Singapore says no to liberal democracy for next 20 years

• acotis

  29 Oct 05, 18:29

  k, i get ur point..
  
  i think that in this case the opposition will just have to face up to the harsh reality that if they cannot field enough capable candidates to counter the incumbent, then they are simply not as competent.
  
  If the opposition were to be competent, and they can prove it, there would not be a shortage of talents joining their ranks. So, the number of candidates the opposition is allowed to field in any constituency should not be an issue. I for one wouldnt mind either. but the fact is that the people of singapore do not see the need to come up with an opposition to the PAP. This could be due to:
  
  1) Singaporeans' political apathy.
  
  2) Singaporeans are contented with the situation as it is.
  
  Im not going to elaborate on the 1st, its quite obvious.
  
  Given the current stability in Singapore, there is no serious need for change. By "serious need for change", i mean "if we dont change the govt, we are going to suffer in endless poverty with no hope in sight for several generations to come". Obviously Singaporeans today have much to lose if they were to have a sudden change of government. The newcomers lack experience and might not be able to maintain Singapore's current economy which, despite stagnating in recent years, is not at rock bottom.
  
  People tend to want to change whole governments only when they feel that they have nothing to lose. The people of Russia turned to communism because the Tzar failed them terribly n they were desperate.
  
  ok, u might ask why then arent the british, americans etc not sitting back but constantly trying to change their govts, since their nations are alot stronger economically than singapore. The important difference here is that Singaporeans have a different attitude. We tend to be more practical, more money-minded and less concerned about politics.
  
  In short, Singaporeans resist change, and to them there is not enough reason for change yet.
  
  I guess we could also blame it on the bad luck of the opposition, because they are trying to advocate change in a nation which resists it. Perhaps they should just continue to build up grassroots support, avoid getting sued and wait for the opportunity to present itself.
• LazerLordz

  30 Oct 05, 15:04

  Well, with a relatively uninformed majority, how can you gauge their real intentions and reactions?
  
  Sometimes waiting for the cows to come home might not be too good.
• lighthand

  30 Oct 05, 21:14

  One word : FEAR
  
  nuff said...
• acotis

  30 Oct 05, 21:20

  Originally posted by LazerLordz:

  Well, with a relatively uninformed majority, how can you gauge their real intentions and reactions?
  [/quote]
  
  Hmmm, I havent touched on transparency yet. I never said that the Singapore government is very transparent. If you're gonna demand for more transparency, I will not say that you're wrong to do so. But the transistion from what it is right now to whatever you might have in mind will take time.
  
  [quote]Originally posted by LazerLordz:
  Sometimes waiting for the cows to come home might not be too good.

  Think you got me wrong there. I never meant for the opposition to sit on their butts and wait for things to change. I meant that if they really want long term success, they should not be trying to cross the line set by the government all the time. Its not going to work.
  
  In my opinion, they should:
  
  1. Gather support.
  
  2. Keep out of trouble( i understand that they are short of funds, getting themselves sued at every turn will not improve the situation they are in).
  
  3. Wait for the right opportunity.
• RETARDED_MORON

  23 Nov 05, 12:07

  Singapore... A one-party republic?
  
  Sounds like communist to me.