i know my society bashing hammer has been missed (statement. NOT question.), so i'm back!

i'm extremely amused by the government's efforts to "welcome the world to our home". in other words, smile singapore 2006/ 4 million smiles welcome the world/ grow all kinds of colourful plants along orchard road 2006 (not even 2006. just spetember 2006)/ lend me all your expensive cars to ferry the big shots 2006/ make everyone smile at anyone remotely foreign looking in case they happen to be the sultan of dubai lost in an angmokio hdb estate 2006. for some reason, i found it vaguely hilarious when the national parks guy matter-of-factly told the straits times that the beautiful plants along orchard road will "wither after four weeks". there lies a fine line between making a good impression, and going all out to please (kiss ass lah). yes i understand that these are the people holding the keys to the treasuries and reserves of the world, and this meeting is like pooling all the money in the world into our suntec city convention hall, but i think it's a little overdone.

on a more serious note, the world's attitude towards "eradicating poverty" distresses me very much. there seems to be a moral obligation for countries to sit down at the table to confer about giving aid to poverty-stricken nations, yet the same countries are gleefully pumping every possible cent out of the aforementioned nations. while countries debate over who should give more aid and what are the terms they should give it on, people in nambia are dying of starvation. while singapore welcomes 24000 delegates with US$60m worth of preparations, the same 60m could have fed the whole of nigeria.
the problem lies in there being too much talk, and not enough action. the delegates do not, and will not realise the seriousness of proverty if they enclose themselves in the air-conditioned, wireless-internet-wired halls of suntec city. to feel the desperation of poverty, one must be IN the poverty. take a walk down the streets of calcutta. live in a slum in china. drink the polluted waters of the nile. eat tree bark and worms for one a meal. hear the cries, feel the need, and take action. eradicating poverty cannot be a half-hearted attempt. there's no room for countries who are in it only because they'll be branded as heartless souls if they're not. only people who believe in eradicating destitution can do so. poverty needs no patronising, thank you very much.

scribbled
2:26 PM