I know I'm slow. I was told two Indian foreign workers were arrested for setting up their barber shops on the street. From what I read, these barbers were completely rampaged by the MOM & NEA alliance, who formed a 15 men zerg and stacked might before portal bombing on the hapless noobs. The foreign workers dropped their tools (and probably their pants and balls as well) and fled but was caught anyway.
Although impressive, the performances of our authorities have been largely inconsistent. On some days they could successfully round up opposition party members wearing t-shirts saying, "Tak Boleh Tahan!", on another they couldn't catch a limping terrorist. Or a xiao zhar bor Malaysian lady driving through customs. I guess you win some, you lose some. That explains why on good days, NEA detected uncleaned ceilings and pwned two Indian barbers but failed to catch two Gutter Oil Miners on one of their bad days. It is slightly awkward when anyone realise street barbers don't really hurt the Singaporean population and we will rather the NEA folks zerg the oil people down in that stylo-milo fashion. Unfortunately for Singaporeans, they didn't and the PRC couple live to pump another day.
An orderly society like Singapore is a god-send but I do not believe in the extremes. That was why I couldn't last long in civil service because I could not put away my rationality to perform my job and sleep well at night. In the eyes of the law, the Indian Barbers had broken employment laws and thus had to be busted. To the average onlooker like me, they had done nothing wrong to hurt anybody.
They do not obstruct the walkway - because the roads leading to their almost quarantined dormitories were never used by any members of the public. You'll know what I mean if you ever visited any foreign workers dormitory.
They do not affect businesses - Unless anyone can prove to me any citizens patronize these Indian barbers, I cannot be convinced their little business affected any legitimate barber shops in the neighbourhood. Their clients were foreign workers themselves, who would never had gone to the barber shops anyway and would rather get their friends to hack their hair away with a parang than to pay half of what they earn in a day for a haircut. I had worked with so many of them before and I know exactly what I am talking about.
They do not evade tax - the Government requires every business to be registered so that they can be regulated and taxed. Obviously these barbers' annual net profit will not go beyond the taxable bracket anyway.
Yes they do not pay rental and that is unfair to any business operator. But we must be deluded to believe small hobby businesses like that can survive if we make them to pay market rental rates. Think about it, if that kills off foreign Indian Barbers, it kills off local entrepreneurs as well. Are we going to arrest teenagers opening online blog shops next because they created competition to retails but got away tax and rent free?
If anything, NEA should reserve their military prowess for the alliance with the police, MOH and MOM for regular Geylang raids instead. Or at least, go after Oil & Gas talents with a bit more zest. As a short-lived ex-civil servant, I clearly know the civil service does not have unlimited resources. All the more they should be placing priorities in areas where it matters most, instead of winning meaningless battles for bragging rights.
