People from all wards of life came together to lend a helping hand to those who might be more affected by the haze, by distributing masks and herbal tea to their neighbours. Some even offered to open their own air-conditioned spaces to individuals and families without such privileges.
Government was somehow on task to tackle the haze crisis. PM Lee set up an Inter-Agency Haze Task Force to focus on protecting public health and safety as well as to co-operate with Indonesia in handling the fallout from the haze. The environment minister even went to the extent of flying over to Indonesia to personally deliver PM Lee’s letter to President SBY and held a frank constructive meeting.
We can also see that the government is prepared for times of emergencies. I am sure that they have been continuously replenishing emergency stockpile whenever it expires. Or else how were they able to get 9 million N95 masks in such a short period of time? Singapore Army Officers are always on stand-by mode, and have a humanitarian side. They were willingly to work day and night to deliver 1 million N95 masks to the People's Association and various constituencies around Singapore.
It is also encouraging to see MPs going around the estate, giving out free masks to low-income households and teaching them how to wear N95 mask properly.
I applaud the good management and efforts from the government and Singaporeans in handling the recent haze situation. I am now able to see the clear blue skies again!
However, there are still areas for improvement.
Some Singaporeans need to change their selfish behaviour. They should not be hoarding masks, buying more than what they need. Do they actually know that they are depriving others’ chances of getting the mask? They need to care for others, giving chances to those who really need to buy, such as those with respiratory problems.
Shameless shop owners should also stop selling masks at mark-up price, trying to gain extra profit from the situation. There is a saying profiteering during emergencies, what greedy shop owners are doing is not a 'business' but an unscrupulous de-service to the public during this haze period. It is best to boycott these shops till they lower down their prices. In fact all shop owners should have a charitable heart when doing business, as it will help to build a good image of their shop name.
The government could also maybe consider implementing a new law that prevents retailers from overpricing products at times of crisis. In fact at times of any crisis, essential products should be sold at cost price and given out for free to the poor ones. Any retailers who were caught for overpricing during time of crisis will definitely need to face punishments.
With contingency plans and co-operation from Singaporeans and the government, I am sure that Singapore is better to tackle future haze situations, minimizing the inconvenience.