Monday, April 20, 2009 20:29
For much is at stake
In Main Stories, Our Columnists, Top Story • 2,132 views • 55 Comments
KJ
The government’s feeble justifications for passing the Public Order Act (POA) have been roundly and rightly denounced by the Opposition parties and netizens, and I shan’t repeat their indictments here. It is important that you read their responses closely.
Take heed: the POA is not just about maintaining our racial and religious ‘harmony’. Harmony can be maintained, if it must, with the existing laws, as they always have been maintained, with a grip so ironical that one wonders if our vaunted ‘harmony’ even exists.
The POA is also not just about the impending APEC meetings or Youth Olympics and the protesters that accompany these events, for the POA is here to stay.
The POA is about preserving the dominance of the PAP. For this reason, the POA is about us, the citizens.
With the Internet, citizens have managed to reclaim some of their voices, and they are starting to speak and be heard. Nary a week now goes by without the government’s mis-steps being exposed and scrutinized by netizens, and the mainstream media’s chicanery continually unmasked. Now, the PAP’s pedigree no longer appears so distinguished and its record no longer that sterling, and the mainstream media little more than a lackey of the government. That is, a government whose largely fabricated aura, abetted by the media propagandists’ daily worship, has been diminished exponentially.
And right that it has. Our government is just like any good government there is elsewhere – filled with fallible men, prone to err. And like any government there is elsewhere, its natural impulses are to power and tyranny.
This is why democracy, and the structures that uphold it must be built, must prevail. Democracy is vital, it is neither a distant promise nor a compromise. It starts with having free and fair elections, that will give rise to a strong Opposition, and it ends with a freer people. Currently, all three elude us.
With the Internet, awakened and enlightened citizens who can now see the government for what it really is, might be galvanized to action, and threaten the PAP’s hold on power. This is why the POA is enacted, to contain dissent, to suppress action, to shackle the citizen.
But this absolute ease of tyranny – see how the POA was like an edict read out in parliament to overwhelming ‘ayes’, rather than being the contentious piece of legislation that must be deliberated and debated over – did not emerge overnight. The government’s successive legislations and insidious tweakings over the last four decades – on public order, on defamation rulings, on the GRCs, the plethora of licensing and restrictive laws governing the broadcast and print media, ‘public entertainment’ and civil society, not to mention the enormous discretionary powers the government has behind those laws – have gradually but surely strengthened the PAP’s grip on the country, entrenched its power in- and outside parliament, weakened the key institutions of the state, and silenced the citizen. In that sense, we have already been muzzled long ago. Taken together, they create for better and worse, the Singapore that we live in today.
It is this absolute ease of tyranny that manifests itself in the stark but facile choice (or is it a playful taunt?) posed to us by the law minister: “Well, ask yourself two questions: in our region, which country would you rather be in? And among the countries in the world which became independent in the 1950s and 1960s, which country would you rather be in?”
You would rather live in Singapore, wouldn’t you? Anyway, where else can you go?
There are those who simply cannot leave, there are those who truly want to remain. But to remain is to perpetually duel, conscience with cowardice, conscience with contentment. To be made to sing its cadaveric songs of nationalism. To remain is to live in oppression. This is sad, and this is wrong.
From the law minister once more, as reported by TODAY: it boils down to how much Singaporeans trust the Government – bearing in mind the limitations and geo-political challenge that a small country faces.[1]
This is not pleading trust. This is delivering a thin-veiled threat, once more playing the vulnerability game, and inciting the siege mentality created by them – trust us, or else.
For you would rather live in Singapore, wouldn’t you? Anyway, where else can you go?
Trust them, or live in oppression. What a generous choice. What a mockery of trust it makes. And what does it make of us?
Rather, it is the government itself who does not trust its people. From our NRICs to our health records on public computers, from racial profiling to academic streaming, from NS disciplining to scholarship bondage, from HDB flat allocation and CPF lock-ups, to the neighbours’ constant gaze through grilled-windows from the opposite block, to how to love our lovers so as to propagate the state’s ideal family structure, to 24/7 surveillance online and offline, all with the threat of the ISA and the knocking in the night a recurring spectre in our minds. All culminating in this country’s pervasive, undignified, climate of fear, every step a landmine of a legislation, every step the high wall of state condescension, every step once more into the inescapable arms of the government.
