It has affected us, Singaporeans a bit.
Most Singaporeans received MMS from the telco companies sending us pictures of him, to keep alongside with pictures of our family and friends on our handphone.
And leaving Singapore is quite trying. I was stuck in a jam at the Tuas Checkpoint for 2 whole hours! last Sunday, because of police checks. They require the thumbprint of every single adult going out of Singapore. Perhaps, inspired by western movies like Face Off, they are afraid that Mas Selamat may disguise himself as someone else. Nevermind if you are an old, hunched chinese lady with small eyes - you still have to get your thumbprint taken. Hey.. who knows..
The choice of colours for clothes worn by Singaporeans are also affected. I don't think anyone in Singapore will put on any yellowish top and brown pants, so as not to be mistaken for the escapee (he escaped in those).
And if you have just injured your leg during a soccer game or something, it's not a good idea to go out and be seen walking with a limp. A Bangladeshi guy who is here to have his bad leg treated, had the police on high alert and on a search mission around the place where he is staying, because someone saw him walking with a limp and alerted the police.
In the meantime, some Singaporeans have started a whole string of jokes via sms and via email. This normally happens when there is a big issue in the country. I guess it's their way of overcoming their fears or frustrations or... Examples below.
SMS example:
"He is believed to have escaped to Malaysia or Indonesia, because the governments in these countries have signs up "Selamat Datang!"
And this one by email :
Harmless jokes aside, I thought about how his family is doing, with the news of his escape. They must be worried sick. They would be more relieved if he was in prison, not because they would like him to be there, but just because it is more dangerous for him to be out there. I can't imagine how he'll find food and clothes and where he sleeps.
May Allah save us from unwanted bombing incidents like those happening in Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries. Ameen.
*Update (2 hrs later)*
No, no..he has not been caught.
But I just read the papers just now and I feel guilty. I was complaining about how i was stuck for 2 whole hours!. Apparently the truck drivers mostly from Malaysia, have been stucked in the jam on both exit points for a lot more longer than I have. Some were stuck since Tuesday, and they are not even near the customs checkpoint yet. It's quite an eye opener actually - how difficult some people's job is. Their pay is affected, they are being scolded by the bosses who don't believe that anyone could be stuck in a jam for that long. I wonder how long more we will be faced with these things.
Maybe Singapore should just announce to stop all exports by road.
Even now it's crawling out. Then, the drivers need not have to wait there for days.
Yes, that one man's disappearance, it seems, can affect the country's economy.
9 comments:
ayoyo, saspen
oop.. tak bermaksud nak kasi saspen.
waah.. i went melaka... nampak baaaaaaaanyak flags - BN, PAS, DAP(?).. berkobar2.. i pun jadi excited.
Salam Madame Monssel,
Pardo me,but I jes cant stop giggling on the cleverly made poster.Who on earth have that creative idea?
Cant resist but to save it.
Cool the tittle too.A combination of one of fav oldies movie starring Clift EastWood 'Alcartraz'
'Kun Faya Kun' dear.Sorry
to hear you were stuck on the jamm.Me it is everyday hazadous.We have a term here,kalau jumpa dihighway everyday waktu yang sama its our 'Jam Mate.
Happy days to you and family.
p.s bila you mai Melaka.Tak Habak pun.
hanya kerana seorang lelaki.
comellah tapinya jenaka itu! hehehe.
pak tuo,
haha.. jam mate.
ntahlah.. tak tahu siapa yg buat gambar tu. actually ada jugak beberapa gambar lain yang kelakar.
pegi melaka hari tu.. impromptu.
am,
ya.. jejaka itu. sounds like a good movie title.. 'jejaka itu'
Mas Selamat's elder brother works in our company. Kesian dia and his family sebab the authorities geledah their home the last time 2 years or so ago when they were looking for him when he escaped to Indonesia. Now they stay in Johor but he still works here. And no. He is not a terrorist.
Salamz kak...
from the many blogs that I read, there were soooo many that onli made fun of Mas Selamat...Urs is the first one that expressed worry for his family...it's good to know that there are pple out there who cares for them even when mereka sememangnyer saling tak mengenali...the stress that his family is in rite now is unimaginable...esp for his wife... mana nak fikir yang suami nie entah ke mana...mana nak fikir tentang anak2 dier... (ok...dah panjang lebar pulak)
Ur right abt ppl making jokes when they are under stress or frustrated. Here in Msia, election baru habis. Results are out and all sorts of political jokes are circulated via sms and email.
methinks its the telco co who probably spend many sleepless nights trying to come out wth them so that we the hp owners will keep on forwarding them to our frens.
In the end they make all the $$$.
take care
wardah!
long time no see.
ya la.. i terpikirkan family dia.. i tak tahu how old anak2 dia semua.. tapi kalau ada kawan2 yang tahu siapa father diorang...i'm sure diorang stressed jugak. kesian.
May they all be strong. Ameen.
bluewonder,
u pun.. sibuk ke sejak bukak sekolah this year? :p
You have an interesting theory... in the end the telco co has the last laugh - all the way to the bank.
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