SDP website, 27 May 2010, by Natalie Koh
I am an ordinary Singaporean student who, until now, has been brainwashed like many of you. Now I know the ugly truth. I’d like to share my experience with you about my struggle in taking off the blindfold the PAP has tied on me for years.
I believe it is about the same for most young Singaporeans as it was for me. The brainwashing starts at the secondary school level when most students still do not have the maturity to be able to accurately judge if what they read is true or false. Most of them would not even be interested in politics at that age.
Like some of you, I also viewed Social Studies and National Education as propaganda of the government. But for the sake of getting good grades, many just memorise the PAP’s version of Singapore’s past and regurgitate it when needed.
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Read the full article at SDP’s website
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Sorry, but I’m not very impressed by this article. She makes one important point: that it’s grossly mistaken to take everything the PAP says for granted.
Though I’d extend this approach to any other source with an agenda, the writer makes one unfortunate assumption: that the veracity of Chee Soon Juan’s work ought to remain unquestioned. Strong statements like “what jolted me to the truth was Dr Chee’s books” and “But after I reread the book repeatedly, I finally accepted the concrete evidence” come across as naive, and heavily undermine her original statement.
The author is equally brainwashed. Who knows who us right?
My history teacher friend told me they changed the stories in the text book to glamourised their party.
I dont know who would do this except China or Japan.
Totally agree this article is substandard.
every country needs its political and historical mythology… it’s called nation-building … the stories satisfy the mainstream and maintain the elites … so what harm is done?
we are all duped in one way or another by our history, our religions, our parents (who themselves have been duped),our politicians, our educators, and often even by our own refusal to question and challenge … it’s easier that way… peace and harmony don’t really require truth, do they?
She asked for evidence from her professor, and yet she treats Chee’s books as though it was the Bible (if she was a Christian).
At no point in the article did she mentioned that Chee’s books have ‘evidence’ for Lee’s purported activities. I remain baffled on how she judged the ‘truth’.
My own awakening was in the 2006 general elections where I saw for myself how the papers was showing one thing, and the blogs (with photographs, aka evidence) was showing another.
I do not know for certain how ‘corrupt’ PAP has been in the past, but that they got Singapore to where she is now, is FACT. After all, the winner gets to write the history.
However, another FACT would be the PAP NOW, is crap. One can see for himself how many loopholes there are in the new policies, and the quality of the ministers when they speak.
@ hongjun
You want to know the “truth”, I mean the “political truths” of quality “standard” of your mythical construct?
If you want it, here it is….come and get it
http://www.islamfrominside.com/Pages/Commentary/Rules%20of%20misdirection.html
How do you “discover” this kind of “truth” of your definition when the politics of chicanery is a spider cobweb rules of misdirection?
PAP Govt politicise all sector of the society rather than professionalise them. In Ministry of Eduction it is called brainwashing. PAP rather have the mindset of children yours and mine changed to the monsters they want to be so that PAP can rule forever and ever. It is benefiting the party rather than the individual and citizen. The PAP has run out of ideas and had resorted to phone tapping etc for more ideas….
my first thought after reading the author’s ‘revelation’ is the same as Desiree. One has to base one’s argument on the same premise when talking about two opposing sides.
All being equal, another person may say the same thing in the exact opposite. He or she may achieves enlightenment after reading LKY’s memoir and claimed that the material CSJ wrote are rubbish.
Everyone tells the same story in their own way, pursuing their own agenda. The Singapore Story is biased, so are the books written by CSJ. The author is wise enough to question the authenticity of her lecturer but fall short of being inquisitive in assessing the other end. But it is not surprising, her article appeared in the SDP’s site, therefore it is also biased. It is clear she has her own agenda in writing the way she wrote and I am taking it with a small small pinch of salt.
Aiyah!you want us to vote against PAP just because of senior Lee past sins.Cannot lah!.Tell me,which politician has no shortcomings.Let us forgive and forget and after all, he did us very good while he is our PM.Let us concentrate on fixing the present leadership in the PAP.
no shortcoming , my foot !!!
we can forgive a murderer, thieve and what else, but a traitor ???
which country in this world forgives a traitor, tell me.
lim yew hock and lky must be put on trial….period.
Stop “STEALING OUR CPF AND RESERVES FOR UNCLE SAM with/BUY HIGH AND SELL LOW brainless ideas ” !!!