This is not about trust. It is about the regime’s ability to exert and collect power. Power undergirded by a politics of deep mistrust, subjecting citizens to living in a prosperous state of constant intimidation and surveil. While they pry into all our personal affairs and indiscretions that everyone has, threatening to expose them, incarcerating you for them. Everyone a potential hostage, while their own infractions are placed above their panoptical power, beyond scrutiny. While they gently cajole: Trust us, or else.
Or else, the government can trust us for once, no? The docile, disciplined, depoliticized Singaporean, produced, processed, labeled and sorted, all for the benefit of Singapore Inc. And to whom does Singapore Inc. benefit?
If we bemoan our current state, it is also because we have ourselves to blame.
I have written before, impassioned thought is in itself activism, that political activism is neutered at its heart when individuals forget that change comes not just from the arena of parliament and street protests, but also from the sitting and thinking individual, that the personal is the political, that action originates from one’s thought, conscience, and consciousness.
But now to bring our thoughts, conscience, and consciousness to bear, and in our different ways, to serve one cause: honouring freedom. The POA and those who support it, dishonour it.
Freedom is not, unless you have bought into the government’s rhetoric, a lofty word – it is a basic need, without which citizens are bereft of dignity. The so-called politics of bread and butter is at one with the right to liberty: together, they constitute a proper, fuller life. One less, and it’s half a life. Why would dignity discriminate?
Albert Camus once observed: there are no two politics, there is only one, and it is the one that makes a commitment – the politics of honour. And indeed there can be no freedom without honour. Honour in words, honour in deed, honour in our hearts.
No heart, no honour. Not unlike those moneyed men in white.
Honour freedom. Today the government goes for them whom you think isn’t about you. (Where were we when the Opposition members were intimidated and bankrupted?) As if it’s none of your business, as if oppression is just fine. Tomorrow they’ll come for you, and you alone. They will, simply because they can, and they will, because you had let them.
Remember the saying: a nation of sheep begets a government of wolves? See how quickly the laws are amended and passed. This is our parliament of men in white, representing not the people but themselves. See how swiftly your basic rights have disappeared.
And why? Because we blind ourselves to the fact that the numerous laws passed ostensibly to maintain peace and prosperity, also invariably constrain the Opposition, crush dissent, and ensure the continued dominance of the PAP. Because you have been trained to disdain freedom, and because you have been encouraged to love your own servitude and bondage. This is the most powerful form of control, indoctrination at its best.
If we bemoan our current state, it is also because we have ourselves to blame.
The Opposition is weak because we kept silent, and so we kept them weak. Taunting them, we bluffed ourselves, feeling secure in our hypocrisy and timidity. Serves them right, we chide. In the end, this has not served us well. And now when we speak, if at all, we speak the language of disappointment, of anger, of disillusionment, of despair.
Each law that is passed is a gag and a tightening of the noose around your necks. The POA is only one of many examples, and no doubt many more will come, cumulatively, oppressively.
Forty years of independence, and we’re as dependent as ever if not more. Our nation-building efforts built a tyrannical regime instead. This is what happens when you remain silent. You will be silenced, and you will be defenceless.
The Opposition has spoken out against the POA – they always have. Go with the Opposition, that’s a start. Honour those who honour freedom, their strength lies in your hands.
Honour your own freedom too, for much is at stake. To be able to walk free and be heard, with fervour without fear.
Because freedom is not a lofty word.
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Read also: Why proper oversight of police powers is important.
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Related posts:
55 Comments
iliveinuk
David
KJ, you always write very well.
The only form of security we have now, despite the govt heavy oppression, is job that put the govt in continouous power. However, this may not be the case now when all jobs are gone to the foreigners, this alone can topple the existing LEEgime regardless of their boastful historical record with Singaporean. I hope, my prediction is as accurate as what I heard from many people on the ground.
Staying in UK?
The grass is always greener on the other side, and Mr iliveinuk, what you say is just so idealistic. riot is something that is hard to instigate and implement before this act, and did you see any riots occurring in sgp? i doubt so, however the reason why this act was implement is dubious simply because is it really needed here?
pace and stability at the expense of freedom? it will be better reaching an equilibrium for these three.
so do you really stay in the UK?
