Confessions of a coward on World Consumer Rights' Day
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Like many other Singaporeans, I did not participate in the protest last Saturday. Don’t get me wrong. I do feel strongly about the issues. But on the day itself, I did not don my red shirt and join the ranks of brave protesters. Yes I feel guilty. And no, telling myself that I am not alone in playing truant from exercising our constitutional rights does not make me feel better. Here I feel the need to quote a ‘great’ leeder: ‘What to do?’ Should I just move on? The answer is NO. I understand, and others do too, that not everyone has the rare courage to stand up to an oppressive regime. BUT, that doesn’t mean cowards like me can’t do anything to help the cause. There are plenty of things we could do to help advance democracy in Singapore. Yes, without going into the streets to protest if you are too afraid to. Here are a list of things ‘passive protesters’ like us could do: 1) Support SDP and other activists through donations. SDP has listed their bank account number on their website (www.singaporedemocrat.org). You can just go to the bank and deposit money into the account. Without revealing your identity too, if you are uncomfortable with the idea. The SDP and other activists sometimes hold indoor forums (which are 100% legit by the way). You may approach them during such forums and make your donation then. 2) Buy Chee Soon Juan’s books. You can find a list of his books on the SDP website. Currently, Kinokuniya and Select bookshop carry his books. Sometimes, during those indoor forums, they have a little stand selling the books too. Buying his books not only help them financially, it is also a good way to help spread the message of democracy. After you are done reading them, pass the books around to friends and family members. And if you are feeling generous, buy several copies of each title. Wrap them up and give them away as presents. There are too many Singaporeans out there whose minds are poisoned by the Straits Times. They deserve to hear the message of democracy too! If you are too afraid to march in the streets, surely you can support the cause by buying his books. That is the least we can do. I would also like to add that JBJ’s ‘Hatchet Man of Singapore’ reveals the travesty of justice in Singapore and provides insight into the workings of a PAP controlled judiciary. 3) Spread the message within the heartlands. You may have friends, neighbours and family members who believe the PAP’s anti-democracy message and still have not heard the SDP’s message of democracy. Talk to them! Answer their queries as best as you can. If they have questions too difficult for you to answer, show them the world of the World Wide Web. The SDP website, various forums and blogs are good sources of information not available through the PAP controlled media. 4) Exercise your votes in a responsible manner. Vote Opposition! I know there are fears that votes could be traced. My answer to that is: So What? Thousands of voters voted for the SDP. Was there ever a mass arrest of thousands after the election? It has been nearly 2 years since the last election. If any individual voter was threatened or discriminated against, the forums would be rife with stories already. I can understand fears about protesting openly in defiance of police orders, but if you do not even dare to vote according to your conscience, there is no hope. No hope for you, your loved ones and democracy. Crew
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yeah buying his books.
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I went to see the protest, but I stood further away, it is not that I am a chicken. On Sat. I have to fetch my kid, my wife is jobless, and what happen I was buddled into the police van, no body will 'tam kong' me.My wife can't afford to pay $1000 bail, my kid will be waiting at the street , without job, I can't survive, I left the site feeling angry and lost. One tourist from Norway asked me what is CPF stand for ? I felt we have no future, I dont have the courage like uncle Yap. They are harmless protesters. Democracy is dead! I was a pap supporter until the case of Mr Brown being sidelined in the column of TODAY paper. I told myself not to be fooled by the pap. Ya singa crew is correct, we can support democracy in other way as listed by him above
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Too many people have been fooled by PAP propaganda in the mainstream media.
This type of stupid state controlled propaganda media must end.
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Hahahaha! Inside internet all machiam hero whack PAP left right centre. Some more say support Chee and gang. But when real time come, all give f**king lame excuses.
"Buy his books" la.
"My wife cannot tam kong me" la.
"My kid no one take care la".
Chee got no kid meh? Chee got money meh? Chee got no wife meh? You guys, self-professed SDP supporters, are truly truly pathetic.
NATO.
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Hahahaha! Inside internet all machiam hero whack PAP left right centre. Some more say support Chee and gang. But when real time come, all give f**king lame excuses.
"Buy his books" la.
"My wife cannot tam kong me" la.
"My kid no one take care la".
