Originally posted by ndsef:
I find that my recent posts have drawn much responses from both Atobe and Robertteh. And correct me if I am wrong, but I find this forum to be filled with grumbling about govt policies and directions, which by right should be the way since its Speaker's Corner anyway.
:If you believe that this forum in the Speaker's Corner "should be the way it is - with all the grumbling about govt policies and directions" - will it not be contradicting yourself to criticise the same "number of people who are trigger happy at shooting down Govt polices and pointing out the flaws in this system and the errors that the ruling party has done over the last 40 years" ?
But what I find disturbing is the number of people who are trigger happy at shooting down Govt policies and pointing out the flaws in this system and the errors that the ruling party has done over the last 40 years. I mean, everything is pretty clear on what has happened and what "flaws" present policies have.
:Yes, the "govt's reason" has always prevailed, but whose REASON is behind the ''govt's reason" ?
Govt policies are formulated by HUMANS, and being humans at the receiving end, we tend to have our own perceptions on what these policies are meant to do. There are countless reasons why a certain policy is implemented, and one reason which is often rejected here is the govt's reason.
Then why do we grumble on something based on our own perceptions and in the process of it try to sway other people's thoughts? Instead, the unhappy lot may wish to come out with their own solutions to the problems.
So instead of asking what has the govt done to resolve the high cost of living. You should be coming out with the solutions. Why do we always expect the govt to do this and that for us? If you are great at finding faults, you should be just as great in providing solutions. This, my dear friends, is one of the characteristics of a leader!
:Yet, you seem to hold on to your prejudiced position that you "believe the minority ruling party has failed so far"...... "always grumbling or complaining about the majority ruling party's actions on problems facing Singapore, and not coming out with their own solutions" .
And this is the reason why I believe the minority ruling party has failed so far. They are always grumbling or complaining about the majority ruling party's actions on problems facing Singapore, and not coming out with their own solutions. I believe Singaporeans will be most glad to hear the solutions to their problems from the "opposition party"
oxford mushroom,Originally posted by oxford mushroom:I think ndsef does have a point.
My view is that the ruling party has effectively disenfranchised the population in more ways than one through the re-drawing of electoral boundaries, persistent use of defamation suits against opposition party members and its paternalistic approach over the years. Doubtlessly they have won the case each time with legal arguments but they have lost the hearts of the heartlanders. The recent debate about elitism only serves to estrange the people further and widen what Catherine Lim called the "Affective Divide".
Lacking an effective means to participate in the political process to challenge elitist policies, there is a rumble of discontent that is emanating from the heart rather than the head. That is a pity. The current political scene will remain unchanged until the hum of grumbling in the background grows to become a whirlwind of antipathy that results in humiliating defeats for the government. I do agree with robertteh on this but I don't think that is necessarily good for Singapore.
Change, when it comes, may be a huge surprise to both the government and the Opposition, who may not be ready for it.
Originally posted by ndsef:It has been a mutually inspiring experience engaging the issues with you, and I must apologise to you, pikamaster, and anyone else if my response is seen to be too abrasive or aggressive.
Hi Atobe, always a pleasure to read your posts in my thread. It is always posted with much care and dilligence. To answer your question, on whether I am "up to standards" ie good enough to determine whether solutions posted here are good solutions, my answer to you my friend, " I am not."
:You are right, but I am afraid that your position maybe too idealistic if you believe that solutions discussed here can ever be presented to the policy makers - who believed that Politics is only for POLITICIANS.
Solutions posted here in the forum should not be vetted by me. This is very much in contradiction to a democratic society, "openess and accountability" that you have pushed for so far. Solutions posted here should be read, replied to and amended by all forumers, till the solution is good enough to be presented to the policy makers.
:Similarly, I believe in the power of the internet too, unfortunately it has its limitation.
Of course, I hear your objections to this. You would say, how will the policy makers who have in the last 40 years been arrogant and high and mighty listen to us? To that, I have an answer, "Do not under estimate the power of the internet." If you then think that the internet is useless, then why did CSJ have to go through the trouble of getting his speech read out in internet radio and get followers to spread the word in this forum?
Originally posted by ndsef:Hi Ndsef, Durai here. No heart feelings here but I think Atobe and Robertteh as well as myself share the same sentiments.
I find that my recent posts have drawn much responses from both Atobe and Robertteh. And correct me if I am wrong, but I find this forum to be filled with grumbling about govt policies and directions, which by right should be the way since its Speaker's Corner anyway.
But what I find disturbing is the number of people who are trigger happy at shooting down Govt policies and pointing out the flaws in this system and the errors that the ruling party has done over the last 40 years. I mean, everything is pretty clear on what has happened and what "flaws" present policies have.
Govt policies are formulated by HUMANS, and being humans at the receiving end, we tend to have our own perceptions on what these policies are meant to do. There are countless reasons why a certain policy is implemented, and one reason which is often rejected here is the govt's reason.
Then why do we grumble on something based on our own perceptions and in the process of it try to sway other people's thoughts? Instead, the unhappy lot may wish to come out with their own solutions to the problems.
So instead of asking what has the govt done to resolve the high cost of living. You should be coming out with the solutions. Why do we always expect the govt to do this and that for us? If you are great at finding faults, you should be just as great in providing solutions. [b]This, my dear friends, is one of the characteristics of a leader!
And this is the reason why I believe the minority ruling party has failed so far. They are always grumbling or complaining about the majority ruling party's actions on problems facing Singapore, and not coming out with their own solutions. I believe Singaporeans will be most glad to hear the solutions to their problems from the "opposition party" [/b]
Originally posted by ndsef:and by this very statement u've made, u've shown why the ruling party are no leaders. just tyrannts.
you should be just as great in providing solutions. This, my dear friends, is one of the characteristics of a leader!
i see blood!Originally posted by HENG@:and by this very statement u've made, u've shown why the ruling party are no leaders. just tyrannts.
