First SARS case in three months

BLIM SG

Hi,

As the recent news of a man who contracted the SARS virus, what do you think?

As in the newspaper, there are quite a number of ppl are very unhappy as hospitals have changed the visitors number to abt four and visitors are required to register at the counter for Contact Tracing.

There have been quite a lot of unhappiness and there's a retired doctor who hurled vulgar language at the counter staff. I think as a former doctor, he should understand the seriousness of the virus and should be more cooperative.

What do you guys think?

Xiao Long Nu SG

i HOPE THIS SARS CAN B OVER SOON!!!

BLIM SG

As what the news has announced, the man has not developed fever symptoms and if nothing goes wrong, he can be discharged.

soulness SG

WHO didnt even classify it as SARS case
coz it dont fulfill the requirements
however, i think it could be mutated virus la..
anyway, just take care

Gun SG

Put it simply:

Now gov can't blame on "selfish, inconsiderate" average folks for geting Singapore into the NO.1 list after 3 mths .

Now it is THE GOV's institution that is leaking the diease ! Embarassed

[color=red]Bummer ![/color] Rolling Eyes

Gun SG

WHO confirms Sars patient was infected in lab

SINGAPORE -- World Health Organisation investigators said on Tuesday that a Singapore researcher became infected with Sars in a government lab and blamed insufficient lab safety training for the mistake.

Will Head(s) roll ?
If gov can pass severe anti-SARs legislation laws on any individual or organisation who fails to obey the measure taken, how (if any ) punishment be carried out on their own kind ?

Oh man, MALU MALU MALU.... Rolling Eyes

the Bear SG

since when has the gahmen ever taken the blame even when it was clearly their fault?

Viper52 SG

I would like to see our Health Ministers face, and listen to what excuses he can come up with, in light of his iniital vigorous denials of the lab being the source of the infection when the news broke.

Its so typical, rather than a diplomatic "We'll look into all possible causes", he comes up with a denial that a government-associated location was the cause (Interpretation: Can't be us, must be foreigners or irresponsible behaviour that caused it.)

the Bear SG

you think they're going to blame the "foreign talent"?

Atobe SG

Nope. The Health Minister did not blame anyone, but was very tactful to attribute the shortcomings to "honest human error", which should not lead to any "blame game" being pinned onto anyone - since the error was largely due to the types of high risks work involved.

This explanation is similar to that given by the previous Finance Minister Richard Hu, who had to defend the loss of Public Funds in the Ho Ching led debacle in the multi-million dollar loss in taking over MICROPOLIS.

There is always a soft explanation for the mistakes made by the Government, but there is no tolerance for any committed by the Singapore Citizens - even if it is an honest mistake, and even if it is very serious or minor mistake.

After the explanations, the Government intends to legislate laws to prevent a repeat of such an incident.

The creation of new laws, and more laws, and even tougher laws, seems to be the expertise of this Government to control and corner every activities in the lives of Singaporeans.

With a majority in Parliament, it will be little wonder that any legislations tabled in Parliament will be easily approved and passed to become Law - even if it is a lousy piece of legislations that the Justices will find it difficult to implement - (and there seems to be more such legislations that the Justices in the Court of Appeals, chaired by the Chief Justice himself, are finding out more of such weak and poorly legislated laws that need further clarifications).

Gun SG

Originally posted by Viper52:
I would like to see our Health Ministers face, and listen to what excuses he can come up with,

So, now Minister of envirnoment make a public apology for this cocked-up standard they have at their institutions. What now?

No one in the high office losing sleep over getting chopped ?

Hello, an apology nor finger-pointing can help now. The damage to Singapore's bio-medical reputation has already been done. Not only had the sloppy-standard had placed international confidence about Singapore's competency in this area into questions, even Singaporean's initial trust on authorities competency has gone to all time low. So why are those unsuitable characters not being weeded out ?

$orry ? How I wish gov's kinder-side can be applied more often on their own pple after every elections.

Did they say sorry to the Buangkok residence for that failed promise ?

Okay, everyone involved in this SAR-leak gets to go back to work every morning now. Things okay now. Zipped.

NEA's director-general of public health, Mr Wang Nan Chee, Minister of Health, and Enviroment, all got to keep their jobs and fat pay checks. .... hmmm.. I am curious if the 27-yr old post-grad student can ever sue them.

