<TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>UncleFond <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>Jul-5 11:42 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>35671.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Out of an island of 4.98 million, less than 3.5 million are born domestically. Some unofficial sources even claim that this figure can be as low as 3.0 million. The rapid influx of foreigners without any adequate policy to accommodate the increase in population in terms of housing and transport, together with heightened job insecurity due to the foreigners vying for the same jobs local held have all indeed led to a large proportion of Singapore population having doubts about PAP for the first time in 50 years. The disillusioned group simply have lost all hope and prayer in a party that they voted in religiously election after election with majority votes.
http://www.temasekreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/images1.pngIn a country where the slightest criticism of PAP could land anyone into deep troubles and where fear of expressing any dissatisfaction was widespread, there has been a phenomenal change. There are websites such as TOC and TR challenging state fed news and opinions. There is a facebook group with a large membership calling for PAP to be voted out. An 18 year old teenager started a petition to demand LKY apologise. There is a greater number of privileged individuals stepping into opposition parties which used to be perceived as political landmines fit for the hot headed. As to the question of whether all this will lead to a political outcome of PAP loosing substantial seats or even power, the answer is a clear and simple NO.
This is due to the extreme disunity amongst Singapore born Singaporeans. We are not talking about the group that supports PAP versus the group that wants change. This division will always be around. It is the disunity within the latter group that is troubling. Amongst those who want to see change in Singapore and who want to see PAP ousted, they are extremely divided within their ethnic communities.
Within the Chinese community, one group has formally recognised that the minorities are not given equal economic opportunities. This group recognises that the way forward is to make the playing field more levelled. The other group however still refutes this and still argues the economic backwardness of the minorities is solely due to their lower educational attainment levels etc etc which have proven otherwise in numerous reports and studies. This group do not see a need for any major reform.
Within the Chinese community one group truthfully admits the marginalisation of minorities especially Malays and Muslims in the armed forces and senior government positions. They recognise security can be preserved without the need to resorting to these kind of tactics. However another group in the Chinese community insists Singapore’s security lies in how well it restricts minorities’ access to the security forces and senior government positions.
Likewise one group of Singapore born Chinese who want change recognise that the PAP have set up a host of organisations such as MUIS, WAREES, Hindu Endowment Board etc solely to control the endowments and spaces of the minorities. They also recognise PAP have set up a totally racist law Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) in order to control Muslims through a code of unfair laws and a proxy group of Muslim stooge agencies and individuals. However another group of Singapore born Chinese are unaware of this and/or uninterested in all this. Even when they come to hear about such unfairness the minorities are subjected to, they are no less interested to see a change. Rather they are indifferent to the status quo.
Similarly one group of Singapore born Chinese who want change recognise the PAP restrict the freedom of the minorities to practise their languages and religions. The other group simply toe the national propaganda and refuse to accept these realities exist. The former group also recognise that the way forward is to give the minorities the freedom they had before 1959 and the freedom they will have if they migrate to any civilised western country. The latter group strongly opposes any change to status quo. This division is only isolating the support for the Chinese community that wants change from the minorities who also want change. Unless the Chinese community who want change learn to accept the harsh realities the minorities are facing and make an offer of reconciliation and unity as the way forward, they solely will never be able to unseat PAP in even a single GRC.
Similarly the Singapore born minorities who want change are equally divided in how they want to move forward with the Singapore born Chinese. One group do understand the anxieties and struggles of the Singapore born Chinese community. This group empathises and is keen to help. They are interested to see a change in the outcomes. However another group is simply oblivious to all this. They are not sure nor keen as they are totally unaware.
Majority of Singapore minorities actually do not support PAP though the support for PAP is rising. Even the Chinese Singaporeans are unaware of this as they conveniently believe PAP’s fast one that Malays support PAP. Despite the widespread opinion amongst minorities to see change, one can hardly find much participation of the minorities in the opposition political parties, alternative web news channels like TOC & TR. There is indeed some significant representation of Indians and some Malay youths but the overall minorities who want change are heavily underrepresented in the world wide web and political parties. Unless these minorities step forward and unite, their position is not going to improve.
Within each religious group, there is also a strong undercurrent of sentiments that want change to Singapore. Yet you will hardly find any unity amongst the Christian groups, Buddhist groups, Hindu groups, Muslim groups etc who want change. Even amongst each religious group there are deep divisions amongst those who want change. Actually the division amongst the opposition parties is the same nature. Each is obsessed with their own ways.
To sum up the situation, a large proportion of Singaporeans want change and do want PAP ousted. However each group wants change in their own way and does not want to unite for a change to occur. It is of course nonsense to suggest all must have a single objective. Instead what all of them should have is a single overarching vision and they must unite for that vision. Singaporeans being Singaporeans, they are too preoccupied with the smaller objectives and they live in fear that if they unite for the mega vision, their smaller objectives will be lost. As they work towards that vision, they must be willing to make compromises which of course is a herculean task for Singaporeans. They ought to look at how Singaporeans co-existed before PAP, Singapore migrant communities co-exist abroad and successful examples of multiculturalism abroad. They need to draw inspirations from these.
