[GiamCaiAr]

Originally Posted by bigbadbear

this issue stems from the fact that there is little coordination at the top og government with regards to policies and specific operational consequences...

The overriding principle here is that such trade cannot be stamped out, it can only be managed. If you try and stamp the trade out, the conequence is that the trade will depart in its current form and modus operandi and move into any form and operation but still retain its character and flavour... so now you have the trade no longer in Geylang but all over the island, in the heartlands, at your neighbour's where your kids, wives can see them daily, instead of them never seeing them in Geylang and only knowing that they are there...

When you order SPF to squeeze and stamp Geylang, and now get URA in on the act, you are in effect not stamping out the trade, you are merely stamping and forcing the trade to move elsewhere, so now from an area in which you know and can control, you have it pushed and squeezed them out and spread them to all other parts of Singapore, and now they have entered into one's own neighbourhood, own backyard...

This is the main problem with the policies, there is little thought given to the mid to long term consequence of executive action, looking only at immediate short term gains... Does not take a genius to tell you that when you squeeze on a water balloon, the water does not go disappear, it will now leave the confines of the balloon and spread all over

Good point! Thats also probably one of the reasons this trade has evolved over the years and hav extend their network to islandwide instead of being confined only to geylang.