Alot of people have suggested that there could be a coup or revolt in the coming years, and the PAP would be toppled by angry/enraged citizens who are fed up and simply can't take any more.
I can assure you this will never happen. LKY was a keen student of revolutionary history. He knew that revolutions always happen because the proletarians (the "have nots") are squeezed to the point where they have nothing more to lose, so much so that even the risk of losing one's life is worth it if it can produce even a small chance at a better future. It is always the aristocrats and the bourgeois that resist, and they are often taken to task by the revolutionaries.
That is why Singapore has things like CPF and HDB. We have the highest rate of savings in the world (albeit savings that we will never be able to touch). We have the highest rate of home ownership in the world.
With these conditions in place, almost EVERY Singaporean is a bourgeois. We are too fearful of losing our CPF savings and our HDB flats, because they are symbols of what we own. At no point in history has a popular uprising been staged by members of the bourgeois class. Those who have little tend to cling on to the little that they have. It is those who have NOTHING that have nothing to lose!
By ensuring that every Singaporean is provided with these things (what some of you will inevitably describe as being 'scraps from the master's table), LKY, who is probably the most astute politician of his generation, also safeguarded his rule against any form of popular uprising or revolt.
This is why Singaporeans are often described as being 'kiasu' or 'cowardly'. This is why Chee Soon Juan's lame attempts at protests have failed so miserably. We will vote against the PAP if we are not satisfied. But we will NEVER, and I mean NEVER, take to the streets.
Those who are speaking of parangs or machetes -- seriously, stop it. It will never happen. Stop dreaming of an Arab Spring taking place here. You will never be able to get even 10 people to take part in a protest, let alone take to the streets and demand the regime's ouster. It simply won't happen.
Look, the PAP is not going to be deposed from power. Not now, not ever. LKY has already made up his mind on this and he has already made his stand clear. That's not necessarily bad news since the majority of Singaporeans still want the PAP in power. They are just fed up with the PAP's policies, which they perceive to be detrimental to the people.
That's all fine and well. But the PAP is not stupid. They have noted the discontent. They will change simply because they must. They do not want to lose any more seats in Parliament. Their scholar-bureaucrats will be able to find some way to distribute handouts to the poor so that their plight will at least temporarily be alleviated. We are one of the few countries in the world that gives handouts in CASH to its citizens every few years.
I'm not saying I support the PAP or that I agree with its current policies. I don't. However, the PAP itself is not evil. It is just that its current leadership has lost touch, and is somewhat misguided. I am just offering my honest analysis and opinion. Over the past few days I have read numerous posts on how the Punggol East result will be the beginning of some sort of popular movement to oust the PAP. Believe me, Singaporeans will NEVER, EVER take to the streets no matter what -- and the PAP knows that.
I can assure you this will never happen. LKY was a keen student of revolutionary history. He knew that revolutions always happen because the proletarians (the "have nots") are squeezed to the point where they have nothing more to lose, so much so that even the risk of losing one's life is worth it if it can produce even a small chance at a better future. It is always the aristocrats and the bourgeois that resist, and they are often taken to task by the revolutionaries.
That is why Singapore has things like CPF and HDB. We have the highest rate of savings in the world (albeit savings that we will never be able to touch). We have the highest rate of home ownership in the world.
With these conditions in place, almost EVERY Singaporean is a bourgeois. We are too fearful of losing our CPF savings and our HDB flats, because they are symbols of what we own. At no point in history has a popular uprising been staged by members of the bourgeois class. Those who have little tend to cling on to the little that they have. It is those who have NOTHING that have nothing to lose!
By ensuring that every Singaporean is provided with these things (what some of you will inevitably describe as being 'scraps from the master's table), LKY, who is probably the most astute politician of his generation, also safeguarded his rule against any form of popular uprising or revolt.
This is why Singaporeans are often described as being 'kiasu' or 'cowardly'. This is why Chee Soon Juan's lame attempts at protests have failed so miserably. We will vote against the PAP if we are not satisfied. But we will NEVER, and I mean NEVER, take to the streets.
Those who are speaking of parangs or machetes -- seriously, stop it. It will never happen. Stop dreaming of an Arab Spring taking place here. You will never be able to get even 10 people to take part in a protest, let alone take to the streets and demand the regime's ouster. It simply won't happen.
Look, the PAP is not going to be deposed from power. Not now, not ever. LKY has already made up his mind on this and he has already made his stand clear. That's not necessarily bad news since the majority of Singaporeans still want the PAP in power. They are just fed up with the PAP's policies, which they perceive to be detrimental to the people.
That's all fine and well. But the PAP is not stupid. They have noted the discontent. They will change simply because they must. They do not want to lose any more seats in Parliament. Their scholar-bureaucrats will be able to find some way to distribute handouts to the poor so that their plight will at least temporarily be alleviated. We are one of the few countries in the world that gives handouts in CASH to its citizens every few years.
I'm not saying I support the PAP or that I agree with its current policies. I don't. However, the PAP itself is not evil. It is just that its current leadership has lost touch, and is somewhat misguided. I am just offering my honest analysis and opinion. Over the past few days I have read numerous posts on how the Punggol East result will be the beginning of some sort of popular movement to oust the PAP. Believe me, Singaporeans will NEVER, EVER take to the streets no matter what -- and the PAP knows that.
