Heeding the Marine Parade senior minister’s call for more sub-committees to be formed to look into social issues, an elderly regular (ex-accountant) at our Kopitiam Smoking Corner suggested that we set up such sub-committees focusing on issues faced by unique segments of our society, starting with the Elderly Sick Men (ESM), Tampon Picking Ladies ( TPL ) and the Casket-Carrying Soldiers ( CCS ). An ex-army RSM was against the idea : ..”Isn’t this what we are doing now, at our own time, own target? “
Ex-accountant : “ Sub-committees will exist in form ; not substance….with funding from our RCs. Our kopitiam sessions will be reported as committee meetings… with quarterly reviews written to their expectations….” .
A middle-aged importer of Shandong peanuts (RC volunteer) quickly latched on with : “ Brilliant! … We will all sit in the sub-committees. Our morning coffee/toast/egg will be charged to ESM; our afternoon stout /beer paid by TPL ; and our XO Sauce carrot cake under CCS account.”…… Ex-accountant, cackling : “ This is our first step towards a piece of their 50th anniversary mega pie.”
The mid-week morning session was then distracted by an approaching PRC lady. Spotting a lone smoker, she sounded him out with offers of exclusive physical workouts. RC volunteer mused : “ Instead of bagging soiled tampons with my MP, I’ll rather pick this trash.”
A police, on his way to duty at Blk 74 NPP, greeted the smokers ….. the lone smoker was too dazed to acknowledge. As the PRC lady shifted her focus from elderly to younger targets, I excused myself from the session and continued cycling to ECP. During a smoke-break at the Bedok Jetty, my mind drifted to the lady politician’s battle against prostitution in Geylang…. and I started to worry about my reservist mate from the 1980s aka Lao Tua.
I met Lao Tua the next evening at his watering hole in Geylang……he is a 3nd generation brothel operator….has other businesses built upon earlier wealth from the opium trade. I started off by asking:
“Despite her various commitments (senior consultant in SGH, lecturer/trainer at universities/polytechnic, SCDF, sits in various committees etc), your lady MP still manages to patrol Geylang twice a week…..isn’t it dangerous for a lady to do so?”
… “Ah Sir, she’s a spinster nearing 50, a lot of free time. My boys said she recently patronized our foodcourt with her entourage of 8….they only realized that the short hair/long pants guy was a lady when she placed order for her drink. So, I guess it is perfectly safe even if she visits Geylang alone.”
“ She’s crying that she is doing many things, resolving many ground issues, within HER capabilities as ONE person, ONE MP, ONE woman.…in her battle to clean up Geylang. “
… “Quite true. The RCs are with her primarily for the free meals/drinks and to bask in the spotlights. Her security personnel are paid to tag along only. We do have serious ground issues to raise but her patrol timings and routes are a mystery to us. My main grouse is the constant harassment of my female customers by the auxiliary police (Certis?), especially on nights when the foodcourt is packed and the ladies had to hang around while waiting for empty seats…..our Sichuan dishes/Qingtao beer are so irresistible…. luckily all our Ah Tiong customers have the grace to invite the ladies to share the tables, and even let them sit on their laps when there’s no available seats.”
“Your MP said that if prostitution is to continue in Geylang, it should be kept indoors, regulated etc etc. The rotund top cat claimed that he has Geylang under control but he needs more policemen and more money to continue playing the cat-and-mouse game. What’s happening?”
… “Since 1970’s, my brothels/ladies are licensed/regulated by the relevant agencies. My ladies go for their regular medical tests (compulsory, no subsidy) at government institutions…they have 7 rest-days per 28 days cycle, free food / lodgings etc. We pay taxes , including hefty fines/penalties from the authorities for any screwed medical test results….. As long as we pay our fees / levies / dues, we are deemed to be social service providers and social service workers….” Lao Tua paused to reminisce the good old days ….…
… “Our customers in the past were mostly locals;.. we have Thai ladies for the budget conscious; Chinese Malaysian ladies for the PMETs. And it was widely accepted that foreigners will pay double …. Now, 80% of the evening crowd in Geylang are Ah Tiongs. …. Initially , majority were construction workers; our Thai ladies were so busy undressing that they stopped wearing underwears… then the China ladies in their 30s appear on the streets …. and the dirty money started to flow into the properties/coffeeshops; ….more Ah Tiongs came, then, more China ladies but much younger in the 20s and this attracts an increasing number of younger and better educated Ah Tiongs. Every segments of the Ah Tiongs community are thriving, feeding off each other…… and Geylang is becoming another Chinatown. “
…”Singapore has changed so much, starting with Lao Goh’s open-leg policy,…... my lady MP has no issue with our licensed open-leg trade…. Her issue is with those legs which open without permit from the government agencies. It’s all about self-serving interests driven by insatiable greed.”
…”If all the illegal prostitutes in this land are approved as indoor social workers, the government’s coffer will be richer by many millions. …..she will be a full minister in no time…but only in her dreams. In this cat-and-mouse game, the playground is not confined to Geylang…. “ ……. and he obliged me with more details after I assured him that only skeletal info will be divulged ::….
…. Officially, his dragon boys are in charge of the lawful brothels, he collects rentals as landlord. Same landlord-tenant format for the illegal operations in the central / eastern regions…..to house the PRC ladies only. Mostly regular or recommended clients. Time-based (eg HDB construction worksite, abt $300/hr) or client-based ( $150 to 4-figure / service) or offshore-based (cruise ships, overseas trips etc) . One of the partners in his F&B business (new citizen) relies on his pricier PRC ladies to service visiting officials / VIPs from China. Some of the streetwalkers are PRs with young kids….many sad stories were narrated to me...
Feeling sleepy (too much drinks?), I said goodnight to Lao Tua and wondered : "If ESM Goh said that Shandong is a good place to invest, then why are there so many PRCs from Shandong coming over here to seek their fortunes?"
MockingJay
TRS Contributor