‘Heckling’ at HLP – What would Ravi say?

Looks like Ravi is going have more businesses than he can handle at the rate things are happening. Roy and Han Hui Hui are going to need his help again after the ‘heckling’ incident on 27 Sep. A lot of heat has been generated and a lot of strong words have been uttered in the heat of the moment. In nature when dogs are in heat, nothing goes into the head except emotions and animal lust. Some people are going to regret for saying things they should not be saying. I am going to avoid participating and contributing more vile comments to the situation. 

I was there at Hong Lim and without getting ‘emo’ and with the benefit of hindsight, I must admit I don’t have much foresight, at best not further than the tip of my nose, but I would like to pose a few questions that were shared with me by some senior gentlemen. Ok, the seniors may not be too careful and may be irresponsible with their money, but for an event like this, the wisdom of age counts, much better than boys and girls in heat, definitely. 

And these are what they said, or the questions they thought Ravi would be asking should he have to appear in court on behalf of Roy and Hui Hui. Ravi would likely be asking the judge, ‘Your Honour, if a reasonable man were to know that there is going to be a mass protest in Hong Lim Park, what would he do?’ 

The facts are as follows: The Return Our CPF protest had ever attracted 5000 protestors and averaged about 1,000. And from hindsight, such protest can turn violent even if the participants are old uncles and aunties. They are very nice people for sure. But there is no guarantee that their behaviour would be as expected. They could be provoked by saboteurs. 

‘Would anyone approve another event involving vulnerable young children and senior citizens that could add another one or two thousand people in the park? Would the organiser be putting these young children and senior citizens in a situation when their safety could be compromise?’ Remember that a friendly picnic at East Coast Park was not approved by the sensible police for fear of unexpected incident, like people rushing to meet the MP. Here we are talking about a mass protest, not a picnic. 

‘A second question your Honour, would it be so easy and appropriate to inform the second party applying to hold their event that the park was already booked for another mass event?’ 

Would someone think it is wise, if Han Hui Hui was the subsequent applicant, to tell here to book another date? There was no strong reason for her to die die must hold it on the 27 Sep to clash with the other event. Did someone bother to tell her that the other group were vulnerable people that could even be scare of big crowds and loud noise? If she were to know that such an event was being held, it was likely that she would change the date of her event. 

Or, if the organiser of the event for children and seniors were to know that there was a protest on the same day, would it not be reasonable for them to avoid taking any undue risk and change to another date? Would they think that the safety of the children and seniors are paramount and they could not afford to expose them to unnecessary risk? 

I think these are very straight forward and simple questions that Ravi would likely ask if he were to be in court for this ‘heckling’ incident. Ravi does not even need to think like a genius to ask these simple and reasonable questions. If ordinary senior citizens could ask such questions, any reasonable person would be able to ask them as well. And the answers are obvious, and the two events would never have been allowed to be held at the same time and same place, and riskimg some uncomfortable and unacceptable incident to happen.