WTF is Up with All These Rules?

I swore I would stop my Singapore bashing rants and give the place half a chance to grow on me. But I just got to say - the place just drives me nuts sometimes.

I thought it was just a joke when people talked about Singapore and its myriad of rules and regulations and red tape. But 2 months since spending almost all my time in this little republic, I'm starting to see it ain't that much of a laughing matter after all.

Take driving for instance. I was trying to turn right at a junction, but saw a small yellow sign JUST BEFORE the turning that said something like "Right turning allowed, but only from 7pm to 6.00am and on weekends except on public holidays.." or something like that. Between driving up to the sign and deciding if I'm taking a turn, I need to check the time, the day or and if it's a public holiday. WTF?

I park my car at a public car park, and it's either cash card or coupon system. But the coupons only go up to 1 dollar, which last an hour. So, if I want to park for the whole day, from 9.00 to 6.00, I need to manuall punch NINE coupons.. with the correct year, date and time.. and neatly display them in my window. One wrong punch, and your coupon is screwed. Night parking is free in some places, chargeable in others, and not allow at others. Some places, it’s free only on weekends and after 8.00pm. And you MUST use the 2 dollar night parking coupons. And the 2 dollar coupons can't be used in the day time. WTF?

I try getting registered with the HDB as an official tenant (since it’s a HDB rule that all tenants are supposed to be registered else the owner goes to jail), and hit a snag. HDB rules asked for a minimum of 6 months valid work permit to quality, but the MOM (Ministry of Manpower) says my nature of work qualifies under a Work Permit Exempt Pass, issued on a 2 month basis and extendable upon request. HDB establishes that I am indeed working and staying in the country legally, but I aren’t allow to stay in the HDB because of this rule. But I CAN stay as a guest. And if HDB finds any illegal immigrants staying in the flats, the illegals get deported, and the house owner pays a fine and goes to jail – for not practicing due diligence. To make things easier, I could I stay in a condominium since Condo’s aren’t under the HDB but are consider private management. I try staying at the Condo and they tell me that visitors aren’t allow to park overnight more than 3 nights in a row in a week. WHY? What do you mean WHY? That’s the rules! WTF?

I go for a safety training, and they lay out all the rules of the land. Fines for this, fines for that. Jail for this, jail for that. Robbing someone’s house and it’s a 3 year jail sentence. But do it in the day time, it’s only 2. If your boss asks you to work on a weekend, you should be paid double. But if you requested it, you get paid normal wage.  But you aren’t allowed to exceed certain number of hours a month, else everyone goes to jail. Then they show you a bunch of foreign workers playing football, telling you Singapore is a wonderful place to work and earn your money, just don’t break any of the laws. I went to university, and even I can’t remember all of them. How are simple labourers going to remember so many wordy legistation? WTF?

If you’re drive Singaporean car, you have to fill your tank at least ¾ full before leaving the country into Malaysia. If you’re re-entering Singapore, you aren’t allow to fill in more than 20 litres of petrol before entering the country. If you’re a Malaysian car, you pay 20 dollars flat every day and 5 dollars apply if you pass through any ERP Gantry points. But if your car stays more than 14 days in a row, there is a small fee / fine or some sort you need to pay. Singaporean PR’s aren’t allowed to drive Malaysian registered cars, even if he is a Malaysian, with a Malaysian driving license. WTF?

I try buying mobile broadband for a colleague. And find out that for Employment pass holders, all you need is your passport and copy of your work pass. But if you’re a work permit holder, you will require to give a 200 dollar deposit, 3 months bank account statement, proof of mailing address, copy of work permit and copy of passport. If you want to buy the Pre-paid package, it’s only sold in selected outlets, which you can find online. I haven’t found out if there are any other requirements to buy pre-paid broadbands. WTF?

It’s not hard to understand why so many Singaporeans want to leave the country. It’s a freaking birdcage with lots and lots of rules.