A future terror attack in Singapore
Intro
It’s an ordinary day in Singapore. People go to work, students go to school. During the weekends everyone shops at shopping malls. That is the banality of life in Singapore. Everyday, nothing much happens.
But what if today, there was a terror attack in Singapore? As we read the news, what would be our reaction? What must we as a country do to respond?
Not if, but when?
Singapore is regularly hailed as one of the safest places in the world to live. With an efficient law enforcement, low unemployment and poverty rates, it is not a wonder why its crime rates are low. If any malicious beings have the intent to fk up Singapore’s peace, the police and the ISD will come after them.
However, all it takes is just one agent of terror to slip through the net unnoticed. As a result, we must 未雨绸缪 (plan ahead for the future), and brainstorm possible ways for us to react in the sudden case that it happens. I have compiled some of my ideas down below. Do take note that I am just a student and not a qualified academic. These are just my personal thoughts. You can disagree if you want.
Restraint
First off, I would like to argue that military expeditions in the wake of terror is a big no no.
They create financial woes and public discontent to the occupying country and political instability to the occupied country, which often drives more support to the terror group.
Ironic, isn’t it?
It is the complete antithesis of what I will be arguing about. Thankfully, as a small country Singapore is constantly at the mercy of its neighbours. As a result, a full on military expedition to seek revenge would be thankfully implausible.
Yet, it is the mindset of Singaporeans that we will have to keep an eye on. Being a society easily triggered by minor details, meeting such a traumatic event head on would be dangerous to watch. We might go onto social media and spread news that are xenophobic and vengeance-centric. As best, these news might cloud public opinion on the nature of the terror attacks, shifting the point of conversation not on the attack itself but on unrelated sensitive fields like religion and nationality. At worst, these public opinions might even influence public and government judgement.
In the event of a terror attack, with the nation in shock over the shattered peace, we must all understand that it is no use seeking for revenge. Rationality and clear headedness in grief must be exercised. As history has proven time over time, bloodshed only leads to more bloodshed.
This rational reaction is to prevent SG from alienating the international community, which will shift the focus away from the initial act of terror onto our reaction.
Being a high profile and respected member of the international community, Singapore must show the world the efforts that it is currently making to not escalate the situation yet still prove its unwavering commitment to ensure that justice (not vengeance) is served for victims of the attack.
Only if the international community is supporting Singapore’s efforts, will Singaporean society be able to bounce back from the impact more strongly.
Improvement and Resilience
On a more domestic level, Singapore definitely must face hard questions about the reasons why the attack was allowed to take place undetected, and ensure that every aspect of the system in fault is thoroughly repaired and replaced with a more practical replacement.
However, no one, nor any society, is perfect. There will be occasional slip-ups. Much like us humans, what is crucial of societies to thrive is not the ability to make mistakes, but to forgive ourselves when we do so.
The best way to let go of this anger and shock surrounding the terror attack would be to show the world the resilience of our society.
As George Bush famously said “go shopping” after the 911 attacks, we must prove to the world that although we are hurt, we can still come to terms with our pain and move on. That will be the best repudiation of any terror attack.
Terrorists are like schoolyard bullies. They want to know that they have made an impact on their victim. When we show them our reactions, they will be in glee. But if we don’t react the way they want, if we don’t recognise their attempts, they have failed.
Singapore cannot show the world that terror has made it timid and traumatised. It must raise its head high, and show the world that even though it has been hit, it’ll bounce back stronger.
Despite the attack, the people must have renewed trust over the future of the country, while the government must understand that its purpose must be to fight for its people as well as its values. For Singapore to find a way out of the trauma, Singapore’s social compact must stand firm. Even if it may be the hard way, Singapore must always stand for its values and never bow down to terror.
Conclusion
With the growing sophistication of terror in the world, Singapore has still maintained a remarkable track record of not having any attacks take place in the last 30 years (the hijacking of SQ 117 in 1991 remains the last terror attack in SG history).
However, the future is uncertain, and with the next decade sure to be a turbulent ride, nothing can be taken for granted.
We have seen from history how different countries’ responses have led to different results. For some countries, it proved to be a fruitless war on terror. Being too geographically fragile to afford to make any mistakes, Singapore must find the correct responses for every single event that it comes across.
As a result, Singapore’s response to terrorism does matter.
Thank you!
Hi, I’m Chris. Here’s another of my articles, go check it out! My journaling experience