Chee got no kid meh? Chee got money meh? Chee got no wife meh? You guys, self-professed SDP supporters, are truly truly pathetic.
NATO.
Welcome to the reality of how S'porean is willing to 'change' the Govt......
It is best describe as -
"Any Price For Freedom..... As Long As I'm Not Doing The Paying...."
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To GPSg and hloc: Were you guys even there? If not, please shut up. Only the brave 20 or so protesters who were there themselves have the right to criticise me. If you were not there, let me ask you if you two are even Singaporeans? If not, then just shut up. If you are indeed Singaporeans (who were not at the protest), and who are now attacking my ideas to help the pro-democracy movement in Singapore, then you are utterly shameless. Crew
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Someone is laughing at my idea to buy books to support Chee Soon Juan. Well, before anyone else dismiss my idea or yell 'cheap marketing stunt', let me present my case. Lately, I have taken to buying up Chee Soon Juan's books at Kinokuniya whenever he gets harassed by the authorities. I don't have the guts to go out there in public to criticise the powers that be, but I can damn well go down to kinokuniya and snap up copies of Chee Soon Juan's books to show support. I don't know if any of u would agree with me, but it seems like a good way to start a Support Democracy movement in Singapore without breaking any laws. Here's a list of reasons why... 1) Chee Soon Juan's books are all about democracy and human rights in our region. If you buy surplus copies, you can give them away as presents and help spread the message. 2) I am sure buying his books would help him in his campaign for democracy. Financially and good for his morale too I am sure. 3) It is a form of protest that does not require any group of people to meet in public. You can go to Kinokuniya at your own time and just buy a copy or two. This way, many of his supporters who are afraid to go public can participate too! There is nothing illegal about going to Kinokuniya and buying books I am sure. Come on, I am sure even the most paranoid amongst us can walk up to Kinokuniya and buy a book. Pay by cash if you are afraid of being traced. 4) This is a PR campaign for Dr Chee too. This may sound like a wild scheme, but what do you guys think of a Democracy Day or Week? During this time period, every supporter will go to Kinokuniya and buy a copy of Dr Chee's books. If it is out of stock, pester the manager to order more. If this happen within a one day or one week time frame, Dr Chee's books could become bestseller of the month at Kino! I hope his books sell more copies than Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs. Just floating this idea around. Comments and constructive criticisms welcomed. Crew
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And this is a post I made last year some months before Christmas... There's this other bookshop at Tanglin Shopping Ctr that carries his books too, but since this is a PR campaign, I thought a big (and mainstream?) shop carrying his books in bulk would better help the cause. One of my ideas is to make his books mainstream; remove the stigma associated with his name. I mean even now I still get idiots asking me fearfully if Dr Chee's books are 'banned'... That means there are lots of people out there who never heard the message of democracy. The long term goal is for his books to become popular enough for him to be able to do a book signing (not a forum) at Kino. Many posters suggested donating money. Yes I agree with that totally! I never said I was against that idea. But let me sell my idea ... 1) My idea is not just to help the SDP financially. But also to help spread the message before the next election. One word... ok, two words. Vote Swinging. You can't spread the message by donating money. I want more people to know the meaning of 'democracy'; and that it is not a dirty word. If you ever read Dr Chee's books, you will be convinced too. And I am sure others will too. 2)If I am not wrong, there is a law in place that puts a cap on how much donations a political party can receive anonymously. And there are too many folks too afraid to use their real names to support the SDP. On the other hand, there's no limit to how much a person (political entity or private citizen) can make from the sales of his book! And the government would never pass such a bill. Because Lee Kuan Yew's books are doing so well in bookshops. Such a bill would affect the Man himself too! 3) Christmas is coming up. The season of good will and all that. Buy Chee Soon Juan's books and give them to friends or relatives who are not 'on our side'! By 2011, we would have a batch of converts ready to vote SDP! You can't convince people simply by donating money to SDP. By all means, donate money to SDP. But I hope I made my case clear about buying Dr Chee's books to support democracy in Singapore. Some wet blanket yawned at me. hmm... If it is turnout you are worried about... Then don't have a Democracy Day. Stretch it to one week or even one month instead. Actually this is perfect. We are one month away from Christmas. What better timing could I have? Come on you fellows! Go out there and buy Dr Chee's books! Perfect gifts for Christmas! I don't care what the wet blankets on this forums think. I think the books tie in with the Christmas theme of hope (for Singaporeans at least). Another dude said the books do not appeal to Singaporeans, and if so, only the English educated ones? omg! I am a Singaporean and a Chinese educated one at that. Yes. I was in fact President of the Jing Yong fanclub during my secondary school days. I just happen to be good in English too. And I am telling you it appeals to me. Have you even read his books? They are not Anglophile in nature! It is all about the plight of Singaporeans. Home and Hearth issues you know. And so what if the press catches on and starts reporting on how a forum poster kept promoting Chee Soon Juan's books? Is that illegal? Is that illegal? Is that defamation? Is it morally wrong for a fan to promote Dr Chee's books?? eh? You tell me that! OK. Those in favour of my plan go out own time own target. Snap the books off the shelves. Democracy Month starts from now till Christmas! If they are out of stock, now would be a good time to pester the store manager to bring in fresh stock to meet the season demand. Wrap up those books pretty and hand them around come Christmas. It is sad to see only a few copies of his books on the shelves while stacks of Mr Lee Senior's memoirs are placed prominently. Santa Crew
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To GPSg and hloc:
Were you guys even there? If not, please shut up. Only the brave 20 or so protesters who were there themselves have the right to criticise me.
