Comments, opinions and an occasional ramble
Small kid to rebellious teenager
Watching the developments of Singapore politics since November last year, I’m cautiously optimistic. Other bloggers have also voiced similar optimism in Singapore society, such as Mr Wang. And, it’s not for no good reason.
The heated debate over the GST increase and ministerial salary increase would have been unthinkable 20 – 30 years ago. The average Singaporean in the street was like a small kid under the strong thumb of the parents. The kid was weak and relatively ignorant. The adult parents were much stronger and more experienced. They could invent all kinds of ways to pacify the kid, and when the kid sometimes throw tantrums, scoldings and caning threats kept the kid in place.
Fast forward to 2006/2007. The average Singaporean is now no longer a kid. It’s a rebellious teenager. The ignorant kid of yesteryear has come to realise that there’s more than meets the eye. The pacifist tricks employed during the childhood years no longer work. Scoldings and caning threats are not as effective anymore, not least because the kid has grown much bigger and stronger. And the rebellious teenager is not about to quietly take no for an answer. The teenager asks more and more tough questions, and sometimes the parents find it hard to answer them satisfactorily, but yet the parents has to try because the old methods don’t work anymore.
In 40 years, Singapore grew from an economic infant to an economic adult. Yet politically, the average Singaporean remained a kid that’s firmly thumbed by its parents. But, the kid has finally become a rebellious teenager. Hopefully, the rebellious teenager will soon become a powerful and intelligent adult capable of influencing decisions, or even become the decision-maker. It has taken 40 years for Singapore to grow politically from a kid to a teenager. Hopefully, it doesn’t take another 40 years or more for the teenager to become an adult.
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about 5 years ago
Hi Aaron,
Insightful post, however, I have a point of contention.
We are not rebellious teenagers.
That is the problem.
We have already adults, worldly, well-read, well-travelled, international-savvy adults. We have access to practically any information on the wild world of the web, yet the government persists on treating us like children.
They insist on doing and knowing what’s best for us. No one can deny that we live in a nanny state. We are coddled and our ‘parents’ don’t want to let us leave our home and strike out on our own.
Do we have to wait for one of our ‘parents’ to die (and many are eagerly waiting for it to happen) before we are finally set free to venture into the world?
It’s ridiculous that our ‘parents’ are so blind to the fact that everything is available online. They are so naive as to believe that by banning certain publications that us ‘children’ cannot get our hands on it?
We are akin to children who have been kept chained to our rooms who have constantly told that the world is a bad and dirty place, and ‘father’ knows best. And this brainwashing is still prominent amongst so many of the singaporeans.
In this day and age, our ‘parents’, locked in their elite glass towers have no inking that the tighter then squeeze, the more the children will slip away.
about 5 years ago
insens,
I agree with you that there are many Singaporeans who are worldly and streetwise. I think I chose to classify Singapore society as a rebellious teenager because of the way the government is handling public opinion now. In the past, none of this nonsense is tolerated. Now, at least they try to explain. I see this as a marked shift, akin to that from kid to teenager. However, the parents are still not willing to allow the teenager to make big decisions on his own, which is why I’m saying that I hope it will not take another 40 years for Singapore to become a political adult.
But, I would agree wholeheartedly with you that the parents seem stuck in the ways of their generation. Yet at the same time, there are many people who want to be babysat by the parents. As long as the parents give them tons of money, they are willing not to question. It’s precisely because there are sufficient numbers of such people around that we don’t get new parents.
about 5 years ago
Aaron,
you are right. We no longer become brainless bug bunny that only know how to eat carrot. We are smarter adult rabbit which eat free carrot (afterall isn’t the carrot is from tax money too) and hunt those greedy gahmen down.
We eat whatever carrot throw to us that manned to silence us, but still we like create commotion for the future of Singapore.