These are not your money, traitors,shameless dafts and morons,
Wow, so many people talking like they have already read CSJ’s books from cover to cover, and are proceeding to thumb them down without even so much as a glance.
Look at it this way, if the contents in the books were in anyway false and defamatory, why hasn’t the almighty emperor of defamation suits taken any legal action yet? He has been well-known to do so at a drop of a hat, and especially with the author.
Now now don’t come and tell me that the books hasn’t gotten his attention yet, not with his all-seeing eye the ISD on the prowl.
lky’s likening to students learning only “his” tinny weeny island’s “history” and which is actually about “him” and pap!
When a young mind grows up and doesn’t know WORLD HISTORY And GEOGRAPHY too…. then it means these mind never mature TO KNOW about…
- martyrdom,
- infidels,
- dictators,
- authoritarians,
- democracy,
- communism,
- nepotism,
- of “goblin” politicians,
- “gregarious” politicians,
- “moneyism” politicians,
- fictitious emperors, kings and governors!
- and more!
And so “he” thinks that theyll ‘not be able to figure him out anytime? How “smart” and WISE is such a “self-Acclaimed” ‘mm” of a minister? Take your pick Folks!
Sadly far too many modern times people are just too far gone into materialism lives that they will only realize that there’s more to life when they get a terminal disease! or when they get bankrupt through some misfortune and then realize that all of lky is just NOT what life is truly about. But then “fools never learn”!
What makes her think that Dr Chee’s version is the truth. We all know truth can be relative and depending all the amt of knowledge one possess and who has the correct perspective. To me, this is another form of propaganda…and not a very good one. Words are emotional with little facts. What a waste of time!! Be it the govt or opp, please realise this fact. Most Singaporeans now are educated and able to critically look upon a matter. stop treating us like a fool. And this article appears to do just that.
@ Xristian
“To me, this is another form of propaganda…and not a very good one. Words are emotional with little facts. What a waste of time!!”
Just wondered aloud what is the other “undisclosed” propagnda of your discovery and awareness.
And yes, I do see a lot of emotions but no fact in your comment – all directed at the messenger.
When you have 2 sides of a story, you judge the truth for yourself. Look around you. Are the people you know better off than 5 years ago? Are the trains and buses more crowded and poorly run? Are more people just window-shopping and not buying anything because they lost spending power? Do the PAP MPs’ words make sense? The truth will set you free.
angry_one,
Well, there will still be some people who prefer the blue pill.
I find it strange that she has such a low opinion of the course and the lecturer. I’ve taken the course myself a couple of years back, and I thought it was a rather good course.
It was also by Bilveer Singh, and there is certainly none of the PAP-leaning that she seems to be experiencing. In fact, I thought Bilveer was kinda biased against the PAP. Of course, he had his fair share of criticisms for the opposition as well. But I think Bilveer did purposely throw out unsubstantiated statements and callous claims to provoke the student to scrutinise both his words, and therefore information and opinions about politics that we read.
Maybe things have changed. Maybe not.
POLITICS IS DIRTY, you are an IDIOT if you believe what is written,good, bad or ugly by any Party or govt.
Use your brains and discern what is true or false and let your conscience guide you.
PROPAGANDA IS THE GREATEST WEAPON TO DECEIVE.
@eaglefly,
You must be Chee Soon Guan in disguise.Nobody hates LKY like you do.
Dr Chee has already placed himself as live bait to prove us what he has written is true. Did we not see it yet? Did we not hear contradictory statements made by ministers in parliament, did we not feel that there is great divide in Singapore and one-party-state practising two-systems under the kangaroo court.
Yawn. So many Singaporeans are kiasi kiasu snake suckups. Die die suck MIW cos no balls. Excuse=work for govt, have familee to feed, scared arrest. All kena sai, so speak sai. Sai IN sai OUT. Nothing new. Zzz
am rather disgusted that SDP even put it up. it just destroys their own intellectual credibility, even if I did appreciate some points that Dr Chee made. blech.
I will buy the book written by Dr Chee which was mentioned by the writer and decide who is right.
I may be a die hard supporter but I am not blind. I also have a brain which I put to use. If PAP is wrong I don’t scold them. I just point out to them why I feel they are wrong. I want to help make Singapore a better place for all Singaporeans.
