Periscope July 2021 Summary

Written by: Elizabeth Khoo Yuk Min (21-U1), Katelyn Joshy (21-U1), Rakshita Murugan (21-E1), Tiew Zuo Yuan Richard (21-I2), Zuo Yuning (21-A1), Aaron Wong Jielun (21-I4)

Designed by: Katelyn Joshy (21-U1)

Here’s July’s edition of bitesized current affairs, a monthly summary of the happenings around the world! From an interesting gauge of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to speculation on Poland’s exit from the EU and even the next-door KTV cluster, we have all the news for you.

Global  

Tokyo Olympics 2020 Begins! 

The long awaited 2020 Tokyo Olympics has finally begun, except that it is now 2021 and the expected 40 million international fans and tourists leave the Japanese stadiums vacant.

Many have taken to social media to document their fanatic following on the Tokyo Olympics games, raving about the glory behind the sports, the heartwarming sportsmanship and drama of the Olympians, and the beautiful infrastructure of the Olympic village Japan has put together just for this long-awaited event.

However, the social and environmental consequences are not to be forgotten. Over 300 Japanese homes have been forcibly relocated by the Japanese government to accommodate the Games, and the building, transport and accommodation costs for the Olympic athletes has only added on to the hefty price tag that is borne by the Japanese government — upwards of 26 million USD. The number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo have also risen to upwards of 3000, of which numerous were caused by the spike in Olympian-related cases. Therefore, a question comes to mind when reviewing the rationality behind hosting such a large-scale international sporting event in the midst of a pandemic: is it really worth it?

South African unrest 

As of Thursday, 22 July, the government has reported 337 deaths due to the increasing unrest in South Africa.

Most incidents of unrest are in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, home province and support base of former president Jacob Zuma, and Gauteng, where capital Pretoria and main city Johannesburg are located.

The unrest originated from the Constitutional Court’s decision to sentence Zuma to 15 months in prison after he refused to turn up for trials for corruption allegations on 8th of July. Zuma supporters were infuriated, and hence decided to launch a series of protests throughout the country.

While Zuma’s prison sentence was a trigger to the widespread unrest,  long-standing, systemic issues like poverty, unemployment and wealth inequality have created deep resentment and could be the underlying cause for these violent protests.

Both explanations exemplify how political fragmentation among the electorate can endanger the legitimacy of the ruling government, and reveal how economic problems can erode social stability.

The army has been deployed in worst affected areas to suppress unrest, but until the root causes of violence are addressed, there can be no true stability in South Africa.

Poland’s speculated exit from the EU  

They are calling it Polexit, a portmanteau of ‘Poland’ and ‘Exit’. The issue started in 2017, when the international media speculated over Poland's intentions to leave the EU. Later in 2019, Poland's Supreme Court warned that judicial reforms could result in having to leave the EU. Currently, the conflict has reached a fever pitch with the Poles becoming ever determined to leave. 

Here are some reasons for why: 

1. Poland’s values are out of sync with many other EU countries

          The PiS is currently the largest political party in the Polish parliament, helmed by party leader, Jarosław Aleksander Kaczyński. Whether be it the EU rule of law, climate goals, abortion or protection of LGBTQI rights — many PiS politicians see it as the EU imposing “Western” or “liberal” values on conservative and Christian Poland. The conflicting beliefs and values makes it difficult for Warsaw and Brussels to find common ground on policies. For instance, the Polish government recently opposed a gender equality plan for EU foreign policy and the bloc’s artificial intelligence strategy because they included the word “gender.”

1. There’s rising anti-EU sentiment amongst government backers

Most Polish officials do not like the EU, its institutions and the officials behind it.

Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s current prime minister, made a recent speech to the Polish parliament defending the budgetary veto to cancel the EU budget deals. He likened the bloc to Poland’s former communist regime, railed against “arbitrary decisions” by “Eurocrats” and “the European oligarchy.”

1. Being in the EU might not be in Kaczyński’s long-term interest

Poland’s future rests in the hands of 71-year-old Kaczyński- Poland’s de facto leader. He feels the EU isn’t central to his vision of rebuilding Poland from the ground up. He aims to cut the country off from the years of reform dating back to the end of communism in 1989. For Kaczyński’s plans to be a success, PiS needs to tighten its grip on the courts, media, other institutions and build up its own loyal cadres and elites. The Polish government has already said it has no intention of backing away from further legal changes that have soured relations with Brussels.

