We have fake baby formula milk being sold in the market. We have fake Panadol. We have laksa that killed people. We have liquor that killed even more people. We have scams that have become prevalent. Now, we have daycare centres that tortured and even caused the death of babies and toddlers.

All this is over and above the more mundane occurrences which are no less troubling. For some reason, though, we have grown numb or accustomed to them. I am referring to the frequent fatal landslides, worksite mishaps, contamination of catchment areas, flash floods, and fatal accidents on our roads and highways.

In life, there are probably unavoidable tragedies. But to what extent should we accept these tragedies as fate? To what extent should we start looking at ourselves – our ethical and moral standards, our depravity, incompetence and poor governance?

I don’t think people should die just because they eat a bowl of laksa or drink a glass of cheaper liquor. I don’t think babies or toddlers should die just because their mums and dads need to work to earn a living.

Some businesses and professions have responsibilities far greater than others. If we regulate and monitor the less important ones, I think we should do even more on the more important ones.

We should emphasise more on hygiene and food handling. We should also set more stringent criteria, as well as regulate and monitor commercial drivers the way we monitor other professions that mandate adherence to safety and ethical standards.

We should monitor more closely those running daycare centres, kindergartens and retirement homes. We have heard enough horrendous stories happening in those places.

Similarly, we must pay greater attention to our planning bylaws and environment. We want rapid development but we have largely negated the adverse impacts of disorderly development, dismissing these as an unnecessary hindrance to businesses. Well, the cost of ignoring the environment is high and borne by society at large.

I wish ethics and morality would govern our behaviour. But unfortunately, at this stage of our development, they don’t. We continue to misbehave out of our own selfishness and for our convenience.

Similarly, businesses will continue to circumvent rules and regulations because the cost of not complying is borne by others.

We disdain government regulation and control, more so as they result in more corruption. But have we ever wondered if this is in fact the consequence of our own folly? We violate rules and misbehave, then blame the government for corruption when it comes after us.

The government must enforce behaviour change if people can’t do it on their own. Just look at how Singapore started its cleanliness campaign during the initial years of its nationhood.

The government must facilitate businesses, but not at any cost. It is the job of the government to enforce compliance and manage externalities. Do not surrender everything to business people. It will result in more profiteering, more pollution, and more disorderly development.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.