The outcry over Changi Airport continues 3 weeks after the result of an international survey showed that Changi Airport has dropped 2 ranks from 1st to 3rd in the survey.
Now I always find it amusing that Singapore is so obessed with ranking. We pride ourselves on being first or the best in all sort of surveys like best worker, best ports, and we go and do all sort of weird stunts to be in the Guiness Book of World Records - biggest dumpling, biggest mass display...... We ranked our schools and now we are going to rank town councils.
Does everything need to be ranked? It is really so important to have the best airport, best port, best worker blah blah blah and if we can't win, is it such a terrible things that we have to agonize over it for so many weeks.
Come on, I like Changi Airport and I think it's great but seriously, for those who have traveled often enough, yes Changi Airport is great. It's big, efficient and near to the city but you know - it lacks something. Just think back to when was the last time an immigration officer smiled at you or said 'Welcome back' to you? Contrast this with said Australia or Thailand and you will know what I mean.
I think at the end of the day, it does not matter what ranking we are but whether our heart and soul is behind those ranking. Just look at Chinatown. It's so sterile now the Government might want to consider submitting it to whichever World authority for 'Cleanest, neatest' Chinatown in the world.
My point is - ranking - be it of infrastructure, schools or town councils is not important. What is important is that these organisation behind it delivers what it is supposed to do in the most cost economical and efficient way and with a great smile. It sure will make a helluva start of a day to be greeted enthusiastically by the bus driver or the MRT staff. And as they said, a smile a day makes the doctor go away!
Sadly this is what our society has become ;(
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, I must say that some immigration do greet passengers upon their return.