IMF/WB meetings 2006 in Singapore

It was an honour for me to be a part of the IMF/WB meetings in Singapore held between the 10th till the 20th of September 2006. Never mind the long hours that i had to commit,the severe lack of sleep that i had to endure or even the fact that i had to remain in camp for the entire period away from family pending deployment,the entire duty had been an experience that i would never forget. Not many people would have had the chance to go through what i did during these 10days,let alone be where the action was. Despite the fatigue,what i felt was a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment,especially knowing that i was part of the force which ensured security for the delegates during the entire meeting period. It was a pity though that the IMF and WB committee did not appreciate the effort that the government as well as police force had put in to ensure their safety and had instead repeatedly hit out at us for our tough stance on outdoor protests as well as the initial barring of 27 CSOs from entering the country citing security reasons. They had stated that our republic had gone back on our word by disallowing outdoor demonstrations as well as blacklisting potential trouble makers and preventing them from entering our country. Never did they for once appreciate what we had done for them. By beefing up security and not bowing to international pressure,we had even gone the extra mile by putting in contingency plans so that the meetings would run smoothly without disruptions caused by the infiltration of terrorists and violent protesters. They stressed the importance of engaging the CSOs and allowing them to protest to give them a chance to express their views but they have never stopped for once to consider the dire consequences if Singapore relaxed it's laws. By then,i would not be so sure that the meetings would be able to run so smoothly and on top of that,i believe that the peace and security that we are enjoying now would no longer be in place. Perhaps now that the meetings have come to a close,the IMF and WB authorities should then take a moment and reflect upon their views,if choosing Singapore as the meeting venue was a right choice. As for me,i have the memories to take home with me and at the same time,i take pride in the knowledge that i had done my job to the best of my abilities.