This culture can change within a month or a century. It all depends on the will of Singapore born Singaporeans.
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http://www.temasekreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/images1.pngIn a country where the slightest criticism of PAP could land anyone into deep troubles and where fear of expressing any dissatisfaction was widespread, there has been a phenomenal change. There are websites such as TOC and TR challenging state fed news and opinions. There is a facebook group with a large membership calling for PAP to be voted out. An 18 year old teenager started a petition to demand LKY apologise. There is a greater number of privileged individuals stepping into opposition parties which used to be perceived as political landmines fit for the hot headed. As to the question of whether all this will lead to a political outcome of PAP loosing substantial seats or even power, the answer is a clear and simple NO.
This is due to the extreme disunity amongst Singapore born Singaporeans. We are not talking about the group that supports PAP versus the group that wants change. This division will always be around. It is the disunity within the latter group that is troubling. Amongst those who want to see change in Singapore and who want to see PAP ousted, they are extremely divided within their ethnic communities.
Within the Chinese community, one group has formally recognised that the minorities are not given equal economic opportunities. This group recognises that the way forward is to make the playing field more levelled. The other group however still refutes this and still argues the economic backwardness of the minorities is solely due to their lower educational attainment levels etc etc which have proven otherwise in numerous reports and studies. This group do not see a need for any major reform.
Within the Chinese community one group truthfully admits the marginalisation of minorities especially Malays and Muslims in the armed forces and senior government positions. They recognise security can be preserved without the need to resorting to these kind of tactics. However another group in the Chinese community insists Singapore’s security lies in how well it restricts minorities’ access to the security forces and senior government positions.
Likewise one group of Singapore born Chinese who want change recognise that the PAP have set up a host of organisations such as MUIS, WAREES, Hindu Endowment Board etc solely to control the endowments and spaces of the minorities. They also recognise PAP have set up a totally racist law Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) in order to control Muslims through a code of unfair laws and a proxy group of Muslim stooge agencies and individuals. However another group of Singapore born Chinese are unaware of this and/or uninterested in all this. Even when they come to hear about such unfairness the minorities are subjected to, they are no less interested to see a change. Rather they are indifferent to the status quo.
Similarly one group of Singapore born Chinese who want change recognise the PAP restrict the freedom of the minorities to practise their languages and religions. The other group simply toe the national propaganda and refuse to accept these realities exist. The former group also recognise that the way forward is to give the minorities the freedom they had before 1959 and the freedom they will have if they migrate to any civilised western country. The latter group strongly opposes any change to status quo. This division is only isolating the support for the Chinese community that wants change from the minorities who also want change. Unless the Chinese community who want change learn to accept the harsh realities the minorities are facing and make an offer of reconciliation and unity as the way forward, they solely will never be able to unseat PAP in even a single GRC.
Similarly the Singapore born minorities who want change are equally divided in how they want to move forward with the Singapore born Chinese. One group do understand the anxieties and struggles of the Singapore born Chinese community. This group empathises and is keen to help. They are interested to see a change in the outcomes. However another group is simply oblivious to all this. They are not sure nor keen as they are totally unaware.
Majority of Singapore minorities actually do not support PAP though the support for PAP is rising. Even the Chinese Singaporeans are unaware of this as they conveniently believe PAP’s fast one that Malays support PAP. Despite the widespread opinion amongst minorities to see change, one can hardly find much participation of the minorities in the opposition political parties, alternative web news channels like TOC & TR. There is indeed some significant representation of Indians and some Malay youths but the overall minorities who want change are heavily underrepresented in the world wide web and political parties. Unless these minorities step forward and unite, their position is not going to improve.
Within each religious group, there is also a strong undercurrent of sentiments that want change to Singapore. Yet you will hardly find any unity amongst the Christian groups, Buddhist groups, Hindu groups, Muslim groups etc who want change. Even amongst each religious group there are deep divisions amongst those who want change. Actually the division amongst the opposition parties is the same nature. Each is obsessed with their own ways.
To sum up the situation, a large proportion of Singaporeans want change and do want PAP ousted. However each group wants change in their own way and does not want to unite for a change to occur. It is of course nonsense to suggest all must have a single objective. Instead what all of them should have is a single overarching vision and they must unite for that vision. Singaporeans being Singaporeans, they are too preoccupied with the smaller objectives and they live in fear that if they unite for the mega vision, their smaller objectives will be lost. As they work towards that vision, they must be willing to make compromises which of course is a herculean task for Singaporeans. They ought to look at how Singaporeans co-existed before PAP, Singapore migrant communities co-exist abroad and successful examples of multiculturalism abroad. They need to draw inspirations from these.
This culture can change within a month or a century. It all depends on the will of Singapore born Singaporeans.
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