Singapore cannot be a place of greed for gahmen.
about 5 years ago
boyying,
Your brainless Bugs Bunny analogy is funny! But as per my reply to insens, there are still many people who like “free” carrots (and they don’t see that they are actually paying for the carrots themselves), which is why us bunnies are not having new owners. Until we get enough fellow bunnies to realise that the carrots are not so “free” after all, we are going to remain the way we are now. But, who knows whether the sun will rise from the west tomorrow? Life is unpredictable.
about 5 years ago
I really should have mentioned as well the kinds of scare tactics the parents use, such as our sisters becoming maids in other countries.
about 5 years ago
ya, those people have not tried “organic” carrots yet. even though they are aware that those carrots had been sprinkled with “pesticides” they still nod and say ‘tasty, tasty’. When will they remove the pesticides by their own hands and savour the really tasty carrots?
about 5 years ago
Aaron:
This post of yours is like a slab of Swiss cheese.
“Watching the developments of Singapore politics since November last year, I’m cautiously optimistic. “
Let’s see. We are now in April. So you’ve been watching developments of Singapore’s political scene for a grand total of only five months. You are now saying that you are “cautiously optimistic”. Blimey! I thought one shouldn’t have made such grandoise claims even if he has been watching it for the past five years! Gee… you mean there were no politicians in Singapore before 2002?
“The kid was weak and relatively ignorant.”
What made you so sure? What do you have to substantiate this statement of yours? Are you saying that the academia at that time was ignorant? Are you trying to imply that degree holders (possibly a rarity in the 60s and 70s) were ignorant as well? Are you trying to insult Catherine Lee for writing something which she received a slap in the wrist in return from SM Goh? Oh wait… in your eyes, Singapore “politics” only started five years ago… I get it now.
“The pacifist tricks employed during the childhood years no longer work. “
Go check up the definition of “pacifist”. I would have expected you to do some research before you click on the “publish” button.
“Yet politically, the average Singaporean remained a kid that’s firmly thumbed by its parents.”
So, it’s the government’s fault again? Have you thought why this kid remained firmly thumbed by its parents? Was it entirely the parents fault? Have you examined this aspect of the argument? Or is this just another exercise in blowing hot air?
“Hopefully, the rebellious teenager will soon become a powerful and intelligent adult capable of influencing decisions, or even become the decision-maker.”
Note the word you’ve used here – “hopefully”. So all you, we and everyone can only “hope”. End of story. Period. And you expect this “rebellious teenager” which you have used in this Swiss-cheese-esque post to transform into a powerful and intelligent adult overnight? Talk about “armchair political punditry”!
Now, let’s see your concluding statement. Let’s be hopeful that you will end with a punch! A call to arms!
“Hopefully, it doesn’t take another 40 years or more for the teenager to become an adult.”
Two “hopefuls” in a paragraph. Not even an inkling of how these “hopes” could one day be realised.
Another post full of hot air. Aren’t we already experiencing El Nino this year?
about 5 years ago
Hmmm not only do we have over paternalistic parents who refuse to let go, we have domineering grandparents breathing down everyone’s necks micromanaging everything in the house! The only chance of anything changing in this dysfunctional little family is a change of heart in the grandparents or their eventual return to the source…
about 5 years ago
Just my quick and simple take on “todays kids have grown up?”
Its ok to debate beyond the usual borders now that you ‘ve got this blogosphere alternative. Whatever language style you subscribed to here, I hope you do try to be polite and diplomatic. Surely not to the lowest level in the Taiwan House when the “parents” show bad examples.
As I see it, it’s quite obvious some good indicators will be taken and followed up by parents when rebellious teens are able to present their strong rational points. One day your own, restive, as the genes planned for it, will look to you as parents, wanting more (or even the good old days?).
There will be changes in life and history of a country as always, as long as the ingrained principles of know and love thy…. country, home, family, neighbour, charity, integrity and progress is not to be superceded by just the worth and measure of money or personal worship of it.
I’m sure there’s more to it when parents, harsh ones included make certain agendas, which appear not that appealing and clear to the teens.
