Don't be mistaken into thinking Western countries really stand for democracy and human right. If these are the values they really stand for, then there is no reason for the west to support Ukraine opposition who overthrew a democratic elected government just because that gov wasn't in their camp. Just go and google how many dictators and military rulers who once allied US. Fact is west don't care about democracy but self interests.
Fair statement. That said, there are Western voices of conscience, not in the governments generally, but in the advocacy groups, NGOs, certain segments of the liberal media, which do affect the international image of the PAP govt.
President Franklin Roosevelt once made comment about the dictator of Nicaragua Somoza ‘Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.’ This best expressed the American attitude when it comes to foreign relation. And yes, PAP is America's 'son of a bitch'.
Agree. That's why I mention Western hypocrisy in many of my posts here, which some blind buggers here take to mean that I'm PAP IB because I 'don't support democracy'.
Not that I don't agree with CSJ arguments but I think he should just stop wasting his money and energy attending all this useless conference. Kopitiam ah peks and aunties don't give a hoot about who CSJ manages to rub shoulder with. Educated fence sitters are most pissed with his repeated call for foreign powers to intervene. In the end, CSJ is just only pleasing the diehards and no one else.
Error #1. CSJ is usually invited to speak at these conferences. Board and lodging provided. Usually he has to foot the air ticket. But it's
not 'a waste of time and energy' if the world is made aware of the abuses in Singapore, the way we are aware of what goes on in Ukraine or Palestine or Somalia.
Error #2. CSJ is
not 'asking for foreign powers to intervene'. How can it be so when he and the SDP are fully committed to winning power by the parliamentary route? He's long ditched the notion of Ghandian non-violent civil disobedience to evoke political change. He's also a firm believer that change can only come from within, through S'poreans. Not through (usually) violent foreign intervention à la Iraq.
He's merely bringing human rights and governance abuses to the attention of the international media (not foreign govts) so that by reporting on these abuses they put pressure on PAP by exposing the false image of the prosperous utopian nation that PAP has presented to the world. The pressure is more psychological than physical (military/economic), and it stops the PAP from resorting to extreme abuse. (Only North Korea is immune to such pressure.)
Error #3. CSJ's conference speeches
are not aimed at 'kopitiam ah peks and aunties'. The purpose is not to win votes, but to increase global awareness of a particular nation's human rights violations. Without such global awareness, Indignados would not have led to Occupy Wall St to Occupy Mongkok. Each of these movements is
indigenously started, but
globally inspired.
Kopitiam ah peks and aunties will have to be won over by house-to-house visits, handshaking, block parties, distribution of brochures and party newsletters, all of which the SDP is currently doing regularly.