Three in four Singaporeans believe that it is only a matter of time before the country comes under a terror attack, with Changi Airport the likeliest target. But a third of people surveyed worry that not enough is being done to prepare its citizens for the eventuality.

These figures came out of a Sunday Times poll last week of 500 people across all ages and demographics who were surveyed at locations across the island, including transport hubs, shopping areas and Changi Airport.

The survey was carried out after a coordinated attack in the Belgian capital of Brussels killed 31 people and injured 300. Two suicide bombers detonated explosives in the departure lounge of Brussels airport, before a third blew himself up on the subway at the end of rush hour.

Nearly nine in 10 of those The Sunday Times spoke to had heard of the attacks in Brussels, and most were worried of something similar happening here, pointing to Singapore’s position as a travel and business hub for Asia, and its support for the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS).

Some also highlighted how ISIS has already hit close to home by attacking Indonesia, and that members of the jihadist group had also been arrested across the Causeway while planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Malaysia.

When asked, those surveyed said they were most worried about attacks on “soft targets”. Around 130 highlighted tourist attractions such as Sentosa, while 183 thought MRT stations and bus interchanges could be targeted. Over 200 each pointed at Singapore’s financial district or its malls, especially those along Orchard Road. But nearly half of those surveyed believed Changi Airport would be the likeliest target.

Said private tutor Fred Tan, 57: “We are a centre for air travel, and people can go in and out of the airport easily. You can’t tell who’s a terrorist by how they look.”

About 54 per cent surveyed believe Singapore is prepared for an attack, highlighting the vigilance of the country’s security forces, the number of armed patrols they see at key nodes such as the airport and train stations, and the recent remarks on how the country was stepping up its measures.

On March 18, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said the terror threat level facing Singapore was at its highest in decades, and announced the formation of a new fast-response police team and the beefing up of CCTV coverage at common places across the island.

There will also be efforts aimed at better securing private buildings and major events. “It is no longer a question of whether an attack will take place, but really, when is an attack going to take place in Singapore, and we have to be prepared for that,” said the minister.

Two-thirds of those surveyed also said they were willing to undergo more thorough and increased security checks at places such as the airport, MRT stations and shopping centres. “I don’t mind bag checks and car checks because these are for security purposes, and it is honestly better to be safe than sorry,” said Mr Karan Deep, 30, a waiter. “At the end of the day, if people have nothing to hide, then they should have nothing to worry about either.”

But a small group said they were worried about privacy. “My right to move about without being questioned is important,” said Ms Anne Lemoine, 35, a Canadian engineer who has been living here for seven months.

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But while the country may have the hardware, around 35 per cent wondered if citizens had the heartware to deal with an attack. Many of them believe Singaporeans still are not taking the terror threat seriously enough. “Physically, we are ready, but psychologically, no,” said Mr Nathan Huang, 27, a consultant. Events manager Jasmine Teo, 26, added: “There’s a lot of complacency. Even when we hear a fire alarm in the mall, few would actually react.”

Others worried about the unrest that could arise after an attack.

Mr Daniel Rajan, 57, who is in between jobs, said: “Once there’s a terrorist attack, there may be a reaction against a particular race or religion, and this will definitely threaten our social stability.”

Added Ms Wong Fang Chin, 50, a financial consultant: “Deterrence is definitely a community effort but I feel that many of us keep to ourselves.”

Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng, who is also on the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Home Affairs and Law, believes government initiatives such as SG Secure, which Mr Shanmugam announced, can play a part.

SG Secure, which would be launched later this year, aims to organise and train residents to guard against attacks, and maintain social harmony in the aftermath. “I think we need more drills on the ground, perhaps in the schools, to see if students are ready; and on the ground at the grassroots level – because in case of emergencies, these people will be the liaison officers,” said Mr Ng.

Tampines GRC MP Desmond Choo said counter-terrorism preparation is not just the domain of the Government.

“The fast-evolving threat and modus operandi mean that we need everyone to help in identifying potential ill elements,” said Mr Choo, who is also on the GPC for Home Affairs and Law. “By standing united, we will show that Singapore cannot be defeated by terrorists.”

dansonc@sph.com.sg
rybentan@sph.com.sg
trebecca@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Alexis Ong, Ng Keng Gene, Wong Shiying and Veena Vinod

This article was first published on March 27, 2016.
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The Straits Times

When Mr Lee Kuan Yew was asked how he wanted to be judged by history, he replied: “Ah, history… I’m dead by then.”