ST Observer
iliveinuk,
The issue here is one of people’s voice, citizens’ power to bring govt to account. With reference to the Public Order Act and what is happening in the UK, and I am sure u are aware, the British police now is undergoing scrutiny for its actions during the G20 summit recently.
In fact, the police officer who pushed Ian Tomlinson might now be charged for manslaughter – AFTER VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM A BY-STANDER SURFACED AND WAS BROADCAST ON THE INTERNET.
Now, that is the point. The POA allows the singapore police wide powers – including ordering anyone and everyone to stop filming the police in action, and also to order anyone and everyone to destroy the film on the spot.
Now, if the Ian Tomlinson incident happened in S’pore, we would not be able to know the truth of the police’s actions – as the police would have ordered the film to be destroyed. And if the person refuses and post it on Youtube, he can be charged in court.
Where is the oversight on the police? Who brings them to account?
Here is the latest news about the Ian Tomlinson incident: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8004222.stm
Lastly, when Sylvia Lim brought up Ian Tomlinson in Parliament, the Law Minister completely ignored it.
Donaldson Tan
Hi iliveinuk / JM2C #1,
Are you sure you live in the UK specifically London where the G20 Summit took place? I covered the G20 Protests in London for TOC. Yes, it is true that the protests look crazy but that is what it seems if the cameraman zoomed into the engagement between the protesters and the policemen.
Truth is, the protests are only concentrated in a few places that centres the following landmarks: the Bank of England, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and the London Stock Exchange. It was police provocation that led to the crowd towards bashing the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) building.
While some had speculated protesters would storm into the G20 Summit Venue (ExCeL Centre), the protesters who gathered at the venue camped peacefully outside and they only chanted at the sight of any world leaders.
Would Straits Times report this? No, because it would be detrimental to PAP’s Propaganda. Would the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph or the Sun report this? It wouldn’t help to improve their sales.
Donaldson Tan
I really wonder if #1 actually lives in London.
jim007jimmyboy
I think it is too late for anyone to act against POA. We are actually powerless to oppose this bill, it was actually shove down our throat.
The only way to stop this blatant disregard for democratic society is to exercise our vote wisely this coming election. It is time for radical change of govt. as the existing govt no longer represents the interest of common Singaporeans!
Change we cannot believe in
They still think the people are meek and useless like in the past and will accept whatever laws they dish out. Fact is most are already so pissed off with these elites that this is just adding more salt to our wounds. Economy already so bad and they can still come up with these kind of law.
This kind of greedy and dictatorial govt without any sense of accountability will definitely not get my vote at the next election.
Spirit-centred
#1
hi iliveinuk,
The existing law of banning all forms of demonstrations in public places by NGOs, Opposition Political parties and individuals other than Speaker’s Corner and the british legacy of the ISA law is more than sufficient to discourage unreasonable riots or violent protests. Thats why so far we do not have any seroious incidents of that sort seen in UK and Thailand.
Riots or serious protests can only happen when most of the people in Singapore are very unhappy to the extent that their very existence or survival are threatened or the people sees that a failed government should be brought down for the sake of our country. I am sure all Singaporeans are sensible people. The speedy and uncanny passing of the POA is going to make many Singaporeans unhappy and if the polices exercise them religiously in every corner of Singapore, Singaporean may feel corner and their physical existence threatened, this may provide Singaporeans with the last straw to protest in huge numbers ignoring all existing law banning outdoor demonstration.
tew ah seow
This useless Pap govt can’t even handle a Dr Chee and John Tan. That is why the useless govt. implemented the POA. Come on their protest is peaceful, harmless, in fact I won’t call it a protest. The whole cabinet can’t even handle a minor incident. Remember Spore is a tiny state of 4 million people, if in China, PM Lee is only a mayor, why he needs so many ‘gaji buta’ SM, MM .??? He really is not a talent.
SZ
Somehow when i read post no.1, I have a very strong doubt on his credibility…is he someone who pops in here to justify POA with his you-are-so-lucky-you-are-in-singapore theory?
Looney Lee
It is also the hypocrisy of the MIW.
