January 17, 2007
SINGAPORE
Supper Hop, Singapore Justice, and Asian Prostitution
I
went out with a group of Nanyang students for a late
night “Supper Hop.” It basically involved piling onto a
bus and driving all over Singapore to try out the best
hawker centers. It was a lot of fun and a good break
from the routine. I made a whole host of friends tonight
as it felt like every person that came wanted the
angmoh to try their favorite food. There is no way
of remembering the different foods I tried, but the one
I liked the most was something like a soft shelled
tortilla stuffed with vegetables, diced chicken, red
peppers, and a variety of herbs. The frog porridge (seen
to the right) was as bad as it sounds.
Cheap, great tasting food aside, the hawker centers are worth visiting simply to people watch. Since the Singaporeans and Chinese love great food irrespective of the location, one can see people from all walks of life and all echelons of society sitting at adjacent tables.
While
we were eating I was able to ask my nagging questions
about Singapore. As to the boy who was whipped in
Singapore (a point highlighted by my mom before I left),
he was guilty of being doped up on drugs and defacing
public property throughout the city. Singapore carries
very harsh penalties for sexual abuse, physical abuse,
drugs, counterfeiting, and anti-government actions. Most
other law violations are only punished by a fine. This
was quite a surprise because in the U.S. a fine is
always in addition to legal action. I cannot imagine
being caught drunk-driving and only having to pay a
fine. However, Singaporeans love their money and rather
than disrupting families with jail sentences a stiff
fine is all that is necessary.
One of the sadder moments of the night came when we made our last stop in the Geylang District, which is known for harboring the dark side of Singapore. Driving through the streets I could see prostitutes (all from surrounding countries) lining the streets in front of purpose-specific motels. After trying the different foods at the hawker center, I ventured out with a group of other students to the heart of the prostitution district to get a closer look.
The prostitutes are divided by those working for an agency, which imports women from surrounding countries, and the independents (who are of a much “lower quality”). It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen: many of the women were actually quite beautiful, but because of where they were born they have little choice but to sell themselves.
Whereas in America many of the prostitutes need to finance drug habits, many of the prostitutes here were either tricked by an agency offering valid work in Singapore (once they arrive, with no money and no way of returning without risking a jail sentence, they have little choice) or they must support a family in their home country. Indeed, the students told me that prostitutes have been highlighted by news agencies, and some of the women even have husbands back home. It was difficult to be so close to such tragedy and know there is very little I can do about it. I have an even stronger sense of gratitude to the parents and society that provided me with all of my opportunities and high standard of living.