- Use Gun? Or no use Gun?
Without a doubt, they are an invaluable and indispensable body of the protection of the public in Singapore, as well as being the backbone of heartland defense.
The one thing these people have in common are their weapons. Yes, they are armed, they are potentially dangerous, and you jolly well don't let your dog piss on their legs.
Take the Gurkha contingent for example. Originating from Nepal, their historical roots trace back to the times where trained Nepali warriors were hired as mecenaries under a protectorate by the East India Company. Today, we know the Gurkhas (or at least the educated Singaporean minority do) to be the tactical guard force of political figureheads and members of parliament alike.
Before the attacks on September 11th, the Gurkhas were a rarely-seen entity in the public eye. Ever since then, these trained and highly disciplined individuals have sprung up on just about every significant public landmark and foreign embassy.
Why so? Simply because they are so damn intimidating.
(Here we see two Gurkhas standing guard during the 2005 IOC conference with random smoker passer-by spoiling the picture in background)
If you ask me, it's not the guns or the infamous KUKRI that they carry that scares me. It's the way their hats are always tilted at an angle. Well actually, I was just kidding. In the event that 1) you have NO CLUE as to what a kukri is or 2) You havn't clicked the link, I suggest you do so right away.
The kukri (also known as a drop-knife) was originally crafted as a utility knife designed to hack away at thick undergrowth and wood. When it evolved into the Nepali weapon of choice, it's primary purpose evolved as well. As you can see in the link, much of the weight of the knife is actually placed more on the front.
But what was the objective of such a weapon? Simply put, it was to hack off a limb or to severe a head off from the body in a single blow. At close range, these things were extremely deadly.
Still not afraid? Here's something else, if you had no idea what these men were famed for, I shall tell you now lest you choose to find trouble with one.
According to the famed legend, when a Gurkha runs out of ammunition, or when he is left with no other forms of attack against the enemy, he draws his blade(as the last resort) in a final 'Do-or-Die' chase to stop the assailant in his tracks. In the event that he fails to do so, he is forced to draw blood from his own body.
This of course, is touted to be an urban legend. But use that brain of yours and you'll find that there is little wonder as to why the Gurkhas are always running around the Mt. Vernon/Serangoon area. (To practice their Standard Chartered Marathon run lah!)
In my opinion, that is THE only item on them that scares the living shit out of me. Not to mention that the very item in which they are famed for carries THIRTEEN centuries of tradition behind it!
But this is where I bring the topic of armed enforcement to the next level.
When we look at bouncers, do we look at them in the same way that we look at police officers or even the Gurkhas themselves? To truth is often given in the negative.
To many people, bouncers are projected as nasty, rude, and party-pooping men clad in black (save for the Ministry of Sound whose security enforcers go in a PINKISH-PURPLE) who stop people from getting smashed and getting laid.
Hardly ever, do people give them the respect they deserve for doing their job.
Now let's be rational for a minute here. I've seen many bouncers who have done their fair share of Academy award-winning performances for being the perfect asshole in clubs before, but I speak out for the small minority who do their jobs well.
When you get idiots who fling glass jugs from one end of the club across to the other and hitting a teenage girl's face in the process, the bouncers do their job- they take action.
When you get men in a drunk stupor stealing merchandise or bar pieces, the bouncers do their job and claim back what is rightfully understood as the club's property.
When fights or brawls break out, who are the ones who bring in the police and keep the peace in the mean time? Ooo, let me see...can it be...the BYSTANDERS? Nooooo.
Ooo, let me see...can it be...the DOOR BITCH? Nooooo.
Well it must be the bouncers then! (Management rarely does anything then so the bouncers must be a logical choice!)
And it's true, more than 70% of the time, these are the people who keep things in check. They may not be the most intellectual of people, but look back and ask yourself if you would be the one willing to take over their positions.
But this is my own personal wonder..Should bouncers, just like law-enforcement officers, be given weapons to deter alcohol-induced violence and disorder? This, my friends, shall be continued in part two of my next entry.
