[h=1]ARE THE "SILENT MAJORITY" REALLY CONTENTED WITH THEIR LIVES?[/h]
Post date:
4 Apr 2015 - 9:44pm
With a passing of a great man, the tables have turned. The current government seemed to have instantly inherited the vision and capability of our late founder and gained popularity.
It is now even cool to sneer at the "vocal minority" and portray them as "aggressive and mildly informed jerks while the silent majority is a caricature of a meek and pleasant everyday Singaporean". I hope that those of you doing that are very comfortable in your lives, so much so that even if the cost of living surges, you will still be able to enjoy your creature comforts.You should also ensure that your offsprings are born smart enough so that with hard work, he/she will be able to graduate with a respectable degree and earn a comfortable income. There are people who work very hard in our society only to achieve average qualifications and salaries and struggle to survive in the most expensive city in the world because they only have average IQ. But not to worry because you, being an elite, surely deserve and will definitely bear smart children.
Much has been said about freedom. "Freedom is being able to walk the streets at night" is the most popular view among Singaporeans right now as seen by the numerous shares of the article written by a previous PAP NMP. Never mind that this author is the same person who said that price fixing is no big deal after being charged by the Competition Act. Never mind that he will resort to any methods to achieve his (financial) aims and anyone who doesn't share his views is a moron and nimcompoop.
Does economic growth at the expense of everything else and anyone who doesn't agree lives to repent sounds familiar?
Do you really think those of us fighting for freedom really want guns and drugs to be legalized in Singapore? Security (or if you want to call it freedom) and political freedom are not mutually exclusive. There can be tough laws in place to ensure our safety but we should be able to speak openly and question political issues without worrying about expensive lawsuits and jail time.
Do you have doubts that the policies made by our Cabinet, which consists of previous top lawyers, CEOs, CFOs, chiefs of army etc, are not strong enough for dissection by a few paper generals/keyboard warriors who barely pass their 'A' Levels Economics? Do you have doubts that the integrity of our ministers will be compromised by a few senseless and childish comments by some attention-seeking kids or obscure political bloggers?
If there are no channels to review, comment and (fairly) elect our government, there is a chance Singapore might just become an unlivable city with party-appointed ministers who are out of touch with the ground, unaccountable and rule with idealistic policies that will only work in their perfect world. A world where heart bypass costs $8, nasi padang with drumstick cost $2.50, everybody has a car and a family with $1000 income can own a HDB. A world where world-class public transportion broke down 6 times in 10 days, ministers say "the best solution is to leave it as it is since there is no easy solution", "for those of you who find that ERP is a burden on Saturdays, the possibility is for you to go shopping on Sunday", "assumed a profit company won't bid for a non-profit venture" in the Sengkang commercial columbarium saga and the list goes on.
2011 was a breakthrough in terms of political freedom even though our current batch of opposition may not be of the highest calibre now. However if we allow ourselves to regress due to the event in the last month and stifle the political freedom in Singapore again, there is almost no chance of any emerging. There will be no alternative if ever the current government lose sight of the interests of its citizens again in pursuit of economic success.
I'm not one of those free-riders who do not want to work hard and demand for everything. I appreciate the system that LKY put in place that allowed me to have a decent education with the little money my family had. However I doubt I would be able to enjoy what I have today if I hadn't been smart enough. It may sound elitist but that is the harsh culture in our country now. If you are not able to graduate from a good degree programme like accountancy, medicine and law (that is most Singaporeans), you are likely to be struggling with the high cost of living, healthcare costs and get packed in sardine cans twice a day.
Do you want to live in a country where the interest of the elites are given unreasonable level of priority over the welfare of common citizens? Where it will cost exactly the same for the rich to be entitled to (COE) buy their seventh Ferrari and the average Singaporean to break his bank account to buy a humble MPV to ferry their family of 5 and elderly parents. If the upcoming election shows that Singaporeans indeed prefer that, I would lament on the time I wasted on a Saturday afternoon at my balcony writing this article. And when I read about the next MRT breakdown, I will just chuckle as I drive off in my 6.5s car. If people who are most affected can't be bothered, why should I?
“if I can get another 10 billionaires to move to Singapore and set up their base here… I think Singapore will be better off because they will bring business, they will bring opportunities”
- LHL when asked about income inequality. Are you better off in the last 5 years?
"lf you ask me, this meritocracy thing is absolutely correct. But the mentality of winner takes all is not. Everyone is worth something, not only the best. I hope people who make it to the top understands that."
