By LM — Our society is unfair. The scales are tipped in favor of the wealthy and the ruling class, while the poor are left to bear the burden of a system that is supposed to protect them.
When a forklift operator was found to have been collecting bribes of $0.10-$1, he was ordered to pay a penalty of $4870. Similarly, when another forklift operator accepted bribes from truck drivers to jump the queue, his work permit was cancelled and he was charged with a $10,863 fine with 2-weeks jail time. Moreover, both were publicly named and shamed on our news platforms.
Compare this to the recent news about SPH, who have been found to be cheating their clients by scamming advertisers into believing that they were paying for eyeballs that did not exist. This corruption is worth millions of dollars. This news would not have been made public if not for Wake Up, Singapore, an independent media. Similarly, 6 senior management members of the Keppel Offshore & Marine Company who were involved in conspiring and alleged bribing foreign consultants in Brazil (amounting to $73million) were only issued stern warnings.
Where is the justice here?
There is nothing wrong with punishing those who are wrong. However, there needs to be consistency. We shouldn’t be letting the wealthy corrupt individuals think that they can get away lightly with such acts. They should not think that their behavior is acceptable. We should not be sweeping their mistakes under the carpet.
This double standard really undermines the public’s trust in our justice system. When people see the powerful getting away with crimes, they will naturally see that the world is against them. Is this the kind of society that our government wants?
