Strike a balance
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A note that is struck, and rightly so, for, if all things are in place, we as humans will surely find the 'place that suits us' – our family…
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Economic progress is great - just don't leave your family behind
Subana Hall
I WAS getting my daily dose of world news when I read the headlines on the disruption to London Underground services. Ah yes, here we go again.
The Tube strike brings back memories of seven years ago, when I had to walk from St Paul's to King's Cross train station because of a strike. (The Tube is the London underground train service, the equivalent of the MRT service here - but with strikes and without clean seats).
I remember that day very clearly. I was seven months pregnant and had to walking home after a full day's work at Fleet Place, where I was working as a TV news producer. The taxi queues were long and the traffic was a nightmare.
Under such circumstances, most Londoners would tell you that it is quicker to walk home than to drive or wait for a cab. That day, I got home at 10pm, four hours after I had left my newsroom.
I love London for many reasons but a strike, especially one that affects the public's day-to-day lives unfairly, is not certainly one of them.
The London Chamber of Commerce has said that six out of 10 London businesses have been hit by the latest strike and that it would cost the capital's economy more than £100 million ($240 million). Even in normal times, such losses would be deemed as unnecessary, let alone in our current unprecedented economic climate.
I am a great believer of people's rights; however, during the Tube strike seven years ago, my rights as a civilian preceded that of the Tube workers. I was more concerned with my right to be able to return home on the Tube without any disruption.
Human rights are important; then again, so are human responsibilities.
Rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin.
Back here in Singapore, we have several debates about human rights, freedom of speech and other aspects of the Singaporean life. Recently we have been thinking about our political future after 50 years of achieving what we proudly term as "Merdeka", or self-rule.
I am one of many critics of the way of life here, including our level of graciousness and education. However, I am also one who appreciates the numerous perks Singapore has to offer to its people and its visitors, one of which is the reliability of the essential services such as public transport, education and health. The buses and trains here may be late, but they do not go out of service because of workers' strikes, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded.
Such reliability is one of the signs of a maturing nation.
Essentially there has to be a fine balance between rights and responsibilities. While such balance is a difficult one to strike - no pun intended - the most important thing is for a society to never stop trying to achieve that balance.
In Singapore, there are many areas of progress that still need to be addressed.
Perhaps we could start by striking a balance between work and family, such that people are not stuck in situations where they have to work long hours at the expense of their family time.
After all, what is the point of the trains running on time ... if we can't leave work on time?
From TODAY, Voices –Monday, 15-Jun-2009
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