I thought there were already these vices in the neighbourhoods.Originally posted by Fatum:I was shocked when I read that the prostitutes in CHINATOWN were offering festive discounts just the other day .....
CHINATOWN ?!?!?!?!?! ......
maybe I had been away from home for too long, but CHINATOWN ? ... what about Geylang ? ... Singapore is fast becoming a big vice den ? ...
something is very wrong here ....
not in mine thank God ....Originally posted by charlize:I thought there were already these vices in the neighbourhoods.
Even reported in the local media.
You are way behind.
In a mature society, it is possible to present the so-called "vices" to its citizens, who should already be at high moral stages of development. These citizens are able to distinguish right from wrong, etc. As long as we keep the children, who still need adult's protection, away from the vices, there should be minimum negative impact to the society. If there is a demand for it and the and the benefits outweigh the side effects, then I'm all for casinos and prostitution. Most people do these "vices" out of their own free will. If you don't like it, stay away. BTW, I am from Reno, the second biggest city in Nevada from Las Vegas. We have no problems with the business overthere.
Isn't this the freedom that dissidents like Gopal Nair has been calling for? The non-intervention by the government in the private lives of it's citizens? The abolition of the 'nanny-state' mentality, of telling Singaporeans what they should do or should not do?
From talking to educated Singaporeans, it seems that they are open-minded and know how they want their country to be. They pretty much can control their weakness for the vices. The controls that the government put in place are as reasonable as other governments. For example, in some countries, the nightclubs and bars have to close by 2 or 3 am, so the citizens can have a decent chance of making it to work the next day. In SG, the gov does not limit the closing time, assuming that their citizens have a mind enough to go home at respectable hour and go to work the next day. There are other examples. But, overall the rules in SG are not much different than some of the rules other gov put in place.
Singapore needs to make the country as tourist-friendly as possible if it ever wants to compete against countries with much more to offer like Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc. Sentosa is just about what SG has to offer, and not very good beach at that. If a Japanese tourist can choose one country to visit in SEA, it would likely not be SG, unless SG has something that can't be found elsewhere or unless the SG gov makes it worthwhile.