- A young empathetic doctor
Ken
TRS Contributor
Post date:
4 Apr 2015 - 9:44pm
With a passing of a great man, the tables have turned. The current government seemed to have instantly inherited the vision and capability of our late founder and gained popularity.
It is now even cool to sneer at the "vocal minority" and portray them as "aggressive and mildly informed jerks while the silent majority is a caricature of a meek and pleasant everyday Singaporean". I hope that those of you doing that are very comfortable in your lives, so much so that even if the cost of living surges, you will still be able to enjoy your creature comforts.You should also ensure that your offsprings are born smart enough so that with hard work, he/she will be able to graduate with a respectable degree and earn a comfortable income. There are people who work very hard in our society only to achieve average qualifications and salaries and struggle to survive in the most expensive city in the world because they only have average IQ. But not to worry because you, being an elite, surely deserve and will definitely bear smart children.
Much has been said about freedom. "Freedom is being able to walk the streets at night" is the most popular view among Singaporeans right now as seen by the numerous shares of the article written by a previous PAP NMP. Never mind that this author is the same person who said that price fixing is no big deal after being charged by the Competition Act. Never mind that he will resort to any methods to achieve his (financial) aims and anyone who doesn't share his views is a moron and nimcompoop.
Does economic growth at the expense of everything else and anyone who doesn't agree lives to repent sounds familiar?
Do you really think those of us fighting for freedom really want guns and drugs to be legalized in Singapore? Security (or if you want to call it freedom) and political freedom are not mutually exclusive. There can be tough laws in place to ensure our safety but we should be able to speak openly and question political issues without worrying about expensive lawsuits and jail time.
Do you have doubts that the policies made by our Cabinet, which consists of previous top lawyers, CEOs, CFOs, chiefs of army etc, are not strong enough for dissection by a few paper generals/keyboard warriors who barely pass their 'A' Levels Economics? Do you have doubts that the integrity of our ministers will be compromised by a few senseless and childish comments by some attention-seeking kids or obscure political bloggers?
If there are no channels to review, comment and (fairly) elect our government, there is a chance Singapore might just become an unlivable city with party-appointed ministers who are out of touch with the ground, unaccountable and rule with idealistic policies that will only work in their perfect world. A world where heart bypass costs $8, nasi padang with drumstick cost $2.50, everybody has a car and a family with $1000 income can own a HDB. A world where world-class public transportion broke down 6 times in 10 days, ministers say "the best solution is to leave it as it is since there is no easy solution", "for those of you who find that ERP is a burden on Saturdays, the possibility is for you to go shopping on Sunday", "assumed a profit company won't bid for a non-profit venture" in the Sengkang commercial columbarium saga and the list goes on.
2011 was a breakthrough in terms of political freedom even though our current batch of opposition may not be of the highest calibre now. However if we allow ourselves to regress due to the event in the last month and stifle the political freedom in Singapore again, there is almost no chance of any emerging. There will be no alternative if ever the current government lose sight of the interests of its citizens again in pursuit of economic success.
I'm not one of those free-riders who do not want to work hard and demand for everything. I appreciate the system that LKY put in place that allowed me to have a decent education with the little money my family had. However I doubt I would be able to enjoy what I have today if I hadn't been smart enough. It may sound elitist but that is the harsh culture in our country now. If you are not able to graduate from a good degree programme like accountancy, medicine and law (that is most Singaporeans), you are likely to be struggling with the high cost of living, healthcare costs and get packed in sardine cans twice a day.
Do you want to live in a country where the interest of the elites are given unreasonable level of priority over the welfare of common citizens? Where it will cost exactly the same for the rich to be entitled to (COE) buy their seventh Ferrari and the average Singaporean to break his bank account to buy a humble MPV to ferry their family of 5 and elderly parents. If the upcoming election shows that Singaporeans indeed prefer that, I would lament on the time I wasted on a Saturday afternoon at my balcony writing this article. And when I read about the next MRT breakdown, I will just chuckle as I drive off in my 6.5s car. If people who are most affected can't be bothered, why should I?
“if I can get another 10 billionaires to move to Singapore and set up their base here… I think Singapore will be better off because they will bring business, they will bring opportunities”
- LHL when asked about income inequality. Are you better off in the last 5 years?
"lf you ask me, this meritocracy thing is absolutely correct. But the mentality of winner takes all is not. Everyone is worth something, not only the best. I hope people who make it to the top understands that."
- A young empathetic doctor
Ken
TRS Contributor
