Guess the Country

What is it that makes me feel so trapped each time I come to this country? Why do I feel unfulfilled and lonely? I often feel that I am wasting away my life here in this tightly controlled state. Is it because apart from family I have virtually no friends here? Maybe it is because I am not used to the special way of life here. Or could it be that the local population have a totally different emphasis on what is important in life.

After much careful deliberation, I think I have come to the best explanation. It is not just one reason or another. It is in fact a combination of all. It is all the little things that make this country unique. However, although all the local quirks and kiasu-ness combine to give me this feeling that I should get out fast if I value my sanity, the one thing that is so unnerving is the fact that the people of this country place so much importance on money and material possession. It is almost a religion that one should amass as much as possible in the shortest possible time. The race for ownership in everything large or trivial is so important to the population of this tiny country that it has become an obsession. In this race for wealth and materialistic possession, there are many casualties, most evidently those at the bottom of the social ladder. They either get trampled upon or worse they are totally ignored. Of course from time to time, in the main stream media, one hear or read about government effort to reach out to the under privileged with financial or other form of assistance. In my opinion these are usually few and far between and very often too little too late. It has also been widely accepted that the income divide in this country is getting larger. There are the few percent of the population who are extremely rich and powerful. Then there are the middle class who are by Asian standard quite comfortable. Lastly there exist at the lowest rung of the social ladder a section of the population who are very poor, again by Asian standard. The number of people that makes up this portion of the population varies, depending on who you ask or who is providing the figures. The magnitude of this section of the population also depends on the criteria one uses to measure wealth. By whatever means one uses to determine the number of the poor, there is no denying that such deprivation exist.

Over the last few years I have been traveling to this country. I have noticed a steady increase in the number of beggars, tissue paper vendors, vagrants and also people sleeping rough. This country is ranked as one of the richest in this region. For such a small population of true blue locals I am amazed to find so many desperate people.

As in any society there will always be crimes. I just have this feeling that this is also on the increase. The daily newspapers can vouch for that. You read about a whole string of reported crimes each day in the newspapers. Littering is another problem on the increase. This country has always pride itself on cleanliness of the streets and thoroughfares. They employ lowly paid foreign workers just to sweep away leaves fallen from trees and other rubbish from the streets. Each morning on my way to Seven Eleven for my papers I have noticed an increase in litter along the roads from the night before.

Increase in crime and litter has largely been attributed to the imported labourers who are here to perform menial tasks of labouring and cleaning. Whether it is true that there imported foreigners are fully responsible for this increase is arguable. I am sure the local are also partly responsible. The street where we live here in this country is used by pupils from a local school. We frequently find litters along this road used by the pupils to and from the school. Are they responsible for the rubbish along our road?

An incident I witness a few days ago. After purchasing the newspaper from Seven Eleven I often settle down to a cup of coffee at the coffee shop nearby to read my papers. On this particular morning I was joined by a couple in their 60s two tables away. They were there for their morning beverages. The man was smoking and he had a bad cough. He was coughing almost non-stop and each time he coughed he brought up a mouthful of phlegm which he spat on the floor of this coffee shop. Within a period of about 5 minutes he must have repeated the process half a dozen times. I could not imagine he did not realise how disgusting his action was. I hastily gulped down my coffee and made a quick exit from that place.

There is an uneasy quiet here in this country. The mumbles and grumbles of discontent are mainly in blogs under the cloak of anonymity. Nobody here would voice their opinion, why, you might ask. Well, I have learnt that here in this country you must always keep your opinion to yourself and if you hear an opinion being given, believe not a single word of it.

What I have written here is just my personal opinion based on personal observation. I do not mean to cause any hurt to anyone or any organization.

Can you guess the country I have been referring to? No prize for the correct answer !!!