Atobe SG

Sorry ??

What is that word ? What does it mean ?

To admit to being sorry will also mean that a mistake had been made.

Was a mistake made ?

Does an error of judgment amount to a mistake ?

The members of the Ruling Party that make up the leadership of the Singapore Government is deemed to be infallible.

How can the word "Sorry" ever be said ?

CenturionMBT SG

So on one hand you want the government to apologise and on the other hand you don't want to apologise? So what do you want them to do? Perform harakiri in the public and say banzai??? Rolling Eyes Please, mistakes happen, especially that this is the first time SG has ever experienced such a dangerous epidemic, i would rather that they find this loophole in their system now and correct it , rather than to find the loophole later when there is an epidemic.

Atobe SG

The simplest way is to say "Sorry" and move on - instead the over confidence of infallibility had even permeated into the minds of all senior management of any Government related agencies.

The word "Sorry" seldom come from any one from the Ruling Party, and will probably be said by a less significant Political Figure; and as expected it was said by the Environment Minister Lim Swee Say - as was announced in the late evening News.

This Government has a record of supposed infallibility for 38 years.

Is there such a word as "Sorry" in the vocabulary of the Central Committee of the Ruling Party ?

There was no apology made when US$500 Million in Public Funds was lost in the worst investment decision in taking over MICROPOLIS given a weak and failing high-tech market and despite the most experienced advise.

The event served instead to be an object lesson of "entrepreneurialship".

Gun SG

Originally posted by Atobe:
Sorry ?? What is that word ? What does it mean ?

Sorry is a pre-emptive act of defensiveness.
Better to admit (is it too late ?) first before the already-pissed people gets another high on government's growing incompetency and complacency.

My take is someone has to be a fall-guy and PAP rank-&-files knows that. Even screwing up your private life can become a death-sentence to your Lee-inc party membership.

Talk is cheap. But getting infected by a KNOWN deadly diease while paying a 30min visit to a supposedly "secured" bio-hazard consious institution is no excuse for such cheap transaction of apology.

Does that mean that 27-yr old getting SARS from a gov's institution and lapses in Singapore's domestic security can be bought off by a simple "SORRY" ???

LTA screwed up, HDB screwed up, and now even lastest budding bio-tech sector bubble gets popped.

Talk is indeed cheap.

CenturionMBT SG

So you think you can do a better job than them,Gun?

Gun SG

This question is best put to the authorities when initial public (self)-denial came just as quick. And if any one can provide clear evidence of their "professional" attitude towards this sarga, then why would they return with apology with such lighning speed ?

A reflection of political maturity, as what CNA has reported today ?
I doubt so.

Why ?

The issue here is not just about bashing PAP here, the issue is about integrety of the system, SYSTEM that Singaporean's have come to live and breath with (blind?) trust and dependence on.

If one can't even admit and own ACCOUNTABILITY of this incident and believing a "sorry" is enough, then I'll be prepared to be a quitter as this will only instill worst-practice amounst Singapore's future leadership.

If this cushy-cozy environment were to continue, Singaporeans may get even more rude shocks than just this SARS incident alone.

CenturionMBT SG

1.They have already apologised.
2.The panel have already acknowledged that their system is flawed and are trying to amend it.

For goodness sake, we have no experience in handling an outbreak.And flaws are expected.It is totally irresponsible to throw the blame on everyone.Let them do what they think it is right.Then we comment.

Gun SG

Have you read a commentary by Salma Khalik in ST 26 Sep ?

His article started with "SAYING sorry is just not good enough". and ended with "Such behaviour is criminal." I share what he had found disturbing abt how the entire episode was handled by the authority: Lack of official accountability.

That, IMO, is a qualified argument and and nor it is a "totally irresponsible" way of throwing "the blame on everyone". The blame is squarely on the authorities this time, not any tom-dick or jerry.

CenturionMBT SG

But this time they admitted that NOBODY is to be blamed, and THEIR system is flawed and they APOLOGISEd over that and now, they are trying to make amends to it. So what else do you want them to do?Kneel down in front of the padang, kow tow to everyone in front of national TV and commit harakiri???[/b]