Why is it that when complaints are made in the media about public facilities, the complainant will, as though for added punch and urgency, often cite the fact that the facility in question is one often used or visited by tourists.

It is all well and good if the intention of drawing attention to the tourist is to draw attention to the problem with a view to its expeditious resolution.

But should not the raison d'etre of any urgent action to address a public complaint be premised on the need to serve the public at large and not just a particular class of people who are here for only a short span of time?

Prompting action or service on the ground that tourists will be inconvenienced or may go away with a poorer impression of us only hints at a mindset wherein the needs of the tourist takes precedence over that of the ordinary resident. This in turn breeds not only a certain class culture wherein the resident is relegated below the visitor in the service hierarchy (as is often griped about), but also a culture wherein economic and mercenary considerations increasingly motivate our actions at the expense of altruism and public welfare.