Here are three interesting articles recommended to us by our readers. If you come across reports or articles which you feel will be good to share with our readers, do email us at: theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
“We need slaves to build monuments” – The Guardian
It is already home to the world’s glitziest buildings, man-made islands and mega-malls – now Dubai plans to build the tallest tower. But behind the dizzying construction boom is an army of migrant labourers lured into a life of squalor and exploitation.
“What life? We have no life here. We are prisoners. We wake up at five, arrive to work at seven and are back at the camp at nine in the evening, day in and day out.”
Why do we need economic growth? – BBC
With recession looming and unemployment rising, politicians and economists are trying to find ways of stimulating economic growth. But is growth a good thing? Does it have harmful consequences? Could we live without it, asks John Sloman.
India’s surrogate mother industry – BBC
The shortage of Asian eggs, sperm and surrogates is driving couples like Bobby and Nikki Bains to travel to India for help. It’s a trend consultant obstetrician Massoud Afnan is witnessing.
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if dont like your working timetable, quit dubai. nobody ask u to be there.
just like the FT in singapore demanding this and that.
on the ‘slaves’ issue – the key word is ‘lured’. exactly the same as when our foreparents were ‘lured’. I think our parents have lived through the worse period of Singapore’s short history.
they migrated here from all over to seek a better life. it took one charamastic deceiver who could plan 50 years down the road to ‘lure’ them into a life of deceit and deception.
credit to the malaysians who did not believed him.
these poor migrants, being illiterate and not knowing that they were being deceived, gave all they had, their entire lives, to support the ‘lure’ of the Great Deceiver.
many years passed, these migrants are still waiting for the better life they had come to seek. they are resigned to their fate but what keeps them going is the hope they have for their children.
the children are now being ‘lured’ by a new generation of the Great Deceiver’s offsprings. the shadow of the Great Deceiver still looms large in the background.
meanwhile, the glitz and glamour on the cover of the picture-book called ‘Singapore’ continues to shine far and wide and everyone proclaiming the greatness of the Great Deceiver and the Great Deceiver alone.
the rest are just numbers and ants and croakcoaches and flies and leeches – lost, forgotten – living in oblivion . . .
and so the story goes . . . . .
Gemami
For Malaysians, they have been deceived by the promises of their govt which does not benefit all but only the Umnoputras.
For Non-bumiputras, will just ask them which country they prefer to find work or education.
exactly . . . an Malaysians have shown us that they are not afraid to demand from such a govt to put things back in order.
the situation over there might have gotten out of hand because of the lackadaisical attitudes of the elected representaives, whether from the govt or opposition.
but when push comes to shove, there is an immediate group of people to fight your causes.
this we do not have in Singapore and we are only now trying to do the right thing so that our children and our children’s children would have a real life that is human, loving and kind.
Gemami
Well, on a materialistic level, Malaysia is way below whilst on bureacratic level, likewise.
On the other hand, here the problem is more of keeping up with the Tans/Ahmads or Sivas on material level. On freedom level, well lets say you seem quite taken with the ideal as compared with the actuality where practiced especially in SEA even in so called “freedom” bastions
How about book to recommend ?
One of the most important book to understand how the PAP works and governs in term of many areas etc GLC, GIC, media, ISA, FT policiesm
is to read the book
The Singapore Miracle
http://www.selectbooks.com.sg/getTitle.cfm?SBNum=42213
Be warned. It will change your perspective of how ‘good’ is our ruling government.
It will help wakeup your idea.
This book uses extensive quotes from ‘very credible sources’ like ShittyTimes.
5) Anakjohor on October 17th, 2008 7.10 pm
first thing first. i do not profess to be well-versed in Malaysian politics and i am very grateful for the sharing.
i understand that the ‘freedom’ level of most, if not all, SEA countries are no where near ideal. i also know that there are many admirers of the Singapore model of governance. unfortunately, just like you, looking from afar and living in the here are completely different.
i am not saying that Malaysia is the ideal model i am looking at. i was just giving comment that Singapore would do well to DARE, just like the Malaysians who have been oppressed, if i may used the word, for quite a long time but are now more actively involved in the affairs of the day.