What impressed me the most when I went to Singapore last week was, she was, Law and order situation in this country. The Chinese population there There are more citizens of Malay and Tamil origin. From whom no very disciplined and mature behavior can be expected. But surprisingly there is neither theft nor fighting in Singapore. It can be easily said that the crime graph in Singapore is near zero.
After the elections are over, every party that forms the government or is in the opposition emphasizes on fulfilling the election promises made in the public interest. The results of some recently concluded Assembly elections and the earlier Lok Sabha elections have clearly indicated that the people are not going to be swayed by slogans, they want a responsible government.
Over the last 75 years, thousands of officers have been traveling to countries around the world for training, study and exchange programs at public expense. But the countrymen do not seem to know what they learned from there. I remember during an air trip in 2009, a young IAS from Gujarat. When the officer was met, he told that he had returned from abroad after a six-week training program.
After the training, he has to tell his state’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials how his state can benefit from what he learned in these six weeks. For me, this was an interesting but impressive information. Which I had mentioned in this column even then.
We Indians have a habit of praising everything from abroad. The roads there are good. Electricity never fails there. There is a lot of cleaning. There is no corruption in common life. In government offices, work is done according to the rules. The common man is also listened to, etc. I also often go on foreign tours. I also always feel that how tolerant our countrymen are who pull the train of their life even amidst so much chaos. But the glitter and glamor of the western world does not impress me. Rather, one gets worried after seeing their wasteful expenditure.
When I went to Singapore last week, what impressed me the most was the law and order situation in this country. The population there consists mostly of citizens of Chinese, Malay and Tamil origin. From whom no very disciplined and mature behavior can be expected. But it is surprising that the government of Singapore has followed the law so strictly that there is neither pickpocketing, nor molestation of any woman, nor any theft nor fighting. It can be easily said that the crime graph in Singapore is near zero. Even a common taxi driver does not forget to mention the strict laws of his country while talking. He constantly makes you feel that if you break the law, nothing will happen to you.
We may feel that the law must be followed for the common man and not for the rulers. But the surprising thing is that even a person holding a high position cannot escape from violating the law. In 1981-82, a Singapore minister, Teh Ching Wen, was accused of taking a bribe of eight lakh dollars.
In November 1986, the Prime Minister of Singapore passed an order to conduct an open inquiry against him. However, the relevant documents were released to the Attorney General on 11 December. But still he continued to declare himself innocent and on December 14, before presenting his defence, he committed suicide.
The surprising thing is that Teh Ching Wen, who was responsible for developing Singapore and was its Prime Minister and President for 40 years, was Lee Kuan Yew’s favorite. Both had a deep friendship. If Lee wanted, he could have forgiven him at the first mistake. But he did not do so. Teh Ching Wen could not muster the courage to confront his Prime Minister and committed suicide.
He wrote in the suicide note, “I am feeling very bad and stressed for the last two weeks. I consider myself responsible for this unfortunate situation and feel that I should take full responsibility for it. Being a respectable and responsible citizen, I feel that I should get the maximum punishment for my mistake.
His move melted the hearts of Singaporeans. He thought that now Lee would forgive him and attend his funeral. But it did not happen. People wondered why Lee did not attend the funeral of his dear friend and longtime colleague despite taking such drastic steps as an act of atonement.
Lee responded a few days later by saying, “If I had gone to Teh Ching Wen’s funeral, it would have meant that I had forgiven him for his mistake. Instead, I want to give the message that the system which we took 40 years to build can collapse due to the weakness of one person. We are not ready to forgive even a single crime of illegal conduct and corruption.” This is happening in Asia itself, in this very century, so why can’t our rulers in India set such standards on their officers and ministers?
Everyone talks big. But according to a survey report, 58 percent of the people of the country believe that till date our rulers have been extremely corrupt. Every party comes to power promising to provide corruption-free governance and after coming to power, complains of its helplessness. The common man of this country knows that the law applies only to him. Not on the rulers and their gentlemen. CBI. And C.V.C. This is a witness to the fact that every pillar of this democracy stands strong to protect the powerful people and no matter how big a crime they commit, it always finds a way to save them.
That is why crimes are increasing here. The truth is that of all the crimes that take place, only a negligible number of cases are registered in the police registers. Most crimes are not allowed to come to light. Then how will good governance be ensured? Will our leaders take any lessons from Lee Kuan Yew, the creator of Singapore and Prime Minister for four decades? Before making the general public constantly fear the law, the conduct of the rulers, their decisions and their policies should be transparent and in the interest of the general public.
In the 21st verse of the third chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says to Arjuna, Whatever authority he establishes the world follows.” That is, whatever the best man does, others do the same. Whatever evidence he leaves, people conduct themselves accordingly. Admittedly, our country is very large and diverse, but ‘where there is a will, there is a way.