I can safely say, whatever, those and the end results nevertheless, will become known in time, when they are not there for you anymore or gone from this world. The generation next will learn from that and the debate continues. A good thing.
about 5 years ago
That’s when the parent(s) will be truly judged. For rich or richer.
_____________________
I can safely say, whatever, those and the end results nevertheless, will become known in time, when they are not there for you anymore or gone from this world. The generation next will learn from that and the debate continues. A good thing.
about 5 years ago
IrCTP, Go on lah do it. Come on prove it to all of us how brave you are.
about 5 years ago
Be true to yourself. You know there is only one truth in this world. Dont you?
about 5 years ago
kopi-o-tiam:
What is it that you want me to prove?
about 5 years ago
Nancy,
When we get new farmers?
about 5 years ago
jdtoh,
How about a third option: that the grandparents pass on? The passing of the patriach might cause much instability.
about 5 years ago
lkh,
I think that most well meaning parents have good intentions, but as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. There’s always the problem of intentions not always corresponding with intended results. But I digress. I think at the end of the day, parents should let rebellious adolescents loose a little, for being young, brash and uneducated in the ways of the world, it’s not easy for the teenager to accept words of wisdom. Sometimes, learning by experience is the best way to learn.
about 5 years ago
you do realise, Aaron, that being a teenager and a rebellious one at that just makes the parent, who has been used to total obediance, tighten the grip.
From a psychological point of view, this is what would happen, especially in Asian societies, where the parents are considered to be, and believe rightly so, that they have absolute authority in the family. So is this what we are seeing? Parents who despair at losing the authority they once had, covering up with taunts and threats and half-truths?
Well, you make it sound like a phase and i hope it stays that way. If we remain teenagers for life with our parents tying our hands, no way will Singapore emerge on the world stage. We’re nothing more than a family of good standing, with the future of the children still suspect yet.
about 5 years ago
IrCTP,
Aiyoh, the PM himself said it – ours is a paranoid government. They worry too much. Unconsciously, they become insecure, so maybe that accounts for the obsessive pursuit and hoarding of money. Sometimes they hallucinate and imagine the whole nation of Singapore is against them and begin banning everything.
Then, all of a sudden, they wake up and found they have gone overboard and decide to do some charity work by donating to good causes.
That gives us hope and makes Aaron very happy.
Hopefullym you are not having a bad hair day. Because there is still hope for us afterall.
So don’t lose hope.
about 5 years ago
shoestring:
I need a hairdo badly. Oh wait… someone said something about hairdos and mammograms…
about 5 years ago
aaron,
somehow – paedophile comes to my mind.
Esp those where the father rapes the daughters.
Thanks.
about 5 years ago
And they do it legally. In broad daylight. And no one can defend the daughters. They just watch and make polite noises.
about 5 years ago
paedophile…hahaha…that’s a good one…yah and the fact that you can’t choose your familee…so they keep getting back into power…like how abusive dads keep coming back despite restraining orders =P
about 5 years ago
And IrCTP,
since you are such an angry armchair complainer as well, and since you probably think most of us are, then show us what you intend to do. Or are you here to preach that there’s nothing we can do, we’re not good enough, we should submit to the Almighty Lee?
Or are you a spy?
Sorry, paranoia abounds.
about 5 years ago
IrCTP,
U seem to have no hope. That could be playing into their hands if their intent is to make us feel hopeless so we wont give two hoots about what happens.
OR
You could said to be trying to create an air of despondency among us. And ur just trying to find holes in aaron’s argument. The “kid” in qn probably refers to the normal singaporean out there. Of course u could then turn ard and say what defines normal. If one follows ur argument there is no way we can possibly engage in any discussion for we have no standard to start from.
about 5 years ago
That’s when the parent(s) will be truly judged.
For rich (in money only) or richer ( in good deeds).
Get it?
And,
“the road to wilderness is certain if no one borders to pave it with patience thru seasons after seasons”
extracted from: The “Ima de itup” Sheet.. Fri 13 apr 07
Don’t you feel loosened n freer now writing this piece and others, and reading the various comments therein?