Talking loudly that they are loosening up and allowing more avenues for expression, but on the other hand shafting this POA law down the throats of the citizens, making even a one-man protest and unlawful “assembly”.
Where is the “debate”?
One-day parliamentary session and the law is passed.
HaiGong
Ai ya! so simple, if you dont want the govt to implement laws suka suka then vote them out. You are the one who give them the power to do things as they like and they become so brave and never ever think that they are there because of the voters. Think again dear singaporeans, I was once their blind supporter. Come to think about it, damn stupid and got playout by them lah.
Is this website saying Lee Kuan Yew law is wrong? Come on! He can’t be wrong! He is a MINISTER MENTOR! He teach minister skills and good things! Please be grateful because if not for him, you will not be alive!
Heil Lee Kuan Yew!
notalone
Garmen should be voted democratically to run the country according to the Constitutions and Acts.
While now, more like Bills are proposed to pass as Acts to secure and enhance the power of the party who was voted.
Still speaking of democracy?
zj
To #1 iliveinuk
protest is crazy….maybe. i have not yet experience a single protest to make a comment abt that. based on wat i perceive and believe, s long s they r peaceful, why detest?
I m relating to this movie ‘battle in seattle’ i recently saw at the cathay.
protesters at the WTO summit are fighting for a cause. its usually in such major events that silence voices seek to be heard and projected to the international audiences.
Likewise, if the (sg) goverment have faith in their own policies and their capabilities (which they invested millions of dollars per ministers), whyy shld they be ‘weary’ abt citizens protesting. or at the extreme, implementing laws to ’silence’ one’s freedom to speak up what they feel abt the govt and the country.
I tink the debate shld not b simply public order and civil disobedience. Instead, the question or issue should be whether this current govt is interested in promoting its citizens’ liberty to fulfill his/her potential and ultimately their own ‘happiness’ or to control one’s thoughts and behaviors?
iliveinuk
Hi everyone!
Well you can ask the TOC team to check my IP (: i can assure you live in UK haha.
None the less, thank you for each and everyone’s responses. Perhaps my views are abit skewed but none the less, my personal view is that this current act does not hinder my everyday life nor impedes it.
In fact, as a citizen, i feel safer that such acts are in place to prevent any public disturbances, i.e my business, travels will not be abruptly interrupted.
Yes it may seem that i may be losing my “freedom” but i honestly feel that stability and peace and my livelihood is something i desire more than perhaps this “freedom”.
JM2C
Jiekai
Dear iliveinuk,
It is quite clear that you were probably not inconvenienced personally at all the day the G20 protests took place here in London (where I’m writing), given that only some streets in the financial district were choked off for the day. Far less gridlock happened here than, I don’t know, that day a few months ago heavy snow fell on the capital.
Donaldson Tan
Hi Jiekai and iliveintheuk,
You can find evidence of how peaceful and the mild the protest at the G20 Summit Venue here on Facebook. I have put put up photographs of the mild protests at the G20 Summit venue.
one-time LKY admirer
IliveintheUK
No country is perfect. No society is perfect. No person is perfect. The UK is not perfect. It is full of faults. And the weather can be atrocious too.
It boils down to whether you are concerned just about your own lot (snuggled in a comfortable lounge in suburban upper middle class England) or whether you have a concern for your fellow less fortunate citizens.
If you analyse the statistics put out by the Singapore Department of Statistics you will find that while there are 1.8+ million Singaporeans employed, only 1.5+ million are contributing to CPF or have contributions made to their accounts by employers. Around 300,000 do not have any money at all going into their CPF. CPF is supposed to be compulsory. So, what gives? Does anyone care?
If you analyse the same statistics, more than one-third of Singaporeans receive wages of less than $1,000 a month (assuming that those who are not active CPF members all earn less than $1,000 a month). (You would not have any scholars not having money going into their CPF would you?.) All of this in a country, on a purchasing power parity basis, which is in the top ten or top five richest countries in the world. The situation is not going to improve (in fact it is just going to get worse) so long as employers have ready access to workers from neighbouring countries. As we all know, there are already 1 million foreign workers in Singapore, who earn a pittance, out of a total workforce of 2.8+ million. This strategy to sustain economic growth will come back one day to bite the bums of Singaporeans big time.
