A lawyer recently acting for a casino in Singapore raised a question many Singapore maundered over the coffee shop table. *Is a lift breakdown a legal excuse not to pay the mandatory levy to enter the casino?
There already existed a very strong resentment towards this controversial policy of collecting a $100 'entrance fee' in the form of a levy when Singaporeans visit the casino. This bitterness reinforced many Singaporeans rancour when foreign talents employed as labourers begun streaming into the casino, heads held high over their Singaporeans employers and host. They should be proud of their 'free entry' tickets when Singaporeans paid millions of dollars just to enter.
I shall leave this unique rationale aside for now. How on earth can 15 diners be stuck in a restaurant, unable to get out after their dinner just because the lift has broken down? Strangely, the only way to exit is via the casino but at a cost of $100 each (if they are Singaporean). Is there no provision for fire exits? Even if they have to exit through the casino, can they not seek help from their security personnel to get out from the place? But alas, the law says it is MANDATORY to pay.
While I am confident the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) has people with sane mind to resolve this intelligently, it leaves one to wonder why a small matter like an exit from a restaurant can turn out to be a national issue.
If a fully qualified lawyer is confused over such frivolous incident, how about lesser mortals like us? It seems that we are constantly at the mercy of law for cases which we have little or no control over and with recourse that is very much compromised.
*See lawyer letter here - Law should be clarified
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