Singapore's 51st Birthday went on without a hitch.
The NDP celebrations at the new National Stadium were as grand and inspirational as one could have imagined.
However, in the midst of the festivities, one very significant piece of news seems to have been overshadowed - that is the fact that a terrorist plot to directly attack S'pore was foiled on 5 Aug, just days before S'pore's National Day.
This piece of news did not seemed to be very widely shared on social media. There were probably much more people who were more interested and conscious of the fact that Pokemon Go was finally available in S'pore than those who read about the terror plot.
There are two ways that one could maybe explain this seemingly lack of alarm over the terror plot.
1 - That S'poreans generally have confidence that the Govt will handle it. Our Gahmen steady one okay. Dun need to worry lah..
2 - That S'poreans have become complacent and take for granted the peace and security that S'pore enjoys.
Confidence in the Govt and her security agencies
There are many reasons for S'poreans to feel safe and secure. Afterall, we all know that our Home Team and the SAF are on-the-job, 27 / 7.
The visible security, heavily armed police patrolling on our MRT and other public areas, adds to the sense of security and confidence that we, or at least our Govt, are ready to handle any incidents.
As most S'poreans know only too well (via our Ten-year-series books), practice makes perfect.
Out of the public eye, our public institutions and security agencies drill incessantly on their SOPs for various scenarios and fine-tune their responses where necessary. In response to latest wave of terror attacks which favour attacks on soft targets, the Govt established a new police unit - the Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) - to be the immediate, first responders to any terror attack. We have even gone to the extend of conducting an mock-terror attack in the middle of the heartlands, not only to test our SOPs but to also to educate the public.
Various public programs such as the Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP) and Community First Responder Programme (CFRP), have been running to educate the general public on importance of Emergency Preparedness and what to do in the event of a crisis. Early in the year, a new national movement called "SG Secure" was launched to prepare S'poreans for a terror attack.
“SG Secure will represent our national strategy to safeguard our homeland and our way of life against this threat.
Just as we have Total Defence, which involves every Singaporean playing a part for the defence of Singapore, SG Secure must become a rallying call for Singaporeans from all walks of life to unite, to play a part in making Singapore a safe place that it is today.”
Home Affairs and Law Minister K.Shanmugam
“But if an attack occurs, we have to prepare Singaporeans with the psychological and other skills to come together and emerge stronger.
A Singapore that is even more united and determined to safeguard our way of life, our racial and religious harmony. A Singapore where every Singaporean knows that he or she can rely on fellow countrymen. That is how we must be able to respond to terrorism, ..."
Home Affairs and Law Minister K.Shanmugam
Complacency
The other problem that would be detrimental to our collective security is the sense of complacency. As this blogger best puts it:
Sadly, the success of our security agencies working behind the scenes is also the source of their greatest bugbear.
Success breeds complacency. It stokes a sense of smug security bordering on stupidity, a kind of blasé stupor that will not be shrugged off short of seeing the worst effects of a terror attack, blood and mayhem on our streets. This is the wake-up call our society is waiting for.
When it comes, are you ready for it?
David Boey, Senang Diri, "The best customers"
Will we fall victim to our own success? Are we so arrogant and naive to think that such terror attacks will never happen to us?
Do S'poreans have a realistic sense of the various threats that face us as a nation?
Or do we simply not care - choosing instead to focus on our own lives and just pushing the entire responsibility to the Govt?
While the Govt will, and should continue to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility for our security, her citizens have, and must play their parts in the overall scheme of things.
Unfounded criticism and spreading of poisonous cynicism
The anti-PAP / anti-govt / anti-establishment groups continue to peddle their cynicism of national service and pour unwarranted criticism of our security agencies online.
They attempt to exploit societal fault lines and exaggerate stories to the point of sensational fantasy, all simply to push their political agenda and to attract more online viewership to earn a quick buck at the expense of the facts/truth.
Here are just some of the false and baseless accusations hurled at our own Home Team and SAF.
Political Activists who are attempting to discredit the credibility of our Police Force. No matter what SPF does, it will never be good enough for these activists.
Pic - Shut Down The Rubbish Sites Facebook
Portraying NS as an exploitation by the Govt.
Pic - FLOP Facebook
Attempts to discount the need for NS and to cheapen the sacrifice of our NSFs into a commercial transaction.
No one is saying that we cannot criticize the Govt. But please lah, at the very least criticize base on facts can?
Constructive criticism based on facts, can help to improve our Govt and uncover any blind-spots that may be missed.
But criticism that is based on twisted half-truths and baseless accusations should not be perpetuated. Such baseless criticism cannot help solve or improve the situation and only serves to confuse the real issues at hand and unnecessarily agitate emotions.
Opposition groups and alternative media sites like to say that they are patriots and are fighting for the interests of Singapore. Really? How are you a patriot when you spewl forth nothing but twisted half-truths and baseless accusations that are clearly intended to stir up emotions and shake the confidence of our home team and security agencies?
It is only a matter of time when Singapore will be hit by a terror attack.
When it happens, will we stand together as one united nation and show those who mean us harm that we will never fall to their threats?
Or will we be struck by fear and fall into disarray? Our sternest test as a nation is yet to come.
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