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The current outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which has no known cure for victims afflicted by it, has brought widespread panic to Singaporeans and has drastically altered the pattern of their daily life. The famous saying of President FD Roosevelt that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” aptly encapsulates the present state of mind of a large cross-section of Singaporeans and those in the worst-hit areas like Guangdong and Hong Kong. How does this much dreaded illness impinge on the collective psyche of Singaporeans and how do they cope with it? It is, I believe, fair to say that it has highlighted both the nobler and weaker sides of the Singaporean character. First, the well-deserved accolades. Our valiant and caring healthcare givers, both in the public and private sectors, have borne the brunt of it, especially during the early stage, with not a few of them contracting it and some are still fighting for their lives. Despite the much higher risks of contamination, they have continued to put their own safety aside, and that of their families too, and have discharged their professional responsibilities to the fullest. On the unedifying side, numerous fellow Singaporeans have treated their healthcare professionals like pariahs. Our nurses, who always wear their uniforms in public with pride, had to endure taunts and hostile stares. Some even avoided them like plagues. There were other overt discriminatory treatments meted out to medical staff, which were utterly irrational and inexcusable. Fortunately, these unthinking Singaporeans were the minority. Nonetheless, their attitudes have brought shame to the nation. At the other extreme, a large number of Singaporeans have already totally abstained from social activities with the coming of Sars. The repeated use of the term “super-infector” by the health authorities and the media to emphasise the transmission of this disease by one particular patient to numerous others was rather unfortunate and showed the lack of sensitivity to the feelings of this hapless victim and her family, especially when she was an involuntary agent in such transmission process and was still fighting for her own survival earlier. The transmission cycle could have been explained in a more sympathetic way which would still get the message across, and yet not stigmatise this unfortunate victim, who would, perforce, have to live with this traumatic memory permanently. This outbreak also highlights a trait of Singaporeans, which is that we tend to overreact in a crisis situation, instead of remaining calm and act rationally. This was abundantly self-evident during the several crises that our country underwent in the past decades. Hopefully, this is a fallibility of the older generation of Singaporeans, and that it would not be passed on as a legacy to the younger and better educated Singaporeans and the generations after them. We should do some honest soul searching and learn the object lessons from the current outbreak. This would enable us to tackle other future national crises with greater success and equanimity. ·The writer is a retired lawyer.
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非典型肺炎的爆发，使许多新加坡人感到恐慌，并大大的改变了他们的日常生活方式。医疗人员到目前还没有研究出能够有效对抗病毒的方法。 已故美国总统罗斯福的名言“我们唯一需要恐惧的是恐惧本身”，很恰当地概括了许多新加坡人，和身处灾情最严重的广东省和香港的人们的心理状况。 让人们从心底感到害怕的非典型肺炎，对新加坡人的心态造成了怎么样的冲击，新加坡人又如何面对病毒的威胁呢？ 我认为病毒的爆发，一方面突显了一些新加坡人的高贵情操，另一方面也暴露了其他人的脆弱。 首先，我们应该表扬医疗人员的勇敢和爱心。病毒爆发初期，在公共和私人部门服务的医疗人员首当其冲，不少因此受到感染，一些还在和病毒搏斗。 尽管面对受到感染的巨大危险，他们不顾自身甚至家人的安危，发挥了高度的专业精神。 但是，却有许多丑陋的新加坡人，视医疗人员为避之则吉的瘟疫。向来在公共场所以身穿制服为荣的护士，必须忍受人们奚落、回避和不友善的眼光。还有其他对医疗人员的歧视行为，更毫无理性和不可原谅。 幸好这些只凭本能反应行事的国人属于少数，不过，我们却应该为这些人的态度感到羞愧。 另一方面，非典型肺炎也使许多国人尽量避免社交活动。 卫生部和媒体重复使用“超级传染者”这个名词，强调某个病患将病毒传给许多人，并没有考虑到病患和她的家人的感受，是不恰当的做法。病患本身是个受害者，也无意将病毒传开，目前还在和病魔对抗。 病毒如何传染开来，可以用比较富有同情心的方法解释，避免给这个不幸的受害者留下污点。即使战胜病毒，这段痛苦和难忘的回忆也将会永烙在她心中。 病毒的爆发也显示了国人的另一个特性——我们在面对危机时往往反应过度，不能保持冷静和理性的行为。这样的反应在我们过去几十年来面对各种危机时已经显露无遗。 希望这只是老一辈新加坡人的谬误，年轻和受过更高教育的新加坡人不会有同样的弱点。 我们应该自我反省，从这次的事件吸取经验，以便更从容和成功地克服将来的危机。 ·作者是一名退休律师。叶琦保译。
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