Straits Times Online Forum
31-01-2009
Karaoke noise: Don't let majority suffer in silence
I CANNOT agree more with Mr Huang Jun Jiek ('Kara-not-ok', Jan 20) as I had a similar experience on Chinese New Year's Eve.
The Bedok Crystal Residents' Committee held a karaoke session on the open ground next to my block.
It was so loud that at my home, my friends and I had to shout at one another just to be heard. I appealed to the organisers to tone down the volume. Shockingly, I was asked why they should do so for 'one family', that they had a right to enjoy themselves, and that they had a police permit.
I remember reading in The Straits Times Forum page that in such situations, the police will advise the organiser to reduce the noise level.
I see no point in calling the police because advice can be ignored. The only workable solution is to set a maximum limit on the noise level, and take action if that limit is breached.
My estate is undergoing upgrading so that lifts can stop at every floor. Ironically, the noise created from these works, even though it may be sustained throughout much of the day, is more tolerable.
During the karaoke session, there would have been people who were trying to rest, watch TV, have a conversation or nurse a headache (which could well be caused by the singing).
Policymakers have never shied away from doing what is right, even if it is not popular. Such unnecessary karaoke noise clearly 'benefits' only the participants. It does not make sense for the majority to suffer in silence.
Tan Chin Aik