_________________
Aaron Ng // Apr 13, 2007 at 3:51 pm
lkh,
I think that most well meaning parents have good intentions, but as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentionsâ€. There’s always the problem of intentions not always corresponding with intended results. But
_________________
I digress. I think at the end of the day, parents should let rebellious adolescents loose a little…
about 5 years ago
Guojun,
There are perhaps several ways of looking at things. I cannot be sure that my perspective is right, and even if it is right now, it may not be right in future. Similarly, even if it is wrong now, it might not be wrong in future. Let’s wait and see. æ¥æ—¥æ–¹é•¿ (the coming days are still long)
about 5 years ago
lkh,
Yeah. And, I have never felt restricted to begin with. But, I do enjoy reading all the comments.
Readers like you make my day.
about 5 years ago
The average Singaporean in the street was like a small kid under the strong thumb of the parents. The kid was weak and relatively ignorant. The adult parents were much stronger and more experienced. They could invent all kinds of ways to pacify the kid, and when the kid sometimes throw tantrums, scoldings and caning threats kept the kid in place.
I’m with gecko on this. My guess is, had your seniors who attended the Chinese High school in the 50s read what you wrote, they would have been disappointed.
There were significant events in history where the average Singaporean may have been under strong thumbs, but they were neither ignorant nor less “experienced” in participation of politics. I’ll point you to these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hock_Lee_bus_riots
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_middle_schools_riots
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Coldstore
Students from Chinese schools fought for their political ideals. Lest you think this consciousness is only among the educated, the uneducated “average Singaporean in the street” in chinese society supported the students on strike with supplies of food, water and blankets. Chinese schools were shut en masse post-independence because one man decided that a pure-english based education was the only way for our society to progress. An entire generation of chinese school graduates åŽæ ¡ç”Ÿ suffered economic discrimination. Notice how the chinese educated folks always say they are “åŽæ ¡ç”Ÿ” with brotherhood feelings.
The older Singaporeans are also often reticent when you talk to them about politics. If you talk about “pacify the kid”, remember these people know friends, neighbours and relatives who died, who sacrificed their lives, who had to run away and never see their families again.
It’s not fair to compare the “the average Singaporean in the street” decades ago to “kids throwing tantrums”. You are not doing them justice. If I may be straightforward, you are a kid who knows nothing.
about 5 years ago
Average Singaporean,
I have refrained from responding to Gecko is precisely because I’m so bewildered that my position had been completely misunderstood. I am more than aware of the history of Chinese schools in Singapore. Which sentence in my entry pointed to all the groups you mentioned and labelled them as kids throwing trantrums?
And, look carefully at the time frame I mentioned. It was not 1950s or 1960s. I was referring to the 1980s and 90s. That was the time when the last bastion of activism (i.e. Nantah) has already gone. Singapore was growing rapidly economically. People were content with economic progress and not very bothered politically. You should know the state of politics in that two decades.
You have grossly misapprehended my entire entry because you were referring to a time period that was different from what I was referring to.
about 5 years ago
Aaron,
that’s fine. I happen to think of Singapore that way too. LKY is very paternalistic, in my eyes.
about 5 years ago
haha… the funny thing about ave s’porean’s post is that it reminded me of what my father always told me about chinese high in his days.
that chinese high only got to have wealthy alumni because those who didn’t have good english grades were told to ‘die or fly’.
yes, that’s why the school motto is so precious.
about 5 years ago
He is no longer paternalistic. He is a mercenary now – drawing money as a semi retired, “unwilling” MM, drawing salary as GIC chief. I have lost all respect for him in his closing years. Really sad.
about 5 years ago
And while the President holds the second key to the Treasury, he has allowed the door to be opened this time around. Hey, he received $3mil right? And the people he took a vow to care? $290.
about 5 years ago
Has anyone though perhaps this system is not what Singapore needs for the next 50 years. Change is the only constant, and those who ignore this, probably end up kicking themselves. Ideology is not immune to change either.
