Friday, September 15, 2006

IMF/ World Bank Meeting Singapore 2006

Everyday when I turn on the TV or read the newspaper these days one thing never failed to appeared are news on the IMF meeting at Suntech.

When you look closely, you can see the distinct “bragging” on the local media. In fact you don't have to look too close.

I saw on TV how workers secured the area by erecting barriers overnight, how police trained for riots, how our SCDF response to FIRE, CHEMICAL ATTACK. Also I saw how rapidly we transformed our garden city into SUPER garden city and we were also reminded not to step on the flowers before the IMF delegates saw them. And also the 4 millions smiles campaign and all those poster of “4 millions smiles welcome you” popping all over town and airport. And news on how our airport staffs are trained to welcom the delegates.

When you look at alternate media, below all this “wayang” there is actually much displeasure.

Firstly, I pity those who work at Suntech, I have read many of them complaining how inconvenience it is for them to get to work these days and how long a driver had to get to work these days. But somehow the people the media interviewed seem to love all these inconveniences and said they don’t mind these as all.

I wonder why Singapore want to host the event in the first place? I suspect we are in for the monetary benefits.

But had the organizing committee weight the pro and cons before taking up the project.

For when chose to host this event, the whole world is looking at us. Well this is good if everything goes well but the hard-handed banned on civil societies are making us look bad to the world already.

I pity the shop owner at Suntech, high rent, no sales, sound like bankruptcy to me.

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