Such a beautiful article. "The People’s Action Party government has essentially given up on engagement. This change of tack is becoming clearer by the week as more and more instances arise where ministers and members of parliament go out to bash citizens trying to raise issues or comment on current affairs. Staircase railings, face masks and who-knows-what small thing emerging tomorrow are considered serious enough issues to roll out the government’s big guns. The impression one gets from recent events is that they have concluded that engagement is a “been there, done that and it’s brought us nothing but grief”. Post-2011 general election, it was supposed to be the new dispensation. However, after the stinging loss at the Punggol East by-election, and shockwaves from Barisan Nasional’s loss of the popular vote in Malaysia’s May 2013 general election — it got only 5,237,699, (or 46.5%) of the 11,257,147 votes cast for parliamentary seats — it must feel that not only will engagement produce no benefit, a livelier online scene is positively dangerous to their continued rule. The promise of engagement has only encouraged Singaporeans to speak up, complain and criticise more loudly, the PAP must feel. Where are the polite words, respectful nods and humble suggestions for improving governance that engagement was supposed to bring? Every success for the PAP is a defeat for Singapore. Singapore has no future unless we have a thinking, inventive, spontaneous people. To disinter a ghost from past rhetoric, we have no natural resource except our people, though this line needs to be updated. Once, “people” signified obedient hard work, but with industrialisation and mass production behind us, “people” must mean brains, courage and the human spirit. As the PAP tries to beat these out of us in order to perpetuate its rule, it’s becoming clear that our collective future must mean beating the PAP back. If the PAP succeeds, Singapore dies."
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 07:40:28 +0000
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