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  Straits Times Forum 23 Jan 06
Beef up immigration, environment agencies to improve security
 Letter from Lim Boon Hee

I feel that the total defence of Singapore includes these most vital tenets for survival - secure borders, safe food and water, clean air and good vector-control.

Hence the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the National Environment Agency and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority must beef up their manpower resources urgently.

The chronic gridlock at the Causeway and Second Link reflects a dire shortage of officers manning our borders. Overworked workers recalled from their days off and overtime work are not long-term solutions because unhappy, fatigued workers will not be able to perform with tip-top vigilance.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever will spiral out of control again if mosquito breeding grounds are not eradicated by strict and adequate enforcement.

I note the AVA is also facing manpower constraints in its fight against wildlife smuggling. If so how can we be sure that no wild birds carrying the H5N1 virus are being smuggled into Singapore? Or how can Singaporeans accept with confidence AVA's reassurances that our food imports are safe for consumption? Recent scares like the malachite green eels, mad-cow disease beef and heavy metals-contaminated salmon come to mind regarding the importance of stringent checks on food entering Singapore.

I urge the government to exempt the NEA and ICA from the annual 3 per cent manpower cut. There are still many over-40s Singaporeans who need jobs but are turned away by prospective employers because of their age and low education level.

The government should consider a mass recruitment drive for NEA and ICA, train and offer jobs to this segment of our population, if not on full-time then on part-time basis.

To protect our twin exposed Achilles heels, we must take immediate drastic measures to beef up our environment and borders.

We don't want Jemaah Islamiah terrorists to infiltrate and bomb us, or people carrying the Sars or bird-flu viruses undetected into Singapore because of under-manned borders. Neither is it acceptable for us to have dengue and avian flu fatalities escalating out of control because of under-enforcement and carcinogenic foods entering our market due to inadequate surveillance and manpower constraints.

The present world is no longer a safe place as human and natural enemies adapt and evolve into more deadly elements.

Lim Boon Hee
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