- Joined
- Jan 18, 2013
- Messages
- 142
- Points
- 0
A flood of donations might ease the hardship of not having an army
October 28, 2014 at 7:56am
In a FB Note on 15 October 2014, Mr Roy Ngerng bemoaned the fact that he has been “fighting on the front but without an army behind” him. As has become his custom, Mr Ngerng’s note is loosely written, thus he does not make explicit as to why the army, which he seemed to expect, did not materialise. However, elsewhere in his note he refers to the “fear so ingrained” in Singaporeans.
Given the fact that Mr Ngerng tends to flip-flop on his statements – the most egregious example of which was his complete change, within a mere two-hour-period, in his attitude towards his sacking by his previous employer – he might well flip-flop on his earlier remarks and now say that he does have an “army behind” him. Be that as it may.
Focusing on Mr Ngerng’s remarks that he leads an offline army which is non-existent, it is sufficient to say that this is something that is not unusual and has plagued many civil society activists around the globe. All such activists start off with any number of assumptions. They cannot conceive that most people do not share their view of the world. Soon, however, they realise that their assumptions had been misplaced and, if they had been spending most of their time in the online world, they had also believed their own press.
The incident at Hong Lim Park on September 27 -- which has been extensively written on -- spawned a significant public backlash against Mr Ngerng (including from some opposition party personalities). And it appears to be the reason for his series of lamentations in his October 15 FB Note.
To cut to the heart of the matter, Mr Ngerng should have paused to consolidate his gains when he was ahead and then return to his activism closer to the next general election. He was well ahead in early June this year. Back then, up to 6,000 people attended the first #ReturnMyCPF protest rally at Hong Lim Park where Mr Ngerng was a keynote speaker. Also, this rally more-or-less coincided with him collecting around $110,000 in donations from hundreds of well-wishers who wanted to help him in legal costs associated with a defamation suit brought against him by the prime minister.
Here, I draw a parallel with the Republican U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson -- a member of the right wing congressional Tea Party caucus. During President Barack Obama’s 2009 State of the Union address, Wilson caused quite a stir when he heckled, “You lie!”
[See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgce06Yw2ro ]
For his boorish conduct, the South Carolina congressman was roundly condemned by many people, including from those within his own party. In fact leading the criticism of Wilson was none other than Republican Senator John McCain who had been Obama’s rival during the 2008 presidential election race.
Yet, shortly after his outburst, Wilson raised more than US$1 million from over 18,000 “conservative donors” because they perceived that “he was ‘under attack’ for his willingness to take on Obama.”
The left and the right might be at diametrically opposite ends of the political spectrum, but they do share one thing in common. They adopt methods that are often seen to be in poor taste by most ordinary folk who, by inclination, are moderate and mild-mannered. But those methods appeal to a narrow segment of people who are not short in providing both the cheers and the cash to those who are spoiling for a fight or figuratively attempting to take a swing at The Establishment.
Presumably, Mr Ngerng’s hardship in “fighting on the front but without an army behind” him will be eased as long as the cash continues to roll in with his calls being answered for donations – to cover legal fees etc. That should keep him quite chipper... at least for the time being.
Dr Derek da Cunha is author of the books: Breakthrough: Roadmap for Singapore’s Political Future (Singapore: Institute of Policy Studies, 2012), 288pp; Singapore Places its Bets: Casinos, Foreign Talent and Remaking a City-state (Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2010), 192pp; and, The Price of Victory: The 1997 Singapore General Election and Beyond (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1997), 150pp.
© Derek da Cunha
https://www.facebook.com/notes/dere...dship-of-not-having-an-army/10153359285343797
October 28, 2014 at 7:56am
In a FB Note on 15 October 2014, Mr Roy Ngerng bemoaned the fact that he has been “fighting on the front but without an army behind” him. As has become his custom, Mr Ngerng’s note is loosely written, thus he does not make explicit as to why the army, which he seemed to expect, did not materialise. However, elsewhere in his note he refers to the “fear so ingrained” in Singaporeans.
Given the fact that Mr Ngerng tends to flip-flop on his statements – the most egregious example of which was his complete change, within a mere two-hour-period, in his attitude towards his sacking by his previous employer – he might well flip-flop on his earlier remarks and now say that he does have an “army behind” him. Be that as it may.
Focusing on Mr Ngerng’s remarks that he leads an offline army which is non-existent, it is sufficient to say that this is something that is not unusual and has plagued many civil society activists around the globe. All such activists start off with any number of assumptions. They cannot conceive that most people do not share their view of the world. Soon, however, they realise that their assumptions had been misplaced and, if they had been spending most of their time in the online world, they had also believed their own press.
The incident at Hong Lim Park on September 27 -- which has been extensively written on -- spawned a significant public backlash against Mr Ngerng (including from some opposition party personalities). And it appears to be the reason for his series of lamentations in his October 15 FB Note.
To cut to the heart of the matter, Mr Ngerng should have paused to consolidate his gains when he was ahead and then return to his activism closer to the next general election. He was well ahead in early June this year. Back then, up to 6,000 people attended the first #ReturnMyCPF protest rally at Hong Lim Park where Mr Ngerng was a keynote speaker. Also, this rally more-or-less coincided with him collecting around $110,000 in donations from hundreds of well-wishers who wanted to help him in legal costs associated with a defamation suit brought against him by the prime minister.
Here, I draw a parallel with the Republican U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson -- a member of the right wing congressional Tea Party caucus. During President Barack Obama’s 2009 State of the Union address, Wilson caused quite a stir when he heckled, “You lie!”
[See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgce06Yw2ro ]
For his boorish conduct, the South Carolina congressman was roundly condemned by many people, including from those within his own party. In fact leading the criticism of Wilson was none other than Republican Senator John McCain who had been Obama’s rival during the 2008 presidential election race.
Yet, shortly after his outburst, Wilson raised more than US$1 million from over 18,000 “conservative donors” because they perceived that “he was ‘under attack’ for his willingness to take on Obama.”
The left and the right might be at diametrically opposite ends of the political spectrum, but they do share one thing in common. They adopt methods that are often seen to be in poor taste by most ordinary folk who, by inclination, are moderate and mild-mannered. But those methods appeal to a narrow segment of people who are not short in providing both the cheers and the cash to those who are spoiling for a fight or figuratively attempting to take a swing at The Establishment.
Presumably, Mr Ngerng’s hardship in “fighting on the front but without an army behind” him will be eased as long as the cash continues to roll in with his calls being answered for donations – to cover legal fees etc. That should keep him quite chipper... at least for the time being.
Dr Derek da Cunha is author of the books: Breakthrough: Roadmap for Singapore’s Political Future (Singapore: Institute of Policy Studies, 2012), 288pp; Singapore Places its Bets: Casinos, Foreign Talent and Remaking a City-state (Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2010), 192pp; and, The Price of Victory: The 1997 Singapore General Election and Beyond (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1997), 150pp.
© Derek da Cunha
https://www.facebook.com/notes/dere...dship-of-not-having-an-army/10153359285343797