Regional 

Cracking down on Didi Chuxing 

DiDi Chuxing, one of China’s tech giants, is under investigation by the Chinese government following its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the United States. The Chinese government claimed that it was simply in precaution of ensuring national security while removing its app from all app stores across the country. The Chinese Cybersecurity Watchdog (CAC) shared on the 2nd of July that they had launched a “cybersecurity review” of DiDi to “guard against risks to national data security” and “protect the public interest.”

Local

KTV and Jurong Fishery Port COVID-19 Clusters 

The latest KTV and Jurong Fishery Port clusters have caused a spike of hundreds of new infections, setting us back to Phase 2 with tighter measures.

While several KTV lounges, mainstays of Singapore’s nightlife scene, have been allowed to operate as F&B outlets with restrictions in place, many establishments have flouted these rules and operated underground with activities such as close socialisation and interaction with hostesses present. As a result, 227 cases, comprising many patrons and hostesses, have been discovered so far. This entire situation tells us that COVID-19 restrictions are there for a reason and are in fact protecting us; flouting them can only put the entire country at risk.

Meanwhile, the Jurong Fishery Port is a bustling site where thousands of workers, customers and suppliers do business, and 30% of Singapore’s seafood imports come through. While serious breaches of restrictions did not occur in this case, the sheer scale of the operations there and the frequent movement from the port to distributors and retailers around the country have led to 665 total cases and the temporary closure of the port. This situation teaches the hard lesson that now is not the time to get complacent, and we must still continue to diligently observe the “smaller” measures like proper mask wearing and social distancing.

Tragedy at River Valley High School  

On 19th July, a tragic event occurred at River Valley High School (RVHS) that sent our nation into mourning. A 16-year-old student had killed a fellow student of 13 years in the level four-bathroom of the high school compound. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) received a call for assistance at RVHS at about 11.40 am on Monday, and the victim was found lying motionless and was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic. The alleged teen assailant was arrested, and an axe was seized as evidence. The suspect was charged in Court the following day for murder. The judge ordered the accused to be remanded for psychiatric observation for three weeks and return to Court on 10th August. 

Since the incident, the Singapore community has shown great solidarity in helping RV emerge stronger. Several religious groups have come forward to pray with the bereaved and for the well-being of the affected students, and dozens of bouquets have been laid by public members outside the school. Several ministers have taken to social media to express their condolences, and MOE is working closely with RVHS to provide students and staff trauma support. Moving forward, MOE and schools will continue to be vigilant about campus security. 

Bibliography

1. 130 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections in Singapore, 78 linked to Jurong Fishery Port. CNA. (2021, July 23). https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-new-cases-jurong-fishery-port-jul-23-cluster-moh-15274048

2. Al Jazeera. (2021, July 22). South Africa unrest death toll jumps to more than 300. Jacob Zuma News | Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/22/south-africa-unrest-death-toll-jumps-to-more-than-300. 

3. BBC. (2021, July 15). South Africa looting: Government to deploy 25,000 troops after unrest. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57848357. 

4. Calland, R. (2021, June 29). Historic moment as Constitutional Court finds Zuma guilty and sentences him to jail. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/historic-moment-as-constitutional-court-finds-zuma-guilty-and-sentences-him-to-jail-163612. 

5. Meldrum, A. (2021, July 19). EXPLAINER: What caused South Africa's week of rioting? AP NEWS. https://apnews.com/article/africa-business-biden-cabinet-south-africa-2d0aaef63102a661c8e54d3bdf926566. 

6. Mlaba, K. (2021, July 13). Poverty, Inequality and Looting: Everything You Need to Know About South Africa's Protests. Global Citizen. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/everything-you-need-to-know-south-africa-protests/?template=next. 

7. Steinhauser, G. (2021, July 16). What Is Happening in South Africa? Riots After Jacob Zuma's Arrest. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/south-africa-riots-whats-happening-11626280457. 

8. BBC. (2019, December 17). Poland may have to leave EU, Supreme Court warns. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50828516. 

9. Wanat, Z., & Cienski, J. (2020, November 30). Polexit: 3 reasons why Poland will quit the EU and 3 why it won't. POLITICO. https://www.politico.eu/article/polexit-poland-veto-kaczynski-morawiecki-polexit-brexit-eu/. 

10. Ong, J. (2021, July 23). Solidarity in tragedy transcends race and Religion, says Chan. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/solidarity-in-tragedy-transcends-race-and-religion-says-chan. 

11. Kai, N. W. (2021, July 27). How River Valley high School Tragedy UNFOLDED: Student seen holding Axe, asking others to call police. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/how-river-valley-high-school-tragedy-unfolded-student-seen-holding-axe-asking.