The principal measure of graciousness, courtesy, kindness, EQ, compassion and the worth of any society is how well it looks after the needy, the disadvantaged, the under-privileged and those who are unable to help themselves. (Not all of them are parasites as may be sometimes portrayed.) To be fair, the Government gives out some handouts (as the Government itself calls them) from time to time but the issue is more one of whether it is “mari lah kita bersatu” and “Majulah Singapura” as one society and nation or is it a case of, as one Minister put it, having two Singapores, one which eats chicken rice at the Chatterbox and the other at the hawker’s centre or who cannot afford chicken or rice at all.
IliveintheUK, you will have to agree that the Brits as a society (not individuals) have a social conscience, as disorganised and dysfunctional as London sometimes can be. Obviously you prefer the UK life as you are one of the “quitters”.
gemami
To #17) one-time LKY admirer – very well said. Clap, clap, clap!
Lao Uncle
#17) one-time LKY admirer on April 21st, 2009 8.16 am
The principal measure of graciousness, courtesy, kindness, EQ, compassion and the worth of any society is how well it looks after the needy, the disadvantaged, the under-privileged and those who are unable to help themselves. (Not all of them are parasites as may be sometimes portrayed.) To be fair, the Government gives out some handouts (as the Government itself calls them) from time to time but the issue is more one of whether it is “mari lah kita bersatu” and “Majulah Singapura” as one society and nation or is it a case of, as one Minister put it, having two Singapores, one which eats chicken rice at the Chatterbox and the other at the hawker’s centre or who cannot afford chicken or rice at all.
You bring tears to my eyes. Seeing how our needy live, I just wonder how our leaders can still go to sleep each night. Maybe they can because of their full stomachs.
BTW, do you know who is this brave Minister? Where is he having his chicken rice?
CS
Protests can be very demanding on those entrusted with maintaining law and order. Yes, we want a right to express our views, but there is a cost to this right.
I do feel that the London police are treated unfairly. Put yourself in their shoes – would you like to be shouted at, abused verbally, even pelted with eggs and fruit? Are they expected not to have any emotion? Consider the demands on the police – they have to facilitate a protest, while ensuring the safety of bystanders, the protesters themselves and safeguard property – its a tall order. Would you like the job of police commander for a protest? While we might be concerned with our rights, should we not spare a thought for rights of the policeman, who are our fellow citizens?
I watched the videos of Nicole Fisher’s encounter with the police. Yes, she should not have been hit. But she certainly was provoking the policeman. She later said in an interview that the policeman could have asked her to move politely. From the video, I do not see how she could possibly have been moved by polite words. I think her behavior too should be questioned, but the full glare of inquiry is directed only at the police. I think it is unfair.
The policeman who pushed Ian Tomlinson certainly needs to be dealt with. The attack on him was completely unjustified. But let us remember that Ian Tomlinson would not have been pushed if there was not a protest that day. I am not saying that the protesters are responsible for his death, but rather than the tension of protests do cause bad accidents to happen.
tiredsingaporean
Its useless now to oppose anything as those MIW will just go ahead and do whatever they can to keep themselves in power. There is no other way except to vote them totally out altogether and reverse back everything that were being passed by their own law amendments instrumented by them to the time when GCT is PM when the people are very much more happier and proud to be a singaporean. The present PM is nothing but just an proxy position to keep the familees fortune going. Its not about nation building anymore, its not about the people anymore, but rather a fortune building within a familees and those MIW elites. This is why the people of singapore suffers in silence.
ted
Protests =/= riots. Geezus….people who make pronouncements about how protests tends to become violent should return their diplomas or degrees wherever they got them from. The education is wasted on them.
gemami
#24) tiredsingaporean,
You said it my friend!
I was walking to the neighbourhood Shop n Save Supermarket across the road where I live last Sunday afternoon. on the way there, I noticed there were a lot people walking alongside me so I decided to do a count on my way back later.
Out of 70 people who walked passed me, I counted 5 Singaporeans (based on what I deemed Singaporean features), another 5 Filipinos, 35+ Bangladeshis and another 25 Chinese nationals.
