Response to "Govt confident migrant population growth won't affect social harmony"

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Over the years, Singapore's migrant community has been increasing drastically, and the article highlights this. One word pops out. Racism.

Just think of Singapore as a plate, and the different races as the food from a Eat-All-You-Can Salad Bar at Sizzlers. You take a lot of food, too much in fact. Tastes of foods can and will clash. Potato salad and Pineapple Tidbits taste terrible. Chicken Soup doesn't go with Romaine Lettuce. Worse still, the food can fall right off your plate and create a mess.

Not trying to make a meal of things, I feel that the racism is totally ludicrous. What has happened to Racial Harmony? I mean; a Singaporean in a Lexus is a businessman. A "Chinese National" in a Lexus? Go figure. These innocent jokes which are done in the name of fun are merely the tip of the iceberg. It’s no different from the Blacks and the Whites in America in the time past. The increase in immigrants is nothing for us to invent jokes about. Who is going to do all the physical labour for us? Physical labour, in the eyes of most Singaporeans, is considered "dirty work" and most singaporeans would prefer white collar jobs. If we do not have foreign labourers in Singapore, our Circle Line would merely be a fantasy. What happened to Singaporeans and D&T? We should learn to feel grateful for all the contributions these migrants have put in for the country.

Mr. Mah was asked how population growth through migration will affect Singapore's ethnic mix. The migrants are here for our good. To preserve racial harmony, everyone just needs to understand that. I don't mean they should think they are lower than us just because they are building the underground MRT Line, or anything. I feel that we need to understand that there is no shame in doing these "lower-down" jobs. I think we should eradicate this mindset that there is a spectrum of job "ratings" with some being marginally lower.

Why is this mindset even there? I find it quite immature, really. There is a Circle Line construction site right next to my house at Marymount Road, and despite rain, cold or even hot sun, the resilient workers there continue working consistently, not giving in to "a few droplets of rain".

Migrants do not consist of just construction workers. Regarding maids, many of us have them in our homes; their function? I feel that most people in Singapore treat their maids as inanimate objects whose only purpose in their house is to cook and clean. This idea is comes from the fact that just because maids gain monetary rewards from their work, we should learn how to sympathize with people who have left their family and friends and have come here to make a living.

The ironic thing is, most of these people whom some of us look down on do not complain at all. They have resilience, perseverance and courage to leave home and come to an alien country. These people may be somewhat despised on now, but wait till we go abroad.

Response to "Man's feet caught in platform gap at Tampines MRT Station"

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It is interesting that people end up on the tracks instead of the train for such a variety of reasons. Some people are drunkards who can't tell the difference between the platform and a pub. Others are ingenious cold-blooded killers who decide that the best way to eradicate their ex-girlfriends is to give them a loving push onto the wooden tracks, where they walk the planks (literally), and meet their doom.

Yes, death by Mass Rapid Transport train collision is an increasing fad amongst Singaporeans these days.

However, we have to evaluate this alarming problem before trying to suggest any solutions, and taking a closer look at the situation, these deaths are not isolated accidents. Most of the cases go like this: a boy pushes his girlfriend on the tracks in fury. A man commits suicide by hopping onto the tracks. In fact, the death mentioned in the article is one of few pure accidents resulting in death.

SMRT has improved safety measures, with guards patrolling the station diligently, unsightly cement blocks plopped on the yellow safety lines and so on, and this certainly helps to cut down on accidental deaths.

The problem of intentional killings, however, still lingers. People with the desire to kill can and will indefinitely find a way around these safety measures, literally. If a guy was really out to kill his girlfriend, a few cement blocks won't stop him at all. On the contrary, the person, assuming that he is of competent intelligence, would merely push his girlfriend through the gaps between these blocks.

We could completely blockade the stations with cement walls, and force the commuters to bash through Platform 9³/₄ style, but, as much as that idea sounds fun, what we really need is a foolproof system. One airtight system proposed was to have all stations similar to the underground stations; a fully enclosed air-conditioned station where doors would only open when the train arrived.

This seems like a great idea to me. Not only does this ensure safety, but I can use the air-conditioning as well, especially with Singapore's perpetually hot weather. Probably to cut costs, SMRT has yet to implement that system. Alternatively, SMRT can install cheap metal barriers that act just like the other system, minus the air-conditioning. SMRT could also fine people who venture on the tracks, but they would probably be dead by the time they get to these infiltrators.

We can come up with all these solutions, but I assert that SMRT has got to take action fast, and get their track safety back on track, before Singapore's declining population is attributed to its trains.