“Strange” business going around at HDB flat: Behaviour
June 20, 20111. No crime without intent. The converse is crime with intent to cover-up as in the case.
2. The neighbourhood police left out in their investigation the-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour mentioned in the owner’s letters to the President and the Police.
3. Their letter stated they were unable to find evidence of alleged noise or criminal offence but reminded the neighbour to exercise consideration and tolerence. There was nothing on the-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour who watched out for the neighbour that caused the owner to write to the President and the Police in the first place.
4. The-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour has much significance. It implied they knew about the neighbour and were there to catch them. Once a deal was made with the neighbour their attention turned to the owner. Since moving into the flat after the owner’s first Meet-the-People Session in ’08, they remain there for more than three years now.
5. All letters from HBO (Head, Pasir Ris HDB Branch Office) was a pretence. His letters stated no excessive noise during their inspections and the owner may engage his solicitor if the noise persisted. He did not address any of the issue raised to MPs; in a bcc to the Residents Committee Chairman after their visit to the flat across the neighbour, he asked the Chairman to explain good neighbourliness to the owner; and after the owner’s email to PM he replied to a letter from the area’s MP, which he kept for two months, just to let the owner know he knew about the email.
6. To the owner it is a fact the neighbour works from their flat, the-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour protects them, and HBO has considerable influence in the matter. Their behaviours show intent at cover-up. The government needs only check the background of the neighbour and the-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour to understand.
7. Although noise is down, the neighbour continues with their work. Noise could be heard early in the morning, late at night, in the small hours, and most in the afternoon; noise is sharp or muffled; noises are rumble, knock, drag and thump. The causes: a) the flat is a place of work as the neighbour does not live-in, b) work is carried out around the clock, c) machine-tools are used, and d) the-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour maintains a hold of the situation.
8. High officials could take down the stationing of the-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour since they are a problem not a solution. The owner heard much less noise when they were not around for two weeks from 5 Aug 10 to 18 Aug 10. The possibility of enforcement caused the neighbour to be cautious.
9. The owner is certain of cover-up from events since ’97. He kept faith with the system by going to HDB Branch Office, Meet-the-People Session, and writing up his observations. But there was no response from HDB or the Ministry of National Development. He also wrote to Public Service Commission and the post Petition was addressed to high officials.
10. It was somewhat of a relief the President and Ministers responded and insiders assisted although the problem is not solved. A characteristic of a bureaucratic organisation is that if they do not want to act they could find ways not to do it. It then depends on the top people to uphold good practice. Practice is the first part of a three-parts virtue. The other two are narration and tradition according to MacIntyre.
11. Insight. The term ‘political culture’ refers to an underlying set of values held by most people living in a particular country concerning political behaviour, one important aspect of which is the degree of trust which citizens have in their political leaders.
Alternative views concerning political culture. Liberal theorists suggest that a country’s political culture is fashioned by its unique historical development and is transmitted across the generations by a process termed ‘political socialization’. Agencies such as the family, schools, the media and political parties are responsible for instructing citizens in such beliefs and values.
Marxists, however, tend to view political culture as an artificial creation rather than the product of history. They view political culture as an ideological weapon through which society is indoctrinated to accept views which are in the interests of its dominant classes (defined as those who own the means of production).
Understand Politics (2010), Peter Joyce, Teach Yourself series.
