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I wasn’t too bothered when Mr Fanthome’s reply to Singaporeans’ adverse reaction to the PAP’s proposed ‘cooling off day’ first appeared on the P65 blog.
That is, until I found out that Mr Fanthome, unlike true Singaporeans who had to bear the brunt of PAP rule and policies for decades, was one of those new ‘citizens’ recruited by the PAP to suppress the voice of Singaporeans like myself. Many Singaporeans believe that new citizenship are so readily granted to foreigners, who do not have to sacrifice years of their lives to serve National service and who were largely unaffected by many of PAP’s draconic policies dating back to the 60s, was because the PAP need new blood to bolster their ranks and their share of the votes for the next election. A quick fix if you will. If you can’t get your own people to support you because you have failed so abysmally, simply recruit new followers to edge out the old timers. Whether or not these new recruits will have the same loyalty as citizens born and bred in Singapore doesn’t seem to be an issue the PAP are concerned with.
In fact, when PR Zhang Yuan Yuan went back to China and publicly declared her loyalty and support for mother China, the PAP seemed unfazed and even went so far as to DEFEND Yuan Yuan’s actions! That was a marked contrast from the way the PAP used to treat citizens merely suspected (usually falsely) of being communists. Now they are actually defending one of their pet PRs when she publicly declared support for China. How low will they go just to secure votes from new ‘citizens’?
Now, back to Fredric Fanthome… In his blog, he wrote that:
“There will be more freedom in the coming elections – podcasts will be allowed, the internet will be abuzz – and the government is also putting in place measures to ensure the presence of at least 18 non-PAP members or about a fifth of the house in the next parliament regardless of election results. That is remarkable by any standard. No other country gives losing parties anywhere near as much voice.”
Fanthome’s ignorance of Singapore’s history and politics makes me shudder in horror. Is this the sort of ‘talent’ that the PAP wants? Is this the sort of ‘citizen’ that the PAP so shamelessly court, just to edge out true Singaporeans who have sacrificed their time (decades) for the country?
Mr Fanthome, allow me to enlighten you. First of all, the internet has always been abuzz. No thanks to the PAP. The real reason is simply because the PAP cannot control the internet completely. Thus, they make a show of tolerating it.
And are you truly so … obtuse as to believe that the government’s measure to ensure at least 18 non-PAP members in the next parliament to be a sign of more freedom for Singapore?!? If you are truly that obtuse, I don’t know if I can use sound reasoning to get through to you. Let me use a parable instead:
Ah Huat is a gambler who frequents the Turf Club. A old-timer with many connections within the racing circuit. A streetwise gambler who can spot bull-shit a mile away. One day, he brings his young friend, Ah Beng to the club. Ah Beng is young and naive. He didn’t have Huat’s experience nor street wisdom. Now, at the club, there’s a big-time horse owner, Mr Beh. And Mr Beh, sensing Beng’s naivety, told Beng that he (Mr Beh) is going to let Ah Beng win the next race by arranging a certain horse to win. But why? Ah Beng wanted to know. Mr Beh told Beng that’s because the Turf Club believes in fair play and sportsmanship, so that noobs like Beng can win occasionally too.
Ah Beng, being the young sucker he is, went to his old friend Ah Huat and told him gushingly that the Turf Club believes in fair play because Mr Beh is letting people win by arranging for the right horse to win!
Ah Huat listened quietly for a minute, then he slapped Beng on the head. “Are you an idiot?? Don’t you know that if Mr Beh told you with certainty what horse is going to win, it means he FIXED it so the horse can win! It has nothing to do with fair play! It isn’t fair play anymore if he ‘ARRANGED’ for the horse to win!”
Mr Fanthome, wake up your idea. Please do not be naive like Beng, ok?
And Mr Fanthome, you said ‘No other country gives losing parties anywhere near as much voice’. Are you in earnest? If by ‘as much voice’, you are referring to the numerous times the PAP has attacked, jailed and sued their critics to bankruptcy, then yeah, no other first world country has that sort of track record.