Why do football teams clear out the squad slowly and change their style of play? Think about it.
about 5 years ago
I think I see a pattern here ……
In 1995…..
Prime Minister’s Office said that forgoing a raise for five years would give Mr Goh “greater authority to implement the revised salaries for ministers because he will not benefit from it.” – Business Times 14 January 1995
The bloggers than predict how politics will change, example…..
“Going by present trends, the third generation will emerge from Singapore’s current transition a more self-reliant, capable lot. This has long-term repercussions for Singapore’s politics.” – Littlespeck 2003
2007 – PAP gets re-elected, Pay rise announced , PM says:
“To make it quite clear why I’m doing this, and also to give me the moral standing to defend this policy with Singaporeans, I will hold my own salary at the present level for five years. Whatever increases (I get), I will donate to suitable good causes.†–PM Lee Hsien Loong (TODAY, front page, April 12, 2007)
Bloggers wil predict how Singaporean has changed will not take no for answer, etc….
20xx – Pay rise come, what do you thing the NEXT PM will say…
Oh let me guess, it’ll probably be “I am donating my increase…”, “my moral standing ..”, “I am not pressured…” and phrases to similar effect.
Bloggers (assuming same technology) will then predict a new era, Singaporean will no longer accept policy blindly, yadi, yadi, yah…..
about 5 years ago
well. I’m sure they hope it’s that way. Up to us to change it huh.
about 5 years ago
Have I been harsh on Aaron?
For someone who has ambitions for political office, what I have attempted is a simple and dumbed-down version of debates. All of my arguments have so far steered clear of personal attacks. Just because this is the way debates should be conducted and this is the way we discuss and put forth our views. And I have long held this belief that most Singaporeans are pretty inept at debating.
Why have I become so intent in sowing “discord†to disrupt a rather “harmonious†tone on a few blogs, which probably contributed in a small way to Kitana’s departure? I was simply trying to drive home the point that if you cannot take the heat in an arguably safe environment where you present your views, you will never be able to take on greater challenges that lie ahead if you are sincere about wanting to effect a change to the status quo. It is unfortunate that Kitana voiced her disillusionment but she is neither the first nor the last. Many have gone before her, tried and failed.
My hope is to steer discussion away from just airing one’s views and to get people, people who are brighter and younger than I, to come up with ideas. With ideas, we have the fundamental blueprint from which our dreams for change can be pursued. With ideas, you can sell them to a greater number of like-minded individuals who will follow your dreams for change. Change can only happen when you have ideas.
At the same time, I have been throwing out references from history, be it four centuries of Chinese history or four decades of Singapore’s history. If you were to trawl through them carefully, they contain indications of human behaviour, be it power-hungry individuals who would stop at nothing to hold onto power for as long as possible, or noble men and women who perished simply because of their love for their country or simply for their fellow countrymen. There are many lessons there which one can learn, dangers one must avoid and indications of the long, hard and intense struggle before our dreams of change can become reality.
The dream of change for me is for Singapore to have a strong and mature civil society. I envision a place where the country will continue to prosper and inspire foreign investor confidence despite possible changes to the government. I envision an island-state where the people have a strong voice and it is not just confined to the internet. I envision a place where individuals place the rights of others along theirs although they may disagree. I envision a nation which is not indebted only to the leadership of one man but many who have stepped forward willingly to want to serve the nation. And for the leadership of that one man to have the foresight and love of the country to know that the future of the nation should never hinge on one person but its people.
How far are we from this vision? Far enough for me to consider packing my bags. The reality is that forty years since we became a sovereign nation, we are far less civil-minded and politically mature compared to the people of Hong Kong. The irony is that they were never a country to begin with, and their abilities to cast their voice never really detracted the city away from its bustling economic success. Activism is prevalent in every generation and civic consciousness permeates whole segments of its society. Perhaps these are forged and wrought from the uncertainties of the ’97 handover. Despite the many who left its shores, the rest who stayed decided to cast their lot and their futures.