Methinks the elite( depends on how you see it) are not that happy with the party too.And I feel that change is coming very soon, and whoever is prepared to take that opportunity to improve Singapore may prove hard to find.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:I think ndsef does have a point.
My view is that the ruling party has effectively disenfranchised the population in more ways than one through the re-drawing of electoral boundaries, persistent use of defamation suits against opposition party members and its paternalistic approach over the years. Doubtlessly they have won the case each time with legal arguments but they have lost the hearts of the heartlanders. The recent debate about elitism only serves to estrange the people further and widen what Catherine Lim called the "Affective Divide".
Lacking an effective means to participate in the political process to challenge elitist policies, there is a rumble of discontent that is emanating from the heart rather than the head. That is a pity. The current political scene will remain unchanged until the hum of grumbling in the background grows to become a whirlwind of antipathy that results in humiliating defeats for the government. I do agree with robertteh on this but I don't think that is necessarily good for Singapore.
Change, when it comes, may be a huge surprise to both the government and the Opposition, who may not be ready for it.
LaserLordz,Originally posted by LazerLordz:Methinks the elite( depends on how you see it) are not that happy with the party too.And I feel that change is coming very soon, and whoever is prepared to take that opportunity to improve Singapore may prove hard to find.
The establishment has not done herself any favors for sticking blindly to her own arguments and reasons for certain legalistic actions which no one actually believes anymore, save under unspoken fear or just by superficial people.What the government fears is full spectrum education up to tertiary level which is why they only legislated compulsory education up to Primary level.
Have you noticed that University entry is not getting easier and more are shunted to the polytechnics which form an artificial barrier to local university entry?This coupled with the high cost of overseas education that is a barrier to the majority, may very well be the gameplan to push more people into the workforce and reduce their time available for thought, rhetoric and debate.When people are working and dog-tired, do they care two hoots about the crucial political issues?No.They are just contented to slide along in life.
That..is the master plan to dominance.![]()
I would say that the biggest force for change will not come from the heartlands, but rather from the upper-middle class graduates.People like us know what their true colours are and do not have the patience of the older folks to overlook "honest mistakes" so easily.Originally posted by pikamaster:LaserLordz,
hahaI agree with you quite totally...
being from the elite... heheI do see tt my friends and relatives and relatives' friends, who are also from the elite, don't find the party very tasteful either. I certainly don't!
The problem is, like the forummers here, nobody actually dares to do anything for fear of repression or worse eg. "be careful of your political views, or you might harm not only your future prospects, but those of your future family's as well. Sometimes, we just have to accept that we cannot change everything." or "keep it strictly around this table. no leaking out!" (at a dinner party).
But I do think that eventually the elite will be worked up enough to demand change; we aren't really satisfied with the high pay fo ministers and their "close relations" ie. press bosses, GLC heads, NKF head & board, etc. either.
Though, of course, I do hope someone will emerge to speed things up a little, and I hope that someone is more like JBJ than CSJ; someone like CSJ might bery well resort to armed revolution, which is hardly desirable in any manner of speaking.
And ya, the uni admission criteria are toughening... p'raps one shud try going foreign hehe
the (liberally-sympathetic) (elite) pikamaster
simple. read George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and u can draw parallels between sg and the novel. And ironically, the novel was written as a satire of Communist Soviet Union.Originally posted by Heartlander:"Those who've won power were scared to lose it, those who hold power for too long are likely to abuse it!"This statement came from a world renowned political analyst.
what are your opinions on the above statement in Singapore context?
nsdef,Originally posted by ndsef:Thank you pikamaster, durai and of course atobe, this has been a good learning process for me looking at the view points from all of you.
And to set the records straight, I am a guy, 31 with a BA degree in Marketing and I am currently a Real Estate Agent with no political affiliations.
Yea, it does seem that I am always jumping to the defence of the ruling party, and I can only think of 1 reason for that. I find that most forumers here "attack" the ruling party and I find that I have to stand at the defence of the ruling party to offer some form of "resistance" hey it makes this forum more interesting doesn't it?![]()
Just to offer some conflicting viewpoints, this will make everyone think hard and stop answering in one statement posts.
Which is why in one of the post, I did mention that I am neutral, sitting on the fence.
There are better parallels in "the Matrix" and "Brave New World". Napoleon's methods in "Animal Farm" are a little too direct...Originally posted by HENG@:simple. read George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and u can draw parallels between sg and the novel. And ironically, the novel was written as a satire of Communist Soviet Union.
the seeds have been sown... it's only a matter of time...Originally posted by BillyBong:It would be a supreme step upwards if our incessive 'grumbling' can one day be upgraded into a national 'rumbling'.
So... u come from the elite? exactly which section?Originally posted by LazerLordz:I would say that the biggest force for change will not come from the heartlands, but rather from the upper-middle class graduates.People like us know what their true colours are and do not have the patience of the older folks to overlook "honest mistakes" so easily.
I'm certain that there are means of circumvention...Originally posted by oxford mushroom:But how much are we prepared to sacrifice?
I know people who would vote PAP just because they are afraid the value of their property will drop in an opposition party constituency with no chance of upgrading, poor social services and MRT lines that ran past them.
How many of us are prepared to give up 32 prime years of our lives like Chia Thye Poh? In the end, isn't it true that most people would rather emigrate if they cannot stand it anymore. And isn't it true that it is the upper middle class that can probably afford to do so?