There is alot wrong with the standard of service in Singapore, and there are certainly many theories about the reasons for this phenomenon. So let me add my two cents' worth.

My theory is that Singaporeans are so used to reading the lame excuses and justifications fed us by various government PR practitioners in the press that we hold these up as a benchmark. It must be the standard by which we judge ourselves and service responses, since the Government uses this - the Singapore Government, you know. The best in the world, the cleanest, most professional - you know... superlative, superlative, superlative.

The trouble is, as Singaporeans are beginning to realise, these standards should not be the benchmark, that they are severely lacking. Even the civil service has acknowledged this and is trying to change. Well, thanks alot. We had decades of lame excuses, and now, we expect to erase this with a campaign or two. You've got to hand it to us for can-do-ism.

I would have more respect for our service staff (and that includes the civil service) if they would simply drop the lame excuses, treat us all like the intelligent people most of us are, admit error, and correct the service lapse - without the Singapore knee-jerk of throwing money at the problem. Forget too the abject aplogising, bowing and scraping, and tell me how you are going to fix the service lapse so that I will be motivated to want to use your service again. (Unfortunately, we can't always vote with our feet, since most of our major infrastructure service providers are the only show in town.)

What has this to do with cancer? Well, my low immunity means that I can only go to restaurants which are not too crowded. Today, I asked a restaurant service person taking my reservation to try to seat me in an isolated corner. No can do, was the response. Please, I said, I know that if the restaurant is crowded, it would be difficult, but can you just leave a note in your reservations book so that the people seating guests can try to accomodate. We do not do that, says the service person. OK. I ask to speak to the manager, who understands immediately, and says he will take care of it. He said that the person (a Singaporean, confirmed the manager when I asked) I had spoken to was simply not too good at communicating in English.

Now, do not Singaporeans speak English? Have I missed something or is not our education system English-based? I think a Primary 6 command of English would have enabled the service person to understand me.

So, add to the many issues surrounding our service levels, let me add one more: we do not all speak the same language. We say it is English, but the evidence speaks to the contrary. Poor service is not due to poor training, lack of pride in the service profession, lack of clear explanation of customer needs, or even a low IQ. After all these years of independence, of 'one nation, one Singapore', we have a problem that continues to rear its ugly head - we simply do not speak the same language. We are not really communicating.

The next time your service needs are not being met, ask yourself if the person you are talking really comprehends (let alone understands) what you are saying, where you are 'coming from'. The spin doctors tell us English is the lingua franca here. Really? With our melting pot society, we may need to face that 'spin' is sometimes nothing more than part of the (white)wash cycle.