I felt like a stranger in my own country. The real opposition to my life, my happiness and my future, is the ruling PAP regime. We need to seriously think of ways to strengthen our alternatives and put them where they truly belong. We need new friends – for sure.
tiredsingaporean
#26) gemami
So scary to live in a country where people are only motivated by greed and $$$$. So much talk about love for the country all these years. There may even sell the country to foreigner in no time to come.
gemami
The worst part of it is that we are being forced to plat a part of the equation for their greed.
And you know what else I fear? That this is becoming the breeding ground for subversive ideas.
all vice starts small
hi gemami
There is nothing wrong with subversive ideas. It is a natural manifestation to counter against PAP and discrediting the system of governance associating to it. PAP is the root cause. Fixing the symptoms will not help. Fixing PAP helps.
The SS
The problem is the majority of citizens are not interested and never think they need to voice their displeasure. They have been brainwashed to outsource their thinking to the party.
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean
politics won’t take an interest in you. — Pericles (430 B.C.)
Daniel
” To be fair, the Government gives out some handouts (as the Government itself calls them) from time to time but the issue is more one of”
Call a spade a spade, it is per year separated into 3 giveouts.
Has anyone even figure how the government manage to give handouts and yet able to sleep peacefully everynight. This May, the special account of CPF will increase from $20,000 to $30,000. Now $10,000 in exchange for $750 handout, so how about that ? Opppp…. for next three years if there is no special account increase, it still happily eat you of $7000 for no reasons.
Please, people stop saying government give you free handout or that some people may not have CPF because it is the total sum received from special account that play punk that really matter in the end. One hand give you $1, and take back $10 from you, and it isn’t far from the truth.
alex
This article is quite badly written. Language and structure is unnecessarily complex. This is an online news column man, people come in to scan through, comment if relevant and leave.
content is nothing that the public don’t already know.
Keep it simple. Really.
ErniesUrn
Another brilliant article written in the halls of Singapore politics.
mike
well written article. you’ve got it all written here what is in our mind.
So this is how liberty dies… With thunderous applause.
lee
Mr IliveinUK,
Since you live in UK, why don’t you do a straw poll on the streets and ask
people would they rather live in the kind of society in UK or Singapore?
I gaurantee you their answers wouldn’t surprise us.
Seriously, do you actually live there, or you made it up to support your point?
Not sure if I’ve made any errors in calculation BUT..
Even if the opposition contested and won ALL THEIR wards, PAP will still have majority representation in parliament.
That is to say- Even then, we’re powerless. :)
Majulah
Peeper
singapore is so kuai already.
Now this new law, I am so touched I wanna cry.
The law minster is so great to introduce it for the society.
hats off to him. i would vote for him ah.
Euphoria
IliveinUK, why are you even staying there? You can’t stop the Brits from being socially conscious. So why don’t you get your hide back to Singapore where you will feel safer in your own cage?
I live in London myself and actually went to observe the riots. At least these rioters have causes to pursue. What do you have, apart from a selfish urge to seek safety at the first sight of any minor disturbances?
How is the weather in uk
“None the less, thank you for each and everyone’s responses. Perhaps my views are abit skewed but none the less, my personal view is that this current act does not hinder my everyday life nor impedes it.”
Don’t mention. It does not hinder you as you are in uk now. If you are truly one of those who is not getting squeezed bcos of the fact of being a highly talented mobile person, why should you be hindered. My hat to you if you are a real private sector person while saying the above and not in any way linked to the blessing of some public sector connection.
Who in the right mind will be thankful for having restrictions being placed on them – it just goes against the nature of being human unless you really do not know what you are saying.
iliveinuk
Hi everyone,
Well like i said, you can always ask the moderators to check my IP to determine if i am from the UK.
I travel quite abit around the UK, sometimes to different cities, and of course it always allows me to draw comparisons with Singapore.
#40, well i look at it more as a safeguard rather than a restriction. To know that my business would not be disrupted.
My purview is that of a dangerous slope and this act is simply the barrier placed at the edge of the slope to simply prevent anyone from falling over.
Does it hinder me? Yes it probably will prevent me from heading in the direction of the slope or accidentally slipping over, but then again i know that i have a safeguard from falling.