For Singapore, it is now up to the likes of Kitana, Aaron and many others to move beyond discourse on blogs. It is not only because they are well-educated and intelligent. My suspicions are that they carry ideals of their own which form the building blocks for a politically mature civil society. My suspicions are too that they have yet to act on them.
What can they do then? These are a few of my humble suggestions:
(a) Form a civil-watch group
Bring your online discussions offline and into reality. Use this as a platform to discuss ideas on how to help those who have been affected adversely by government policies, with emphasis on doing it within legal means and boundaries. Raise awareness of important issues, ways to educate people on important policies that affect them and empower them with ways with which they can help themselves or where they can seek help. Plug the gaps which community groups or NGOs might have missed in providing their services to the society. It won’t be easy but in the long run and if managed well, the group can play a significant role in the country. At the same time, this group should always be politically neutral, while galvanising other community groups and NGOs.
(b) Engage the youth
Cliché as it may sound, they are the future of our country. At the same time, whole sectors of our society have become conditioned to be politically apathetic. It is not only harder to change the mindsets of a big group of people who are happy with the status and also daunting. Inspire the youth then. Raise the awareness among them of the need for a strong civil voice and the vision a resilient civil society, where its voice is strong, reasoned and fair enough not to be discounted by the government. Engage them in discussions. Hear their thoughts. Interest them with the spirit of peaceful activism which the youths of other countries are engaging for noble causes. Move them away from being disenfranchised. Empower them with the ability to change the lives of others, their countrymen, for the better.
I have other ideas but because the day has been long, they have eluded me. However, these are just two simple ideas of mine and I am sure there is some bright spark somewhere who can come up with better. All I wish to say is that the task will definitely be daunting and it will be a long and hard journey. However, if managed well, there will no longer be a collective disenfranchised group of Singaporeans without a voice, but voices espousing the rights of others. Be it thirty, forty or fifty years down the road, Singapore will have a vibrant and resilient civil society and this is not only what our country deserves. It is our birthright.
about 5 years ago
IrCTP,
I admire your views, and I would like to apologise for thinking that you are a troll because I am not aware of your intentions earlier, leading to the misjudgment that your tone is out of malice.
Of course, I believe that there are people who are going to say that I’m naive for so easily believing after a nice, long and thoughtful entry from you, but that’s just the way I am. I predict my own undoing to be my unwavering belief in the well-intentions of people, but well, that’s another story.
I am not sure which direction to go in translating thought to action because I too am a product of the Singapore system where activism is not in our social DNA. But I assure you I’ll spend some time thinking about it, and if you are willing to share good ideas, please feel free to bring them up.
about 5 years ago
IrCTP
The problem isn’t the lack of idea or the lack of discussions. There are already countless debates and with the explosion of blogging, the avenues by which to express ideas. The problem is bring these ideas into reality.
The real problem is fear, and not only that instilled by institution. It is inner fear brought about by what is perceived as the good life.
It may be a generalisation, but I suspect, many Singaporean find life too comfortable to want to change particularly when change brings about the unknown.
My view is that unless a crisis hit, which no doubt it will, nothing is going to change. Look at the recent History and you will know. Look at Nazi Germany and Militarist Japan. Why did so called smart, educated and cultured Germans and Japanese continue supporting their dictatorial government even to the bitter end?
Isn’t it the case the after loosing the war that they saw the virtual of democracies?
In the early days, many Germans support the Nazi because they brought “law and order” and “stablity”. During the war, they found it difficult to change government because, it was time to “stand behind the govnment for the good of the nation”, so no action there.
Maybe Singapore will not suffer as catastrophically, or be as brutal, as Nazi Germany but some crisis could befall. Then maybe then, a change will occur.
about 5 years ago
Hello IrCTP.
