnival-like atmosphere. With
food and drink in hand, Singaporeans young and old converged on the
grassy knolls and whatever space they could find to catch the
action that included the vintage and saloon car categories.
Contrast this with the recent F1 race held downtown. Reportedly
100,000 attended the spectacle – half of them tourists. One wonders
how many of the remainder are millionaire residents and
expatriates. With tickets ranging from a few hundred to several
thousand dollars, you can be sure few were locals.
Hotel accommodation around the circuit went for as much as $1,000
for standard rooms with the Government apparently demanding
one-third of the revenue. Luxury yachts were available for rent for
as much as a million dollars so that tycoons could entertain their
guests.
What about the locals? Too bad -- no money, no talk.
The then-and-now of motor-racing is symptomatic of society in
Singapore which has become the playground for the rich. There's
really nothing wrong with this except that locals serve only as
props and backstage hands to put up this grand show so that the PAP
can bask in the accolades showered by the foreigners.
In fact, the commercial gain of the race to the average Singaporean
was questionable. Businesses in the cordoned-off area were badly
hit. Motorists couldn't get around the city area without having to
take detours because of the road closures.
What about the jobs created from the race? As with much of
everything else, foreign workers were available in abundance to
ensure that no crumb that fell off the organiser's and Government's
table was left behind.
The casinos are another example. Built by the foreign poor to cater
to the foreign rich, Singaporeans are just bystanders cued to ooh
and aah at the right moments when the Integrated Resorts are
unveiled.
Easy money. That's what the F1 and casinos really represent. They
are there for one purpose and one purpose only: To continue
attracting the super-rich to this island by bringing in
entertainment only they can afford. This way, the PAP can tell us
how wealthy we are even as we see our real incomes shrink and
retirement savings evaporate.
This is not the kind of economy built on enterprise and diligence.
We know we can't compete on the innovation front with a system that
is determined to wring the creative life out of every resident
living here. So we resort to creating an island where dirty money,
vice and thrills for the rich can call home. The PAP calls it
"vision".
The question that Singaporeans had better be asking is: Is our
country headed in the right direction? Is making money, however we
do it, the be-all and end-all of this country? With the economic
crisis looming ahead are we prepared for the knocks when we've
placed ourselves in the hands of so-called financial movers and
shakers?
Even as we build this playground that we call Singapore, we had
better start thinking of the shelter we will be needing pretty
soon.
http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/
Good article... I went to town during one of
those days and road blocks everywhere made me waste lots of
petrol...