There are many like me. If the PAP keeps on fumbling and ignore the people’s interests we may change our allegience. But for now we try to make them change for the better.
Make your choice: the blue pill or the red pill? But make sure you live with it.
I know this is going to sound a little silly but I know people who suspect that Dr Chee is actually a PAP person doing everything he does so that he can help the government distract the public’s attention from real issues.
I have read Dr Chee’s ‘A Nation Cheated’ and every chapter of his books come with references at the back of each book. Can our MSM handle international scrutiny or they review themselves?
I do not understand. Sure, perhaps MM Lee had not been honest with certain affairs, or perhaps he had censored certain information from citizens to build up his public image, but no man is without flaw.
So yeah, perhaps he had a fantastic ‘secret life story’ to tell, but at the end of the day, you vote for the party which will prosper the nation, you vote for the party that will benefit the people both short-term and long term. You vote for the party that ensures your children will not have a bomb land on their heads out of the blue.
It does not matter what MM Lee had done in the past or what he is doing now. You wouldn’t vote for an honest dude with no foresight and speaks only empty promises. You wouldn’t vote for a man whose ideals may look pleasant to the eye but fall short in the long-term.
Of course, I’m not saying that Dr Chee is inadequate. All I am saying is that I would rather be ruled by a party who knows how to make the right choice, not the popular one, than one who makes the popular choice thinking that it is what is right.
Some of MM Lee’s decisions may seem like extreme propaganda, take, for example, the total control of local press. But think. If we had so much freedom to publish whatever we want wherever we want, what kind of conflict might be raging out in the streets right now? (I am not implying that freedom to publish will definitely result in riots.)
MM Lee may have taken over the press to silence opposition, or he may have taken over the press to ensure safety on our streets. We cannot say for sure that MM Lee’s actions are the holiest but we also cannot say that the policies that he has implemented are without merit.
Even if MM Lee was an honest politician whose idea is to see Singapore prosper and his reasons behind controlling the press is to ensure that his views are on the front page and that the people get to know the truth and not some fabricated lie by other parties to defame him, you will still be criticising his actions, am I right? If you were MM Lee would you control the press to avoid possibilities of false information being spread and causing havoc?
We do not know what goes on behind the scenes and what considerations MM Lee had looked at to decide on the policy. He might have done it to hush his scandals, or he might have done it to let the truth be the only thing the citizens are exposed to, we will never know.
Everybody hates the foreign talent policy because some Indians are stealing jobs and they are not content (I’m not biased against Indians or anything. In fact, I think they’re advancing really quickly and deserve the high paying jobs they get). Well look at the issue again. Whose fault is it that the PAP had to implement this policy? Whose fault is it that our workforce is dwindling due to low birth rates? If the government did not assimilate foreign talents into our workforce, how much harder do you think you’ll have to work to keep the rate of economic growth steady and at the same time support an aging population?
So stop all of these speculations and just look at the things we know are true. The PAP has done what made Singapore successful with a development rate superior to most other developed countries. The PAP has given you the life you have right now with a GDP/capita that nearly tops the charts. The PAP has its own fair share of shortcomings such as coming up with no solution to solve income disparity between the poor and the very well paid ministers, but until another party can come up with a better solution than the ERP to ease traffic congestion which does not include the absurd idea of expanding all clogged roads in Singapore (which will undoubtedly be paid by our tax payers), my vote remains with the PAP.
Of course, I have yet to read any of Dr Chee’s books and I agree wholeheartedly with you that my opinion is in the very least still subjective as I, like many, have been brainwashed into worshipping the PAP but I see no reason for MM Lee’s past misgivings to influence our votes, unless, of course, one values absolute honesty in the government and has concrete evidence that MM Lee has indeed betrayed the people’s trust.
All that MM Lee has done for us in the past cannot be discredited. We have demanded housing, jobs and safety on the streets. MM Lee has given us all shelters over our heads very quickly at that (be those shelters void decks or large mansions), made Singapore’s unemployment rate one of the lowest in the world, and deterred crimes so well that children can prance in dark alleys with at least some sense of security.
He has done so much, yet all we do is take them for granted and criticise the measures he had taken to ensure that our demands have been answered and more. He is a governor and his job is only to answer our requests, not to be a holy martyr whose ultimate goal is the betterment of his country. It doesn’t matter what his objectives are as long as at the end of the day, the people benefit from them. How many nations in the world can boast that they have built up a very successful economy in just 45 years of independence?