(Argh. I think everyone is taking the news of my departure more seriously than I though. But anyway…)
Actually. I was intending to leave before you commented, the effect had been cumulative and for some time before. It’s not just the disillusionment bit, it’s the fact tt I was becoming emotionally-drained by recent events even before the pay hike thingy. Two Steps from Twilight was right when he said tt I invested too much emotionally into blogging – it’s true, I did, and downside of tt is tt it affects you more than you think it will. Anyway when something like blogging starts making you sad and angry and starts affecting your offline world and even your relationships with other people, somehow it was time for me to seriously re-evaluate my priorities.
But that being said… Erm… I did leave as a final straw, coz I had a huge argument with Ben over well, you, and I felt that somehow I was too emotional and too irrational. It’s not good for anyone, myself, or any reader included, if I start writing any more emotionally-charged than I already do. You seriously go from objective (barely) to stark raving mad.
I actually want to apologize to you, for also thinking that you were a troll. Ben was right when he said tt you were actually as frustrated as us and you wanted us to do something.
To be honest, I think that change will take a while. It won’t be this fast. I think tt the blogosphere is actually an improvement over the period when we didn’t have one, because it isn’t just about expressing an opinion. Even though the ministers still got their way with the pay hikes and all, everyone I know has disagreed, and some are angry. Even my pro-government friends who are otherwise apolitical, can’t understand why. And when they don’t get the answers from the national newspaper, they find them online, and it gives them a different perspective.
This is a start. Awareness. Of course, it isn’t enough. Definitely not. There has to be awareness, and then action. What you call for is action. And I think tt without action, there can be no change. But the way I see it, I am rather scared (for the lack of a better word) that you might consider young bloggers as the instruments to make the change.
Perhaps it’s due to the meritocratic nature of the system; a lot of us don’t think tt we are ready, or tt we are good enough. The ideas that you envisioned are amazing, but I can’t imagine myself carrying them off. It’s extremely difficult to set up anything in Singapore, and they’ve made such a whipping boy out of Chee Soon Juan that people tend to think twice about doing something like that. Furthermore, while idealism is good, I have to agree that good intentions without real knowledge is akin to paving a straight road to hell. How many of us actually know enough right now?
Personally, I abhor politics. I know people generally don’t like it, but I have an aversion to it. I try to avoid relational politics as far as I possibly can; it’s just not my thing. However, a lot of us are still young. Hell, some of us haven’t even graduated, haven’t even started working or really come into contact with the so-called real world. So there is this period of waiting, of growing, where we learn more, see more, think more and so on. In this meantime, we do (little) what we can. =)
But I think give a few years, more will be done. Definitely. We won’t have a one-party rule for much longer; I think they’re doing some damage to themselves. And I am of the belief that we will get a 2 party system, either from a rising opposition, or from an implosion and subsequent fracture.
Am I disillusioned? With blogging, somewhat. But more tired than anything. But with Singapore’s future…
That’s a question I never answered. =)
about 5 years ago
it’s always the burden of the informed to bring the news to those in the dark.
Singapore’s future is our birthright. It is not negotiable.
about 5 years ago
Singapore is an interesting country. And we are an interesting bunch of people.
In any other country, the citizens would have probably risen up in arms to protest anything that they think has gone wrong with the government.
In singapore, the citizens have risen up in arms, but only in the virtual world.
We are such ‘well-trained’ children that when bad things happen to us, we suck it up and take it. Then, we go hide in our rooms and write in our diary about how much we hate our parents. Not once will we rebel and tell them to sod off. We will sit down and shut up, and take the abuse. And then write in our diaries.
That’s all we do. Write in our diaries.
about 5 years ago
about 5 years ago
Hello to everyone! I am born in the begining of the fifties and educated up to lower secondary level> May I submit that I am never shameful of my educational level> It was only when my children went oversea for studies that I learnt to use the computer just months ago that got me into blog reading> And since then I have posted quite actively to a number of blogs> As one who had actively writtened to forums (msm) and some ministries in responses to policies Now having trawled the net for few months However Although the common goal is the same The substances of most of the issues raised got overwhelmed and drowned by bloggers and commenters themselves arguing over their personal tastes and agendas> There are of course very objective bloggers Even then Naturally many implicitly blamed trolls and ninjas> Personally On the other hand they must expect and be prepared for destroyers> One aspect I find terribly disappointed is the inability of likeminded bloggers to coordinate and form alliance(s) amongst themselves> If they are not united It is so sad and disappointing that at a crucial opportune time
about 5 years ago
erm?
about 5 years ago
Kitana:
Thanks for your comment. Just some thoughts I have in response:
“…something like blogging starts making you sad and angry and starts affecting your offline world and even your relationships with other people, somehow it was time for me to seriously re-evaluate my priorities.”
