Some thoughts on F1 road closures

Just got and read this link from wifey in the mail

http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=dc3x2rim7rtcg7u4ezap3kc6t6fk7yzo308857kg9d4x3rd45m

It is about road closures for the upcoming F1 later this month.

The EL isn't bad, but it not a document you can read quickly, pick up the main points and get on with the rest of the day. The government beyond ICA, HDB, LTA etc., do not see themselves as a service organization but as rulers. As it is no longer acceptable to order people around since you need their votes every few years, they just tell you what you can or cannot do. They don't bother to make it easy to absorb for impatient readers. Don't we all have too much to read everyday. There is no time. Only a tiny fraction of my thoughts get blogged.

At first, I imagine there would be congestion caused by cars trying to get to Suntec and Marina during office commute times, but midway going through the document, I changed my mind. I think we will settle for letting her off at Plaza Sing, which is one train stop to her office. Yes, you can understand the document but you are not completely confident that you understand them perfectly. That's the tricky bit about language isn't it? It is not numbers or math symbols. The message may be carried to you through a web document but the context is assumed and that is where misinterpretation arises. But do the civil servants care? They are not interested in the results. They had done their part to inform you. It doesn't matter to them if the car parks are less used during that week. They couldn't care less if business at the malls are affected. Their political masters will get a earful, but again I don't think they worry too much about these things. Similarly I don't care if people understand what I write in my blog. After all I am blogging for myself and perhaps my family, which if they are interested can always ask me to clarify.

Government is a big machinery and often have to be narrowly focused to achieve what they want. In the process there will be much unhappiness from the violent disruption and unanticipated consequences. We didn't have so much problems when we are less developed and sophisticated. As we progress from a simple mechanical to a more complex ecological relationships with each other, the negative impact is magnified. Inadvertently, government is seen as disruptive and even a bully. To add insult to injury, they are clueless of the damage they are doing.