Mr Fanthome also referred to the PAP’s 66 percent win in the last election and translated it to mean a strong mandate. Please don’t talk cock lah, Fanthome! As an old citizen who has lived here for decades, I can tell you that many Singaporeans did not get to vote in the last election! If there isn’t universal suffrage, I wouldn’t be so quick to point out that a 66 percent out of the limited number of voters they allowed to vote equates to a ‘strong mandate’.
And this passage from Mr Fanthome’s blog betrayed his ignorance. Not just ignorance of how things truly are in Singapore, but ignorance of how the rest of the world operates. He wrote:
“The electricity never fails, the transport system works, the drainage system works. You
can drink water from the tap without worrying about getting a tummy ache.”
Please lah… Can’t you lie better than that, Mr Fanthome?!? How long have you lived in Singapore? Truly? Here. I have a link with a report about blackouts in Singapore. But you said ‘electricity NEVER fails’! Can I call you out now? Liar, liar, pants on fire…
http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/power_supply…
Transport system works? What do you mean by ‘work’? You mean the laws of physics work in Singapore, and cars can run just like in any other country? Which first world country do not have a working transport system? Perhaps if you have lived in parts of India where they are still in the difficult process of building proper roads, you are amazed to see cars running smoothly along Singapore roads. But as citizens of a supposedly first world country, who have to pay the leaders obscenely bloated salaries, we kinda expect our buses and cars to be able to run. There’s nothing spectacular about that. In fact, I would go so far as to say our leaders haven’t done a satisfactory job making sure we have a comfortable public transport system, instead of just a ‘working one’. Especially since they are paid so much more than their counterparts in other First World countries. Hell, if I pay my staff exceptional salary, then I expect exceptional results, and not just a passing grade!
And the remark about drinking water… Please lah… In other first world countries, you can also drink their tap water! What’s so phenomenal about that? And because we have something that other countries have, and where their leaders are paid so much less for providing that, you are telling us (citizens who have lived here for decades) to worship the PAP as if they are the best thing since… well since we had electricity and tap water.
With new citizens like Mr Fanthome in the youth cadre of the ruling party, I find our future bleak indeed.
That is, until I found out that Mr Fanthome, unlike true Singaporeans who had to bear the brunt of PAP rule and policies for decades, was one of those new ‘citizens’ recruited by the PAP to suppress the voice of Singaporeans like myself. Many Singaporeans believe that new citizenship are so readily granted to foreigners, who do not have to sacrifice years of their lives to serve National service and who were largely unaffected by many of PAP’s draconic policies dating back to the 60s, was because the PAP need new blood to bolster their ranks and their share of the votes for the next election. A quick fix if you will. If you can’t get your own people to support you because you have failed so abysmally, simply recruit new followers to edge out the old timers. Whether or not these new recruits will have the same loyalty as citizens born and bred in Singapore doesn’t seem to be an issue the PAP are concerned with.
In fact, when PR Zhang Yuan Yuan went back to China and publicly declared her loyalty and support for mother China, the PAP seemed unfazed and even went so far as to DEFEND Yuan Yuan’s actions! That was a marked contrast from the way the PAP used to treat citizens merely suspected (usually falsely) of being communists. Now they are actually defending one of their pet PRs when she publicly declared support for China. How low will they go just to secure votes from new ‘citizens’?
Now, back to Fredric Fanthome… In his blog, he wrote that:
“There will be more freedom in the coming elections – podcasts will be allowed, the internet will be abuzz – and the government is also putting in place measures to ensure the presence of at least 18 non-PAP members or about a fifth of the house in the next parliament regardless of election results. That is remarkable by any standard. No other country gives losing parties anywhere near as much voice.”
Fanthome’s ignorance of Singapore’s history and politics makes me shudder in horror. Is this the sort of ‘talent’ that the PAP wants? Is this the sort of ‘citizen’ that the PAP so shamelessly court, just to edge out true Singaporeans who have sacrificed their time (decades) for the country?
Mr Fanthome, allow me to enlighten you. First of all, the internet has always been abuzz. No thanks to the PAP. The real reason is simply because the PAP cannot control the internet completely. Thus, they make a show of tolerating it.
