AQ/ Jaron/ 10S403

The author of passage 1 states that nations with large income inequality gaps have a higher rate of crime and violence. This is somewhat true. With countries involving people of extreme poverty and wealth, the income gap may result in disputes among the two groups due to differences in quality of life. In order for the poorer people to make ends meet, they may resort to crimes such as robbery or kidnap so as to plunder as much money as possible. This large income inequality gap may be the result of globalisation or poor governance on the country's part. Globalisation can cause the rich to become richer and the poor to become poorer due to the advancements in global activities, while poor governance may cause an unequal or unfair distribution of resources and wealth to the people of the country. However in Singapore, the government makes an attempt to close this income inequality gap by offering greater subsidies to patients, based on their income levels, in hospitals and this is known as Means Testing. Poorer families are offered greater subsidies in Class C wards based on their income levels as compared to richer families. This has proven to be effective in bridging the gap in between income levels as a fairer method of offering subsidies among the country's citizens is being implemented. As such, the income inequality gap in Singapore is not a factor of occurence of crime and violence and thus is not applicable to Singapore.

Roy states that riots are occuring in destitute neighbourhoods. This is not always true. Denizens of poor neighbourhoods tend to have a lack in basic necessities such as food, water and proper sanitation due to several reasons such as discrimination. These unfavourable conditions may cause the people to believe that the government is neglecting their neighbourhood. As a result, people may form up parties to riot against the government to show their unhappiness in a bid to receive the necessary and adequate amenities. However in Singapore, the government also aims to provide better housing for its people and eradicate racial discrimination. Basic housing such as Housing Development Board flats are at most equipped with electricity and plumbing. It is also ensured by the government that there is a healthy mix of different races in each flat so as to encourage social and cultural interactions so as to prevent racism. With this improved standard of living for poorer families in Singapore, destitute neighbourhoods are slowly becoming inexistant. As such, this not much of a concern to Singapore.

The two author points may be largely due to the poor governance of a country which in turn cause unhappiness and social unrest among its people and with better governance, crime and violence rates may slowly decline and in turn help the country in the big picture.