http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A8100797-B0E5-4440-BDCC-6FBADEBEAD9D.htm

In the recent mining accident that happened in China, 181 miners were left trapped in the mine due to unexpected flooding. Although government authorities claim that it was a natural disaster, many relatives of those miners feel that the government is not putting any rescue effort and this has sparked riots.

While you may feel that this kind of accidents happen often and should not be bothered about, I beg to differ. Not only are the lives of the people at stake here but the integrity of the government officials in China are also being questioned. The relatives of the miners have been kept in the dark ever since the flood had left 181 miners trapped and the authorities have made no attempt to inform them of anything. I feel that it is the duty of the authorities to inform relatives as they would be misplacing the trust of the relatives if they do not do so. I believe that people are certainly able to empathize with these people. How would one feel if their loved ones are trapped and no one is doing anything about it?

As China’s economy continues to grow at an increasing rate, it is important to realize that even though China’s economy is doing very well, there are still many socials problems in China. Unless China can solve these problems, the citizens of China would continue to suffer. In the future, China is set to become one of the most powerful countries in the world with its booming economy, however, how can a country ever progress if even safety in the country is in doubt? Instead of blaming such disasters on nature and avoiding the problem, China government officials should be taking full responsibility and try to solve the problem. This is not the first time such accidents had happened and many lives had already been lost in the past. Yet, the government has done nothing about it.

Many of these miners are already from poor families. Yet, they still have to risk their lives being lost just to earn enough money for their family to live. In China, polarization happens at extremes. On one hand, there are people in China rich enough to go on holidays while on the other hand, there are also people who do not even have the money to eat a meal once a day. As we can see from this article, miners are being sent into the nearly 1000m deep even though the flooding threat was growing. Is this a case of corruption? Why couldn’t the mining company had got the miners to safety before it was too late? I feel that the rich people in China are corrupted and often use their wealth to control the poor. Unless this social issues are solved, I just cannot see how China’s society can continue to progress as a nation.

In conclusion, I feel that although the disaster was an accident, the minister should not be trying to deflect the criticism but take full responsibility for it and make sure measures are taken to make sure it does not happen again.


Samson
Never Give Up!!!

6:20 PM

http://news.asiaone.com/
News/The+Straits+Times/Story/ERP+extended+to+more+roads.html


Recently, a total of 12 new ERP (Electronic road pricing) gantries were erected in many parts of Singapore such as Toa Payoh, Kallang and other roads which are often congested during peak hours. 1 new gantry would start operating in the mornings when it opens on Oct 26th at the first stretch of the New Kallang-Paya Lebar expressway while 4 others would be activated from Nov 1st. The rest of the gantries would be erected but only activated when it is deemed necessary.

The government’s rationale for opening more ERP gantries is simple, to reduce the traffic congestion in many roads in Singapore due to the increasing number of people owning cars in Singapore. From 2006-2007, there was an increase of about 7% on the number of vehicles in Singapore, the greatest jump in many years. Without the implementation of more ERP gantries, there could be serious consequences. Not only does traffic congestion affect drivers, but it would also affect Singapore’s image as a country with efficient transport due to the time wasted. Many businesses would be affected as much time would be wasted on transport alone and the efficiency would be affected. In this way, the ERP does have its benefits as it would benefit us in the long run.

However, the view from the general public might be completely contrasting. With the implementation of ERP, drivers have to “pay” a small fee ranging from $1 to $2.50 during peak hours in order to use the road. Thus, many drivers are not happy as even though this might be a small amount, it amounts to a lot of money in the long term as many people drive to work every day. On the other hand, I feel that the negatives of ERP has been greatly exaggerated by Singaporeans as this small fee is really not much to many drivers. The fact that he or she is an owner of a car proves that they are not poor and would not affect their financial income even in the long run. So why can’t they afford a small fee from ERP?

ERP is not the only way to solve the problem of road congestion in Singapore. In fact, has the implementation of ERP really solved the problem? Last year, the increase of ERP rates has resulted in many drivers detouring to other roads to avoid the payment. However, this was only short term as many of these roads became congested soon afterwards as drivers feel that the fuel usage of using taking such detours would even be more than the amount that they have to pay through ERP.

Therefore, a better solution could be the construction of new roads to ease the traffic congestions in certain roads. Perhaps with the construction of other efficient roads, drivers would not be congested on 1 road. In the long term, this would allow drivers other alternatives and ease the traffic congestion during peak hours. However, I do understand the shortcomings on this problem. The government might not be willing to construct such roads due to the fact that it would be costly and also due to the lack of land space in Singapore.

In conclusion, although ERP does have its advantages, it might yet to be the best solutions to the traffic congestion in Singapore. After all, Albert Einstein once said that “When the solution is simple, God is answering.”

Never Give Up!!!

Samson

6:13 PM