And are you truly so … obtuse as to believe that the government’s measure to ensure at least 18 non-PAP members in the next parliament to be a sign of more freedom for Singapore?!? If you are truly that obtuse, I don’t know if I can use sound reasoning to get through to you. Let me use a parable instead:
Ah Huat is a gambler who frequents the Turf Club. A old-timer with many connections within the racing circuit. A streetwise gambler who can spot bull-shit a mile away. One day, he brings his young friend, Ah Beng to the club. Ah Beng is young and naive. He didn’t have Huat’s experience nor street wisdom. Now, at the club, there’s a big-time horse owner, Mr Beh. And Mr Beh, sensing Beng’s naivety, told Beng that he (Mr Beh) is going to let Ah Beng win the next race by arranging a certain horse to win. But why? Ah Beng wanted to know. Mr Beh told Beng that’s because the Turf Club believes in fair play and sportsmanship, so that noobs like Beng can win occasionally too.
Ah Beng, being the young sucker he is, went to his old friend Ah Huat and told him gushingly that the Turf Club believes in fair play because Mr Beh is letting people win by arranging for the right horse to win!
Ah Huat listened quietly for a minute, then he slapped Beng on the head. “Are you an idiot?? Don’t you know that if Mr Beh told you with certainty what horse is going to win, it means he FIXED it so the horse can win! It has nothing to do with fair play! It isn’t fair play anymore if he ‘ARRANGED’ for the horse to win!”
Mr Fanthome, wake up your idea. Please do not be naive like Beng, ok?
And Mr Fanthome, you said ‘No other country gives losing parties anywhere near as much voice’. Are you in earnest? If by ‘as much voice’, you are referring to the numerous times the PAP has attacked, jailed and sued their critics to bankruptcy, then yeah, no other first world country has that sort of track record.
Mr Fanthome also referred to the PAP’s 66 percent win in the last election and translated it to mean a strong mandate. Please don’t talk cock lah, Fanthome! As an old citizen who has lived here for decades, I can tell you that many Singaporeans did not get to vote in the last election! If there isn’t universal suffrage, I wouldn’t be so quick to point out that a 66 percent out of the limited number of voters they allowed to vote equates to a ‘strong mandate’.
And this passage from Mr Fanthome’s blog betrayed his ignorance. Not just ignorance of how things truly are in Singapore, but ignorance of how the rest of the world operates. He wrote:
“The electricity never fails, the transport system works, the drainage system works. You
can drink water from the tap without worrying about getting a tummy ache.”
Please lah… Can’t you lie better than that, Mr Fanthome?!? How long have you lived in Singapore? Truly? Here. I have a link with a report about blackouts in Singapore. But you said ‘electricity NEVER fails’! Can I call you out now? Liar, liar, pants on fire…
http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/power_supply…
Transport system works? What do you mean by ‘work’? You mean the laws of physics work in Singapore, and cars can run just like in any other country? Which first world country do not have a working transport system? Perhaps if you have lived in parts of India where they are still in the difficult process of building proper roads, you are amazed to see cars running smoothly along Singapore roads. But as citizens of a supposedly first world country, who have to pay the leaders obscenely bloated salaries, we kinda expect our buses and cars to be able to run. There’s nothing spectacular about that. In fact, I would go so far as to say our leaders haven’t done a satisfactory job making sure we have a comfortable public transport system, instead of just a ‘working one’. Especially since they are paid so much more than their counterparts in other First World countries. Hell, if I pay my staff exceptional salary, then I expect exceptional results, and not just a passing grade!
And the remark about drinking water… Please lah… In other first world countries, you can also drink their tap water! What’s so phenomenal about that? And because we have something that other countries have, and where their leaders are paid so much less for providing that, you are telling us (citizens who have lived here for decades) to worship the PAP as if they are the best thing since… well since we had electricity and tap water.
With new citizens like Mr Fanthome in the youth cadre of the ruling party, I find our future bleak indeed.