Personally i guess all of us have their own viewpoints over this matter, and nope i am not a quitter, just a frequent visitor with business dealings in the UK for extended periods of time.
I thank everyone for their comments kind or unkind. I guess there are alot of people out there angry with the MIW and Gahment for many reasons. But sometimes you cannot deny that they come up with good measures such as this to give investors a peace of mind.
I guess the true test would be to realize how Singapore evolves after MM Lee. I for one, good or bad will definitely not quit on the place i call home.
Well, whatever viewpoint i take, i guess there always will be 2 sides of the coin. But I personally hope amidst all this discussion that ultimately we can make a positive difference for Singapore, our families and our future generations.
SZ
“My purview is that of a dangerous slope and this act is simply the barrier placed at the edge of the slope to simply prevent anyone from falling over.”
That make sense, however, like what some of us has mention, you seem to have forgotten that the barriers are already in place. This is a wall. when there is already sufficient barriers in place, i don’t think you will need to build a wall, just to prevent that mishap…furthermore, warning signs are in place too.
if you really manage to miss the warning, plus the barrier that is in place, and yet need a wall to save you, then I must say…something is wrong with that person.
A&E (Appalled And Embarrassed)
So what’s is your vision for Singapore, KJ? We have been told that economic progress comes with much sacrifice in personal freedom and freewill. I do not believe that. What do you propose?
mars
HK has peaceful protests almost every weekend. The HK police would work with protest organisers on route, timing etc to minimise disruptions to traffic.
APEC, YOG etc are once in a blue moon events while POA is with us everyday. Do not use APEC, YOG as an excuse to implement POA where one man can be considered as holding a protest.
Now I fear to walk in the street less a zealous police officer decides to arrest me for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
If the police really fear disruptions during APEC, YOG, why don’t they have the POA during the specific dates. Do not use an axe to kill a chicken.
Lao Uncle
The way I see it is that our leaders do not want us to see more of the waste of resources in deploying hundreds of police personnel to control a small group of SDP supporters at Speakers’ Corner.
The police appeared highly inefficient and acted like robots programmed to do a single task. They had no clue what was happening.
Also those in plain clothes refused to show their ids.
IMHO, this POA is to stop us from such waste and inefficiency.
Kudos to KJ for an insightful article! I especially like your clarion call –
QUOTE: … individuals forget that change comes not just from the arena of parliament and street protests, but also from the sitting and thinking individual, that the personal is the political, that action originates from one’s thought, conscience, and consciousness. END QUOTE.
The Pariah, http://www.singaporeenbloc.blogspot.com
rwkc
[#30 The SS] : “The problem is the majority of citizens are not interested and never think they need to voice their displeasure. They have been brainwashed to outsource their thinking to the party.”
And that’s true, SS. A flaw that needs to be corrected.
Plausibly, and very plausibly, some of the people who have been receiving handouts from the govt think that it is generous but they may not be aware that these are just peanuts and that it is taking back the money many times over through other means.
Elderly people who do not understand much about politics need some counselling from other family members who do. That may help in the voting process for the future.
The SS
rwkc,
That’s why I think the Opposition has to overcome this hurdle. Yes the momentum has started with JBJ, but they WE must do more if we are to see any hint of a check on the dominant party.
Their war-cry is clear.. vote the party . They have ‘chosen’ for citizens – honest etc etc.. But do the citizens ever ponder then why have any MP? Why don’t we just have the cabinet? The level of representation for the people in Parliament is dismal – F9 as far as I am concerned. Nothing has ever been overturned – can any party really have 100% hit rate on acceptable policies? Infallible? Come on.. this is not heaven… if it is. .means we are dead !
Look at HK.. they wanted to implement GST, the people protested, it was shelved. Compare here.. GST for the POOR !
I like to be at the cosy side of the coin
“But sometimes you cannot deny that they come up with good measures such as this to give investors a peace of mind.”
You are telling us. Investors ?? People like you with business dealings ? Does these good measures also ensure that whatever peace of mind and the inherent benefits derived from it are not too much skewed to in favour of some vested group only.
“i guess there always will be 2 sides of the coin.”
Of course we know this. That is why you are not hindered and you probably need some safeguard for your business dealings and also happen to be one of those on the cosy side of the coin.