If you are so dissatisfied with the way PAP has ruled (not that MM Lee has got much to do with the party now), go form your own political party and try to win us over with better alternative policies.
I concur with Tang Li’s conspiracy theory! All politicians cannot be trusted. Why? They are political! No worries, the day will come when I strike Big Sweep and I will be carefree and not slog working, go to hell PAP.
I like to pose to the Politically inclined , how can Propadanda,if any, be proven beyond reasonable doubt? How does the 1st worlds do it, if there is such a thingie.
Be very wary of the charming voices of seeming reason.
They are usually one of the most dangerous type of people out there; spouting out what seems like balance and even a smattering of truth; yet inside they are a ravening wolves in disguise – a TRUE snake in the grass – and is usually the type of person that destroys all that is right while pretending to be the voice of truthful rational reasoning.
Mafias do attend to funerals of those they kill brutally. The movies are not wrong.
some people i speak to say , aiya all politics in any country the same wan lah. So, they ignore politics.
I tell them, there is a difference between ignoring and not ignoring it by playing your part.
she could not understand. So, i used an analogy. I said what happens if country X has Zero opposition in parliament for eternity? Then she wised up.
Want to find the truth? It’s all out there; go read and find out ourselves (of course from the Internet!). Then make our own judgment. This “Awakening” story is just the tip of the iceberg…
Reply To number30.
How many countries like Singapore?.Know not one.Their heads are still above the water.Most of the posters here are all die-hard anti-PAP and no,they have brains but somehow being clouded and blurred by hatred,resentment,have an axe to grind against LKY and his policies.
The ignorant does not know what they don’t know. Or perhaps, they would rather the others don’t know and preferably be denied of political awareness.
Reply To number30.
Yah hor why r we so dumb and daft! This govt is the best the world ever seen. Imagine if the world is govern by the papies, this world will be a perfect world!
Sickapoorean, better wake up ok! no papies
this land will collapse.They r the one and only money moron that knows how to govern!
I too felt betray by the gahman. When I get older, I felt cheated when I know that my 2.5 years serving national services is only worst 1 day the PM pay.
They have told us enough lies. Is time for us to wake up and ask for rights.
After watching Robin Hood, I know how the King treat its people. Enough of arrogances. I called for violence.
Dear Nat,
I was a Soci major @ NUS and have read 2 modules under Prof Bilveer Singh. From what I recall (and I’m only a recent grad) Prof Singh and a good portion of Soci profs are anti-establisment (meaning critical of or opposed to current govt) and pretty vocal about it. In fact, NUS was when I received my political awakening. Many profs are of the opinion that the oppostion is too powerless right now to be effective, and they also argue that this is because the ruling gahmen has made sure of this. My profs also used to enjoy and reward little snarks against the ruling govt in our essays. So rest assured, not all NUS profs are automatons, quite the opposite in fact. Nat honey, while I applaud your political awakening, I think you still be half asleep. Dr Chee’s (while I have nothing but respect for him, if only for his guts) books are another form of propaganda. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
BTW, your little essay: B-
Vidz. U r not alone. I 2 met NTU India/China professors, I know these professors know nuts after talking to them but they 2 r strong critic of the gaymen.
In our beloved country,
the gahmen claim credit for almost everything to justify for their salary while leaving the locally born with peanuts. Social mobility is a big problem now among the local.
We need 2 strike 2 bring them down b4 is 2 late. Pls help spread this gospel.
If one is truly interested about the early politics of Singapore – read all that can be printed.
Compare the memoirs of LKY, with the print from the ‘Men in White’.
Compare these books with ‘The Fajar Generation’.
Verify some of the small snippets of facts with wider readings from the Malaysian publication ‘The Chinese Dilemma’.
The “facts” from the archives of the Colonial Office in London – that have been quoted by different authors – cannot possibly be wrong, and would have given a fair record of events that occurred.
There must be a reason for the government archives in Singapore and Malaysia to remain locked, when other First World Governments see fit to open the public records after thirty years.
Can there be so much facts that need to be hidden for the sake of posterity of those few families that planned to hold on to political power?
The writer has been sleeping and awakes suddenly and thought she has been brainwashed. And Chee is the personification of truth?
Chee’s books are pretty good. Glad they are serving a purpose to enlighten younger minds.