Singapore's shame

I think this goes also to the leadership issue... responsibility and accountability...

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Letter from Lucia Maes

HAVING once lived in Singapore, I’m disappointed at how the authorities have reacted to the Geylang Serai food poisoning cases that culminated in a couple of deaths and a miscarriage.

Although it was stallholder Sheik Allaudin’s poor food preparation practices that led to the tragedy, the food poisoning was really just the tip of the iceberg. What it had actually unearthed was the negligence of the governing authorities. The food grading decals were distributed only four months after the grades were revised. And Mr Sheik’s poor food preparation skills merely uncovered the chronic problem of the presence of rats.

The views on Singapore held by the international community may be similar to how they view China — as unhygienic and unreliable.

From TODAY, Voices – Friday, 17-April-2009