20 June 2013:
Haze. 煙霾. Смог.
1. I really don't know why people are so upset by the Indonesian minister's remark that we Singaporeans are complaining like little children. Yes it is very awful. However, I really don't think we should be so fixated by that remark itself. At best, just brush it off as foolery.Like what PM said, it isn't 'fruitful' to address such remarks. It's really up to him to say what he wants. I think it's more important that we get this problem solved. He can continue to blabber if he desires, so long as our haze gets better then I don't care.
2. The issue of construction workers and the haze is quite thorny.
3. After much outcry, NEA is finally explaining why it publishes 3-hour average PSI readings instead of hourly ones. Their explanation was that hourly once tend to fluctuate a lot and there may not be a need for concern.
I have been plotting the actual PSI readings and indeed it does have a large range. However, since I'm ultimately not a professional in this area, I can't offer much further comment. Nevertheless, it's worth pointing out that average PSIs may differ by as much as -150 points than the actual PSI.
NEA has said that actually, a 24-hour average PSI reading is more reliable. They would be publishing 24-hour average PSI readings hourly. Again, I can only hope that this is for the better and that we could better analyse the issue at hand.
However, it's worth to note that the NEA could have been much more pro-active in its explanations. Things had actually escalated to a point where people suspected they were doctoring the PSI values just to calm people down. It isn't right to be overly sceptical or even cynical but I guess their initial silence was discomforting.
4. I really do hope that the haze situation can get better. I'm actually forecasting some smashing of the government after this dies down. Yes they faulted on some bits but I guess on the whole they didn't really perform badly (thus far).
So let's see how this plays out. I'm quite sure there are some opportunistic opposition parties who would snatch every chance to attack them, regardless of whether it's fair or not. The Reform Party is one I can think of. ("Let's repatriate all Indonesians in Singapore!", as said by them.)
By the way, what is the Workers' Party's stance on the haze? It is surprisingly silent on this issue. Don't get me wrong, I'm more of a WP supporter but their silence isn't doing themselves good as well. Not that they should act like RP, though.
5. I applaud McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut to suspend delivery services. I really don't understand why some people can be so inconsiderate. Because they are unwilling to go out in the haze, they call for delivery.
In other words, they are getting others to suffer for them, whilst they stay in their air-conditioned (probably) homes and wait for their food. I just don't think it's very right of them to do so, unless somehow that person has breathing difficulties or worse problems.
TTFN.