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A cynical write-up on the growing separation in society. By XenoBoy.
Aug 12, 2008
Why They Like Singapore
There are some Singaporeans who like Singapore.
They belong to that sacred convenant of Singaporeans who have the most freedom in this island state.
Well-schooled through the elite schools and recipients of prestigious scholarships to Oxbridge or the Ivy League, this class of Singaporeans are intelligent, articulate, sagely and well ensconced in the civil service, in the national newspapers, in the major GLCs, which run Clockwork Singapore.
These Singaporeans have it good. They can speak, reason and talk about politics in valuable newspaper space with absolute free reign. What authoritarian Singapore? They ask. They have all the freedom to publish commentaries with absolute impunity.
They can talk about the Singapore system, on political accountability, freely without the blighting shadow of defamation.
For these Singaporeans, they cannot understand why other Singaporeans cry bloody murder on freedom of expression, freedom of speech, or the lack of human rights in Singapore. They cannot understand why Westerners hate Singapore.
In their sanguine sagacity, they dismiss these complaining Singaporeans as blue-eyed idealists who will grow out of their angst and accept the system; they scoff at the Western detractors as jealous, as cultural bigots who cannot escape the liberal paradigms they were schooled under.
These Singaporeans, so rational and pragmatic, who always have the answers, rooted deep in an ultra-Rankean historical perspective, for every contradiction apparent in Singapore society today.
Ministerial accountability for a terrorist escape? Look through the annals of history, there is no need. Why this fury?
Raising taxes to help the poor? Look at history and you see that the people have to bite the bullet to survive economic crises.
Gerrymandering in elections? Come on, we are a multi-racial society which needs proportional representation for the sake of democracy.
Every contradiction. A perfect, rational answer. Sometimes backed up with the necessary statistics.
These Singaporeans have absolutely no reason to dislike, what more hate Singapore? They reap the fruits of this nation's spectacular economic success. They enjoy great career success and hold positions of influence in the political, social, economic fields.
They are the direct beneficiaries of Singapore Inc, the beautiful meritocracy of controlled political diversity.
These Singaporeans, who read the Singapore Story as how the PAP triumphed against the communists (after riding on the Malayan Communist Party to obtain political power and betraying them), went through a painful Merger with Malaysia (and the launch of Operation Cold Store to remove all the political opponents under the war against Communism), fighting the economic struggles of 1970s (enacting the Trade Union Act, the Newspaper Act, forcing the closure of Nantah and Chinese schools to annihilate all the bastions of Communist mass support), rising to the housing challenge with HDB (the forced repatriation of Singaporeans who received no compensation and the enactment of the grassroots RCs who receive favoured distribution of flats) and the birth of a modern economic miracle ( via the systematic de-politicisation of society).
Really, for these Singaporeans, what's there to dislike, much less hate about Singapore? For them, the grass is always green. For them, a 10% pay-cut is just a few hundred off their six figure salaries.
For them, the ERP is wonderful for removing congestion. For them, raising bus fares is an alien notion because they do not take buses. For them, Singapore is wonderful, they are free to do anything and they are happy citizens.
They just have to sing One song. They just have to believe in One nation. They just have to see One people.
And these Singaporeans are One Singapore.
Waltzing on a glass floor, looking down on the rest of the country, the rest of the world.
While the rest of us lift our heads and watch them dance through the glass ceiling.
Aug 12, 2008
Why They Like Singapore
There are some Singaporeans who like Singapore.
They belong to that sacred convenant of Singaporeans who have the most freedom in this island state.
Well-schooled through the elite schools and recipients of prestigious scholarships to Oxbridge or the Ivy League, this class of Singaporeans are intelligent, articulate, sagely and well ensconced in the civil service, in the national newspapers, in the major GLCs, which run Clockwork Singapore.
These Singaporeans have it good. They can speak, reason and talk about politics in valuable newspaper space with absolute free reign. What authoritarian Singapore? They ask. They have all the freedom to publish commentaries with absolute impunity.
They can talk about the Singapore system, on political accountability, freely without the blighting shadow of defamation.
For these Singaporeans, they cannot understand why other Singaporeans cry bloody murder on freedom of expression, freedom of speech, or the lack of human rights in Singapore. They cannot understand why Westerners hate Singapore.
In their sanguine sagacity, they dismiss these complaining Singaporeans as blue-eyed idealists who will grow out of their angst and accept the system; they scoff at the Western detractors as jealous, as cultural bigots who cannot escape the liberal paradigms they were schooled under.
These Singaporeans, so rational and pragmatic, who always have the answers, rooted deep in an ultra-Rankean historical perspective, for every contradiction apparent in Singapore society today.
Ministerial accountability for a terrorist escape? Look through the annals of history, there is no need. Why this fury?
Raising taxes to help the poor? Look at history and you see that the people have to bite the bullet to survive economic crises.
Gerrymandering in elections? Come on, we are a multi-racial society which needs proportional representation for the sake of democracy.
Every contradiction. A perfect, rational answer. Sometimes backed up with the necessary statistics.
These Singaporeans have absolutely no reason to dislike, what more hate Singapore? They reap the fruits of this nation's spectacular economic success. They enjoy great career success and hold positions of influence in the political, social, economic fields.
They are the direct beneficiaries of Singapore Inc, the beautiful meritocracy of controlled political diversity.
These Singaporeans, who read the Singapore Story as how the PAP triumphed against the communists (after riding on the Malayan Communist Party to obtain political power and betraying them), went through a painful Merger with Malaysia (and the launch of Operation Cold Store to remove all the political opponents under the war against Communism), fighting the economic struggles of 1970s (enacting the Trade Union Act, the Newspaper Act, forcing the closure of Nantah and Chinese schools to annihilate all the bastions of Communist mass support), rising to the housing challenge with HDB (the forced repatriation of Singaporeans who received no compensation and the enactment of the grassroots RCs who receive favoured distribution of flats) and the birth of a modern economic miracle ( via the systematic de-politicisation of society).
Really, for these Singaporeans, what's there to dislike, much less hate about Singapore? For them, the grass is always green. For them, a 10% pay-cut is just a few hundred off their six figure salaries.
For them, the ERP is wonderful for removing congestion. For them, raising bus fares is an alien notion because they do not take buses. For them, Singapore is wonderful, they are free to do anything and they are happy citizens.
They just have to sing One song. They just have to believe in One nation. They just have to see One people.
And these Singaporeans are One Singapore.
Waltzing on a glass floor, looking down on the rest of the country, the rest of the world.
While the rest of us lift our heads and watch them dance through the glass ceiling.
