I guess this is the policy of our government.

Lets not to say we need to embrace China or Western ideas, Singaporean(tm) ideas would do just fine for now. But lets be clear and practical about this, people would eventually distrust anything that come from government (be come from good or bad intentions) if they keep putting up “shades” in front of us (media censorship blah blah blah).

But yeah, as long as we can still eat well and dress well, we don’t complain (aka massive demostration). Right?

And I’m pretty sure giving out “short term benefits” can only temperory alleviate tensions right now. But the real worries in my opinion is that Government keep emphasizing on long term plans, with no concrete schedules, no expected realisation. Thus basically, we only heard empty talk of future. There are no contigency model what so ever. From my perspective, our government can only work well in period of stability, in times of uncertainty, I do not have much hope.

What I think that the government must do now is to clarify what is meant to be a Singaporean, if National Service = Singaporean, I’m pretty sure the objective failed, and IMO in reality does pretty much the opposite.

Another thing is the emphasis on entrepreneurship, what I always read on newspaper and news shows are those successful stories of young entrepreneurs, gives a bias picture of what is the true spirit of entrepreneurism. Doing business requires CAPITAL, and where do those youths get those CAPITAL? Think again, most entrepreneurs are actually in their 40s where they actually slugged and saved enough for CAPITAL. Some of those entrepreneurs failed and they are not given voice by the media.

And well, Blogging issues. Isn’t the spirit of blogging is to allow the minority representation to be heard? Oh my… but it seems to me that there are alot of political driven discredition and distortions of blogs.

These are some of the things that the Government had the hand in promoting ‘apathy’.

Though I guess the rationale of our government is not to promote a welfare state. But it seems that shifting the responsibilities to CITIZENS are just too great and the rewards the CITIZENS get are just too little. Sometimes I feel like I’m actually living in a closed container of sorts, just waiting to get out, even though I’m uncertain if the world outside is better.

#60, yes China has done better than us in the past few years.

Chinese people know their rights but Singaporean don’t. Why?

I notice that the Chinese people not entirely apathetic. During the Melamine Milk Incident, many Chinese parents all over China organised themselves to protest and lobby against the milk industry which was trying to deny all responsibilities. They even took the milk companies to court for specific incidents. As a result, the national government created a compensation scheme for all melamine milk incidents.

This is a far cry from the 1983 Tian An Men Incident. Comparatively, China has made far more proportional progress politically and socially than Singapore, whereas Singapore has somewhat regressed in the political and social aspects.

Even more so, when China people working in Singapore is so proud of their leaders, and majority want to be back to their country because they really love their country and leaders. Corruption is really punishable by death in China. In Singapore, legalised corruption is greatly rewarded as long as you pledge to certain dynasty family.

From Adolf Hitler who said:

“Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way around to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise. ”

“I am not a dictator. I have only simplified democracy.”

“The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims of a big lie than a small one.”

And from Benito Mussolini:

“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power.”

William Shirer:

“You don’t need a totalitarian dictatorship like Hitler’s to get by with murder … you can do it in a democracy as long as the Congress and the people Congress is supposed to represent don’t give a damn?”

While stationed in China last year during my teaching stint there, I always felt that China is so much better than Singapore both in terms of economic and democratic progress.

In communist China, I must say that I have never feel being controlled or curtailed in my movement.

BAck home in Singapore, I always feel that I cant say this and that for fear that ISD will come after me. This is indeed ironical.

I witnessed the Olympic protest in Wuhan by uni students when there was some issue with the French during the torch relay in PAris.

Though massive (around 1000 over students), I have never felt threatened or thought that my life is in danger. In fact, I thought that the Chinese were very much partriotic and loyal to their country and cause. Demonstration in China is disallowed and dissidents can be thrown in jail.

I don’t think we can see such a massive outpouring of patriotism here in Singapore. Anyway, before we can take to the street, we will be arrested already.

Betwwen China and Singapore, I see that China will continue to progress both economically and democratically. Singapore to me continues to regress as it has always being during these past few years.

YES! We CAN!!!!!!

You must be thinking of South Korea.

The political landscape here will never change no matter how hard you try. Everything in the system are built only towards the benefit of the present party, whether you call it dirty, under-handed or unscroupolous system, they don’t give a damn shit, its politics and its a very dirty one too. Well, unless there are really powerful foreign intervention coming in, only then, maybe singaporeans may still see some hope, or else stay put and wait to die the way they want you to die. If the govt can just rob you of your cpf life saving outright, imagine what other dirtier things they can do to you. We are all trapped here just like slaves because we allowed them in the first place, its our mistake, a very BIG one rather.

The political landscape here will never change no matter how hard you try. Everything in the system are built only towards the benefit of the present party, whether you call it dirty, under-handed or unscroupolous system, they don’t give a damn shit, its politics and its a very dirty one too. Well, unless there are really powerful foreign intervention coming in, only then, maybe singaporeans may still see some hope, or else stay put and wait to die the way they want you die. If the govt can just rob you of your cpf life saving outright, imagine what other dirtier things they can do to you. We are all trapped here just like slaves because we allowed them in the first place, its our mistake, a very BIG one rather.

Concur that it makes me very sad to also realised that the strong majority of singaporeans are so apathetic. Since 10 years ago, I observed this as a problem. Till now, i only see the problem getting worse.

I was apathetic when young. Slowly, with more information and spending time to analyze the news, I was lucky to have awakened.

You have the power. You can make change.

If every TOC reader who believes in democracy and human rights thinks of one idea each, you will have thousand of ideas to challenge the power of the PAP and force them to make changes.

I can think of some ideas:
1 Write letters to your MP listing your grouses and offer solutions.
2 Encourage your relatives, friends and neighbours to do the same.
3 Help them to write letters if they are not well-versed in English.
4 If more like-minded citizens send letters to their MPs they would be so inundated with mails that they cannot simply ignore all these grievances.
5 Pubicize TOC web-site to your friends, colleagues, etc.
6 Pass the Hammer (or other Opp newsletters) to your friends, neighbours, etc after reading it.
7 If you can afford, pay for the Hammer to be sent to pro-PAP colleagues, neighbours, etc. anonymously if you prefer.
8, 9,……… there are more…………………….

Something that comes in mind will be Japan as due to U.S intervention, the divine emperor which was considered as the descendant of Sun-Goddess Amaterasu lost the right to that claim and can only be recognized as descendant of Amaterasu, losing their divinity.