Sunday, January 8, 2012

If it's Singapore why isn't it flooded

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There was an old romantic comedy movie titled "If It's Tuesday This Must be Belgium" about an American tour group that visits Europe's capitals over a week. It has a song of the same name whose lyrics goes as follows:

If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium
If it's Wednesday, this must be Rome
If it's Thursday, this must be Montreux
I feel I never wanna go home

If this is London, why ain't it raining?

With Singapore flooding almost on a daily basis now with higher atmosphere temperatures and rising sea levels, perhaps we should ask "If it's Singapore why isn't it flooded".

Calamity always strikes dictatorships all over the world, if there are any left, sooner or later, in more ways than one. You have your usual bad mouthing the regime through the Internet that takes it toll like I do, people leaving the country for settlement abroad and the surge of unmarried singles and childless couples, all characteristics of the backlash of an oppressed people who finally want to get even; the same old sad story Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore is now facing.

But luckily for those free spirited people who want to see the back of dictatorships like I do, in the case of Singapore, Mother Nature has also begun to lend a hand. As a result of the increased atmospheric temperature enabling the air to carry much more water vapour and increasing high tides as high as an unprecedented 4 meters, never seen in Singapore waters, sea water is trying to displace itself by rushing into rivers and canals of the tiny Singapore which in most places is not even a foot above sea level. If we have the torrential rains (believe me they are torrential) to pour down at the same time, there then begins an island wide flooding. What is particularly interesting and welcoming to me is Orchard Road, which so happens to be on very low ground, with the prime shopping within it's area, completely underwater.

So far I have heard thousands of motor vehicles have got serious water damage running into millions of dollars. Almost all the shops in the basement of Lucky Plaza and Liat Towers, the 2 places that have been hit the most have all terminated their leases and pulling out of Singapore entirely.

I have heard it is dirt cheap to get a lease in either of these places, even assuming, which I doubt, if anyone wants one.

Business is badly hit in the whole area because of the dangers of driving into it or leaving your car there which would very likely suffer engine, brake and transmission damage. Thousands of parked cars have been totally lost, some pulled along by the water current into drains and canals and disappearing altogether. Lives have been lost by people accidentally stepping on areas which they thought was hard ground but in fact canals. To make matters worse, not knowing the extent of instability which would impact Singapore which will happen when the dictator who is now 89, Lee Kuan Yew dies, people and businesses are not waiting around for their stocks to loose all their value and bankruptcy; they are pulling out right now to be safe and sure.

The racial minorities and even the Singapore born Chinese are so outraged by the limitless amount of Chinese immigrants from China being brought in, thereby suppressing wages and denying work for locally born Singaporeans, they are now up in arms against this unwelcome immigration and ready for a fight if necessary.

I am not sure who said too much orderliness is bad for democracy and if he did, I completely agree. If the businesses continue to leave because of the impending uncertainly caused by the death of the old dictator, you are going to see huge job losses and with the added help of Mother Nature flooding the entire small tiny low lying island on a daily basis, I think I am in for a very interesting time.

So visit Singapore while you still can, if it is still there, and would you do me a favor by singing that song, "If it's Singapore why isn't it flooded"

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914


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