22 June 2013
Editor, Forum Page
Straits Times
The recent scramble for the N95 masks and the steep
increase in price reveals the need for the Government to
be prepared for future emergencies.
I suggest a procedure be in place to provide essential
I suggest a procedure be in place to provide essential
items at controlled prices during an emergency. It may be
the N95 mask today, but it could be other items in the
future.
The steps could include:
The steps could include:
- The Government sources for the supplies in bulk at
discounted prices - Offers these items at controlled prices through the
appointed retail chains - Appoint a logistic company to handle the logistics of
distribution and accounting.
If funds have to be provided to the citizens, and more funds
for the poor, it can be credited to their bank account. It is better
for the government to register the bank account of
each citizen that can be used for these money credits.
for the government to register the bank account of
each citizen that can be used for these money credits.
Tan Kin Lian
Excellent comment. The severity of this haze episode caught both the government and the citizens by surprise.
ReplyDeleteI thought maybe the government didn’t want to set a controlled price for masks as it would be construed as declaring an emergency. The reluctance to do so could be motivated by fear of a panic like SARS, leading to a sudden brake on GDP growth, their sacred cow. Maybe why they are asking us to watch the outdated but less ominous PSI instead of the AQI PM2.5.
The lesson for us citizens is to be prepared with masks as part of our home first aid kits or civil defence food stock (how many of us do!).