It was reported earlier today (30 Oct) that Robinsons Singapore, one of the oldest stores in the Lion City having been in business for more than 160 years, will be closing down for good after suffering from losses in recent years amid dwindling revenues.
However, its last two department stores at The Heeren and Raffles City Shopping Centre will remain operational for a while more for final sales.
Following this announcement, People’s Voice (PV) chief Lim Tean took to his Facebook expressing that the closure of the beloved franchise marks a “sad chapter” in Singapore’s social history.
“I recall that in my childhood days, my Mother would often tell me that Robinsons was synonymous with quality, and we would make the extra effort to buy from there for special occasions,” he wrote.
According to Mr Lim, Robinsons’ closure offers an “important lesson” in how Singaporeans should view the development of the country in the coming post-COVID era.
The party chief asserted that it will be “foolhardy” to follow the paths laid down by the People’s Action Party (PAP) leaders – who are hinting that Singaporeans “must go back to the norms of the past as quickly as possible”.
“What they are hoping for – such as Singapore re-emerging as an air hub or our port remaining the pre-eminent transhipment hub – may not be possible in the coming years. COVID has created a new world, and it is a world where re-imagining ourselves and creativity is going to be far more important than anything else in ensuring our continued prosperity,” he remarked.
Mr Lim went on to say that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his ministers love to mouth words like ‘re-inventing‘ and ‘transformation‘ on a regular basis; but in reality, he argued that the PAP are “anathema to change in any meaningful way”.
“In the coming years, it will be seen that the draconian social structures they have imposed on our society in the last 6 decades in order to maintain absolute rule will turn out to be nothing more than a mirage and aberration,” he concluded.