If you want the kind of change you guys have been talking about, it involves a hell lot of a sacrifice. There are certainly no limits to how your life (and those of your loved ones) will be affected and this, in the long term too. Correct me if I am wrong, but many victors throughout history have been those who betray little or no emotion when confronted with adversity.
“I actually want to apologize to you, for also thinking that you were a troll.”
Apology accepted and Ben was spot on.
“To be honest, I think that change will take a while. “
To be honest, unless someone starts doing something soon, change will not come for the next fifty years.
“And when they don’t get the answers from the national newspaper, they find them online, and it gives them a different perspective.”
Am not trying to adopt the “better than thou” attitude by saying this, but during my growing up years, there was no such thing as the internet. It helps to be critical and form your own opinions from informed sources (or even the national newspaper). Do people really need to go to an alternative source to form and develop their perspectives? Do people really believe what they read in a day and age where everyone can be liberal with the “truth”?
“I am rather scared (for the lack of a better word) that you might consider young bloggers as the instruments to make the change.”
Mr. Lim Chin Siong was our MM’s “right-hand” man in the 50s during the struggle against the colonial government. He “became the leader of Chinese workers, trade unions and Chinese middle school students in the fifties” which puts him in his early 20s – ten years younger than Mr. Lee himself – when he decided to become an instrument for change.
Was he merely a phenomenon?
“The ideas that you envisioned are amazing, but I can’t imagine myself carrying them off. “
Which was why I emphasised on a civil-watch group or organisation.
“How many of us actually know enough right now?”
The road ahead will no doubt be hard and challenging, but don’t we all have to start somewhere, anywhere? Doesn’t the “journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step”?
“Personally, I abhor politics. I know people generally don’t like it, but I have an aversion to it.”
In most of what I have commented so far, I have avoided the use of the word “politics”. We are talking about developing a civic society here, not forming a political opposition. We must make clear distinctions about what these two stand for and take great pains never to mix the both of them up.
about 5 years ago
IrCTP,
If i have ever caused any offence i apologise. I now see where u come from and in fact i find that my views are similar to yours.
With regards to history, there are several examples of Kingdoms/Empires/ Dynasties which fell because of stagnation, etc etc. In fact the examples of the Byzantine Empire and Imperial China are rather relevant because there are several parallels to be drawn which seem applicable to that of Singapore.
With regards to change, for all you know it would take some time and some generations, could even outlast us, but then again as per Dr Huang’s tagline on his blog, not to do anything would be derelict in our duty to our children.
Anyway, with regards to young people being instruments of change, i feel age is not an issue, and again history has shown it to be so. Alexander the Great was 32 when he died, having been ruler of the largest empire in the known world, Joan of Arc was only 17 when she led the French to victory aginst the English; and no matter what one may think of Jesus, one cannot deny the fact that a 30 yr old did change the world and even today his actions continue to influence our world.
about 5 years ago
Ned Stark:
“If i have ever caused any offence i apologise.”
No offence caused and no need for apology.
History is important and can be telling, in terms of studying human behaviour. However, I am not sure how many Singaporeans deem it as an important aspect of their General Knowledge.
“…it would take some time and some generations…”
My estimate is fifty years, and this is with the assumption that something is being done now.
“…not to do anything would be derelict in our duty to our children.”
Bread and butter issues of the family might have blinded many to the harsh environment / society that could befall Singapore two to three generations from now.