Asking for security is fair game and security does come in lot of forms and it must not be at the expense of some equally valid matters (e.g greivances to be brought and bringing the wrongful parties to accountability) that need to be addressed.
Its actually quite easy, If you think about it....
“the only way for you is UP!”
the saying goes.
The chances for Opposition to grow (big or small), is very high given the ratio 81:3. Its a no-brainer that the only it can go is UP.
The obstacle is the mentality of sporeanos. They have NEVER experienced other scenarios. Never.
Even our revered super talented talent started out as a Opposition.
Technically, there is nothing BAD or ILLEGAL or WRONG or EVIL about the concept of Opposition. Some like to call it Alternative nowadays. It sounds better.
In developed countries and all other democracies in the world, Opposition is a Friend to many. To the unfortunate, the less well-off, the disadvantaged, those that fell out of the safety net. Its what they can rely on, its the people’s representative who can speak up for them.
is 81:3 a healthy or ideal situation for the long run?
can a human live for ever being a mere mortal, even if you own jumbo jets?
I dun care who u are , how rich you are or powerful u are. You to me is a mere mortal. Biology conquers you at the end of the day. The only constant is change, early or later.
the only way is UP. Prepare to fail when you do not prepare for the future. Why all so-called talents join one side and not the other? Obviously there are good reasons. But wholistically speaking, it means a weaker side continue to exist. Wholistically, this is not ideal. The weaker need to be given sufficient learning opportunity to mature and become robust to fight for the rights of the alternative type R population. All these take time. a lot of time. failing to start now means even later will we see fruit.
mike
germami,
my feeling is since no singaporeans can fix pap, well, the way it goes now is FTs will fix the paps sooner or later.
it is matter of time.
X-|
20) one-time LKY admirer on April 21st, 2009 8.16 am
If you analyse the statistics put out by the Singapore Department of Statistics you will find that while there are 1.8+ million Singaporeans employed, only 1.5+ million are contributing to CPF or have contributions made to their accounts by employers. Around 300,000 do not have any money at all going into their CPF. CPF is supposed to be compulsory. So, what gives? Does anyone care?
If you analyse the same statistics, more than one-third of Singaporeans receive wages of less than $1,000 a month (assuming that those who are not active CPF members all earn less than $1,000 a month).
This probably means less 1.5+mil people are paying taxes to support the rest of the population who do not pay taxes. For some of the people who are not active CPF members, they include the self-employed but also under-reported their income to avoid taxes.
rwkc
#48 The SS
Tks for the feedback.
Re GST, I recall the time when Richard Hu was the Finance Minister and doing his best to bulldoze his way thru with GST. The only member in Parliament that stood in his way was Augustine Tan and AT was forceful in his argument against GST and apparently emerged as the victor, as the issue was shelved for several years, until AT retired from govt service. Then, with nobody in his way, RH put thru the bill. GST was clearly a wealth-creating gimmick for govt coffers. RH presumably received a pat on his arse for creating this additional wealth for the govt. “You have to create wealth to enjoy wealth”, GCT allegedly said.
So all these wealth-creators are now enjoying their wealth.
To be sure, the PAP has to be kicked out. They were good in the early years but now unfit for service.
james
the government is getting too big for its shoes
Wayang Party and Choo Zheng Xi, relax bros : Civic Advocator * Shout and be heard in Singapore
[...] to disassociate themselves from Wayang Party. Maybe Ng E-Jay has no choice but to take side with KJ, who is now writing as a columnist at [...]
Hi KJ,
Can i summarize your article succintly on 1 point ? You feel that this public order act is a repression of our freedom?
I currently live in UK. Recently there was the G20 meetings. It was horrible. Roads were blocked, people were protesting, the atmosphere was hostile, lives were lost.
I wonder whether you might have lived through the Riots that rocked our country to know why the government has to enact such an act?
Im still young, but witnessing the G20 protests and even seeing pictures about the Thai protests and how that has impeded the country has got me worried.
I honestly do not think Singapore can afford to undergo such debacle. Especially with certain groups making use of the “power of the masses” to achieve their own agenda.
Peace and stability has brought our country so far and i feel that it is absolutely vital to have that for our future generations.
JM2C