I have a dream alright. It’s the how-to that’s tricky.

Thanks for the inspirational videos. The long version deserves the space of a blog post by itself.

Dear Shoestring,

I can’t say I have the right answer, but we can explore this question and come up with the answer together.

It is the birthright of citizens to own all these. Before we can do anything else, we have to assert this right in our hearts. It is a universal truth we have to uphold in our mind regardless of the social political situation and regardless of how we feel. It is like if someone says you did something wrong. If you can’t be sure you had done it right and assert that truth, you will not be able to stand your ground and do anything. Our mind overcome the circumstance and assert our identity as owners. This is the first step I will suggest.

Democracy works on the collective power of the individuals who assert their identity as owners of the nation and exercise their rights accordingly. We have to help others to see and assert their identity as owners of the nation. This is the second step I will suggest. Bring up social political topics with friends and relatives where appropriate, forward good articles to them to raise their civil awareness and assert their birthrights. It is only when we have many, many citizens with strong civil mind and concerns, then we have the collective power to execute the kind of changes you seek.

Mind you that it will take times, 10 years minimum.

I would like to share this Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech with you:

Short version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZLvSnr6s50&mode=related&search=#

Long version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk&mode=related&search=

it feels like we are being owned and we are not alone as we can see that the Civil Right Movement was another example of how a group of people finally asserted their rights and made that a reality for themselves and their children.

Go ahead. Make it sound as if Singapore PR is Roman citizenship or something, go ahead ask the dirty tricks dept to go ahead and do it.

See who will lose out in the long run, worse still what if they take an interest in your country outside your country, then what are you going to cancel then?

People pay tax, they have a right to speak, its as simple as that, dont want them to think and speak, then please dont touch my money. But if it goes, it comes around. Where I come from, we call it accountability.

Thanks for responding. I am trying to understand what it means to “establish our identity as the owners of the nation, the flag, the constitution, and the government.”

We cannot own something we are prevented from owning. In fact, sometimes, it feels like we are being owned. Why? Because of the myriad laws/ policies/ system and whatnots that are firmly in place that ensure we cannot change things just by voting, but instead often enslave us to the system. Technically, we can vote for MPs who could hopefully speak on our behalf, but even then, some of us do not even have a chance to vote.

Changing the constitution to limit the powers of a certain few people seems to be the most promising option that would allow us to take ownership, but almost impossible.

So, my point is, how can we establish our identity as owners?

Isn’t our junior Lee says that he don’t have time to fix opp party and buy support vote ? Isn’t our law forbid that ? Why is the law exception for own gov people or clown ?

Don’t simply push eveything to law to change a thing. If you have money, you can talk law. When you have no money, you can talk shit !

The case Of JB has taught us that law can be change to fit certain’s party agenda. So why continue to trust in empty Law ?

Dear Shoestring,

By the existing laws, the people can vote in an absolute majority of MPs who agree to change the constitution or amend it to give people’s the referendum power to change the constitution.

However, I suspect you are actually talking about democratic reform with changing the constitution as a landmark sign of the reform. Am I correct?

Any idea how we common folks can change the constitution? I am serious.

National Day happens in my heart, every day of the year, but only if I feel I belong. It’s not a piece of cloth hung on the parapet of the corridor. And to echo the sentiment of some, I was just wondering why there are so many banners with faces of PAP MPs in all their glory when it’s our National Day. Who’s day are we really celebrating?

Singaporean tend to be more critical afterall Singaporean grow up in this society could not accept that the society and gov has degenerated into money-loving entities to much of their frustration. The emptiness and void of living in such society is just unbearable.

Foreigner somehow lack the interest to engage such thought afterall it is not their country, and even though they contributed to Singapore growth, they rather be bystander than go risk losing their PR status. Well, talk to those AngMoh PR here, and you know if it is true.

What surprises me is that our neighbour, a FT staying in a HDB housing flat rented/provided by JTC, hangs the national flag in its full glory. I just wondered whether the flag was furnished and hung out by JTC themselves.

So much for Singapore patriotism.

We don’t own anything here. Your car is not yours after 10 years even if you fully paid for it initially. So is your HDB flat. 20 years later, en-bloc or should I say another 20 years of econmic slavery? By that time you are probably in your 60s. Loan for another 20 years? Work till 80? Until you die?

Even if you have fully paid for it. Your title deed is a photocopy not the original.

Even if you buy freehold, the final clause is that the gov can take it away from you for “redevelopment”

Your CPF from your own sweat and tears are not yours. If it is then you can witdraw it anytime. At 62 you can only a bit of your Special Account (your own money). Forget about your medisave. Your OA? Do you really think you have enough after servicing that 20 year loan on your HDB flat?

Singapore is not worth it.

yes, singapore nowadays are all image but no substance and we are all tired of all these crap. lets do our part to change it. its one thing to complain and complain and its another thing to take part in changing it. and if you think turning your back to this country will make life better, think again. whereever you’ll be, you’ll always be that someone from this little red dot. so do something. talk is cheap. lets be people with substance. let singapore and singaporeans stand on its worth.

Sarek & Teacher,

Interesting take on the theme written by Gerald. Just to add. Teacher as much as I like to read the brotherhood press. I dont think very much of the online persona of the personalities. I dont want to get personal. But I agree somewhat with Sarek. Much of the brotherhood psyche has been the direct result of their online gaming culture where they have always had to fight for survival. The result is a very proficient hierarchy that is very adept at repelling threats etc. They are certainly very successful in the online gaming scene. The problem is when this sort of culture is transplant into the blog scene it produces all sorts of anti-social aspects.