That was during an interview in 2009 with the authors of the book Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going.

I remembered thinking at the time that it was so like him: unsentimental to the end, and dead right.

But though he didn’t want to dwell on what that judgment might be, he had plenty to say about the future of this place after his death.

And we the authors were very keen at the time to get him to talk about it, pressing him about this scenario and that.

How did he see Singapore’s politics changing? How long would the People’s Action Party be able to remain in power? How might its demise occur? What will happen in 10, 20 or 50 years from now?

He had agreed to do the book with us because he wanted his views to reach as many people as possible, but especially younger Singaporeans, never mind if they agreed with him or not.

So, on the first anniversary of his death, I thought it fitting to put together those views, not about what he had achieved, but the future which he was so concerned with in his later years.

Some of the following extracts were said in different parts of the year-long interviews we had with him, but for the purpose of this piece, I have edited and put them together.

I think he would have wanted Singaporeans to reflect on what he had to say.

Q How confident are you that Singapore will survive you?

Mr Lee All I can say is I think Singapore is safe for 10 years. No trouble because there’s a team in place that will handle it. Whether it will be 15, 20, 30 years depends on them getting a team of players very soon. Part of the team is in place but you need a leader man. You need somebody who can communicate, who can mobilise people, move people. It’s not enough to have a good policy. You got to convince people.

Q What about beyond 10 years?

Mr Lee I think there will come a time when eventually the public will say, look, let’s try the other side, either because the PAP has declined in quality or the opposition has put up a team which is equal to the PAP and they say, let’s try the other side. It must come.

Q How will it happen?

Mr Lee It depends on when it happens and whether it happens all of a sudden or it happens gradually. If the decline in standards happens gradually, an opposition will emerge of quality. I mean, the public can sense it.

I think the more likely is a gradual evolution because it is most unlikely the way we have evolved the party and the renewal of the party leadership that you will get such a clash of opinions that it will divide the whole leadership, the MPs and the party machinery into two, or into one major part, one minor part.

Q What will happen if it takes place suddenly?

Mr Lee If it is sudden, well, you’re landed with an emergency. In that emergency I think the people will just take somebody like me and a few of those friends and say look, let’s make a bid and stop this from going down the drain.

Q What could possibly make it happen suddenly?

Mr Lee You have a rumpus in the leadership. They disagree profoundly, either for reasons of principle or personality and suddenly it breaks up… I cannot tell you what’s going to be in maybe 20, 30, 40 years, not possible.

We might have a genuine difference of perspective what the future should be, what kind of Singapore will survive and thrive in that future. We might have a clash. I don’t know.

I’ve lived long enough to know that nobody settles the future of his country beyond more than a decade or so of his life. Stalin grabbed the whole of eastern part of Europe, grabbed all the Asian republics right up to Siberia, took Outer Mongolia which belonged to China under his wing. That’s 1945. He’s dead. 1950s or -something, Khrushchev came up. 1992, it dissolved – less than 40 years. They threw up a Gorbachev who never went through a revolution, who did not know that he was sitting on a boiling cauldron.

Q So there’s nothing that can be done to prepare us for that eventuality?

Mr Lee Can anybody tell you how to prevent, from getting a stroke or an accident? That you will eventually die is a certainty, right? But how you will die, nobody can tell you.

Q What is your greatest fear for Singapore?

Mr Lee I think a leadership and a people that has forgotten, that has lost its bearings and do not understand the constraints that we face. Small base, highly, technically, organised, very competent people, complete international confidence, an ability to engage the big boys. You lose that, you’re down. And you can go down very rapidly…

No system lasts forever, that’s for sure. Ten years, I don’t think it’ll happen; 20 years, I can’t say; 30 years, even more I cannot tell you. Will we always be able to get the most dedicated and the most capable, with integrity to devote their lives to this? I hope so but forever, I don’t know.

As I re-read these extracts now, he seemed more tentative and ambivalent about Singapore’s future than I had ever heard him.

Who can tell what might happen beyond 20 years?

The PAP might still be around, but, then again, it might not.

But he had an underlying confidence in the people, that if they sensed Singapore was heading downhill, they would rally around another group and “stop this from going down the drain”.

Of all the things he had said about the future, that’s worth remembering.

This article was first published on March 27, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.