As much as I would like to read further into why they are so loyal to each other, united and why every time they get kicked, they come back twice as strong etc.

I cant help feel we may be using the wrong model to draw the correct analogies with Gerald’s main theme.

Colonialism acts as a restraint also on our full cultural development. It is perhaps difficult for the colonial power to sacrifice its own political consideration and preconceptions as to what Malayan culture should be and consider it objectively. The present education policy is based on giving pride of place to English even though Chinese, Malay and Tamil are languages spoken and understood by the overwhelming majority of the people.

Superficial regards is paid to vernacular education but the Education Ordinance passed in the Federation betrays its colonial genesis by the tacit assumption that “Malayanisation” is to be achieved by the relegation of Chinese and Tamil languages to positions of unimportance and the continuance of Malay language at a slightly higher level of stagnation.

In short the “Malayanisation” of Malaya is equated with cultural anglicisation.

Linguistic Diversity

This education policy is justified on the ground that an independent Malaya must be based on linguistic uniformity. Linguistic diversity, we are repeatedly told, is one of the great obstacles to political unity and independence. We repudiate the proposition that suppression if the mother tongues or their relegation to positions of minor importance is a prerequisite for national unity. Linguistic diversity is in no way incompatible with the interests of a united Malayan nation. The immediate barrier to unity and independence is not linguistic differences but colonial rule and the unequal and unbalanced economic development of the three main Malayan communities which colonial rule has engendered. Having regards to the racial composition of Malaya official recognition should be given to Chinese and Tamil languages together with English and Malay which are now the two official languages of the Government in the Federation.

Lingua Franca

A lingua franca is necessary and moral, political and practical considerations make Malay, rather than English, the obvious choice. The alleged inadequacy of the Malay language as a lingua franca is not disinterested propaganda. The Malay language in Indonesia, freed from Dutch colonial restraints, is rapidly becoming a comprehensive means of expression and communication in science and technology, commerce, industry and the humanities. By contrast the Malay language in this colonial country remains static.

PAP Manifesto 1954

———————————————————————
“Unity in diversity. Our ethnic and cultural diversity is a tremendous asset. It has undoubtedly contributed to the vibrancy of our local culture, which has in turn placed Singaporeans in good standing to thrive in a globalised world.

Ethnic diversity has been a source of great conflict in many countries. Fortunately this is not so in Singapore, where our inter-ethnic peace can be considered one of the greatest achievements of our people.”

———————————————————————
Any difference between 2007 and 1954?

The question should be:
Do we consider SINGAPORE HOME?

Is our HOME worth fighting for?
Never mind “…PAP is Government, Government is PAP…”?

“If we really want democracy, we have to establish our identity as the owners of the nation, the flag, the constitution, and the government. We have to change our mindset that since PAP claiming representation of all these, we will just stay away as a form of silent protest. We have to establish that they are ours and it is in our rights to claim them and take ownership – Hold the Flag up because it is my National Flag, not any political party’s.”

That is very well-put. We admire the Americans. We say they have freedom of this and freedom of that. We admire European countries. We admire and even envy so many others.

We forget that they did not get to where they are just by “silent protest” – emigrating, throwing up their arms. No, they remained in their country. They fought for what they wanted their countries to be.

Over here, we hear people encouraging others to migrate, to leave it to others to do the work. So, we hear things like, “The elites must stand up and speak up for singaporeans”, “lets hope this person or that person does this and does that”, “The flag is not ours”, “National Day is PAP Day” and so on.

We readily point our fingers at every other person except ourselves. And then we quote Martin Luther King: “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” It is almost hypocritical.

It’s really sad. I say this as someone who wants to see some things changed. The Flag belongs to us. National Day is OUR day – whether we are pro-PAP or anti-PAP. If people cannot see beyond their myopic partisan (and skewed) views, is it any wonder that little has changed?

So, who’s fault is it?

LKY’s Meritocracy has taught me to be selfish.

LKY’s Elitism has taught me to be more selfish.

LKY’s PAP Govt has taught me to become a foreign talent so that
I can have favoritism over my own fellow country men.

Those are the four good lessons that I have learnt from LKY over
the last 42 years. That is why I am now a Foreign Talent in
another country. If anyone wants me to come back and fight for Singapore, he must have missed all the lessons that LKY has been teaching over the past 42 years!

Happy National Day to All Foreign Talents!

But then, everyone love to see beautiful thing and blind by them. Who to blame ?

I hope to see that too. But at this stage of economical progress and self-centre-ness due to money-culture kind of thing, I doubt we able to achieve even tiny dot of it. Unless people stop NATO (No Action Talk Only), we would not be achieving that.

If only I am the X-men, thing might have changed !

Change our mindset to see this bigger picture so we feel we have a stake to protect the nation.’

It doesn’t really matter what your perception or people’
s perception is because the ST will print that Singaporean are supportive of gov because Singaporean hold the flag up !

Don’t feel, be real with reality. Sure, I see many big picture of LKY, Ministers, gov figures in ST, media everyday. Feel like punching them !

Dear Teacher,

Well said. It brings me to realize that some people prefer to take an anti-PAP stance because it is easier and more clear cut to “knows where they stand in relation to the bigger picture” this way. The problem is they may not know where they stand once the enemy is gone and they will have to find another enemy to give them an identity.

If we really want democracy, we have to establish our identity as the owners of the nation, the flag, the constitution, and the government. We have to change our mindset that since PAP claiming representation of all these, we will just stay away as a form of silent protest. We have to establish that they are ours and it is in our rights to claim them and take ownership – Hold the Flag up because it is my National Flag, not any political party’s.

Change our mindset to see this bigger picture so we feel we have a stake to protect the nation.