If you were not there, let me ask you if you two are even Singaporeans? If not, then just shut up.
If you are indeed Singaporeans (who were not at the protest), and who are now attacking my ideas to help the pro-democracy movement in Singapore, then you are utterly shameless.
Crew
No.... I wasn't there.... Because I can't be bothered to be there. As the ending will be more of the same....
This is quite intresting here.....
By Not agreeing with you - Then I'm suppose to ''Shut Up''.... So much for MY Freedom of Speech and Democracy which SDP keep talking about.....
Btw.... if I can't express my views here..... then what's the difference between you and the PAP
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Well, the thing about freedom of speech is this: I too have the right to say 'Shut Up' to you if I don't like what I hear. Just exercising MY right to free speech. :-) The difference between me and the PAP is this: I am telling you to shut up as a private citizen. If it were the PAP doing that, you would find yourself slapped with a defamation law suit as well. Not to mention the invitations to 'coffee breaks' at the police station. And the spinning done by the mainstream media to make you look really really bad. That's the difference between me and the PAP. Crew
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Correct.... just as I have the right to say Most S'porean has -
"Any Price For Freedom..... As Long As I'm Not Doing The Paying...."
- mentality.....
Not happy..... then go complaint to Dr Chee lor......
So what you want.... you want ppl here to -
1) Take pity on you.....
2) Tell you everythings is ok.... like a little child....
3) Tell you 'Great Stories' about how one day, the Govt will fall (But that person also wouldn't be at the next protest)
4) Help you condamn Govt/ppl/whatever here..... just to make you feel better....
truly truly pathetic.......
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pathetic? lol Well, let astute readers judge for themselves who's the pathetic one making childish remarks and unwarranted personal attacks. What I aim to do here is to spread the message of democracy. And if those who attack me indulge in childish behaviour, it just gives credence to my message. Crew
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Originally posted by Singa Crew:
Well, the thing about freedom of speech is this: I too have the right to say ‘Shut Up’ to you if I don’t like what I hear. Just exercising MY right to free speech. :-)
The difference between me and the PAP is this: I am telling you to shut up as a private citizen. If it were the PAP doing that, you would find yourself slapped with a defamation law suit as well. Not to mention the invitations to ‘coffee breaks’ at the police station. And the spinning done by the mainstream media to make you look really really bad.
That’s the difference between me and the PAP.
Crew
The opposition had sued pap for defamation as well...the key to defamation suits is...defamation itself...
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pathetic? lol
Well, let astute readers judge for themselves who’s the pathetic one making childish remarks and unwarranted personal attacks.
What I aim to do here is to spread the message of democracy. And if those who attack me indulge in childish behaviour, it just gives credence to my message.
Crew
What you've aim to do is to 'Force' your version of democracy down others throat..... just like the PAP does.
And don't give me the Bullsh*t of not suing me for defamtion..... the truth is you either have the money nor the resoure to do so.....
I believe in Freedom of Speech....
I express my views as a common S'porean. And your answers to my view is telling me to ''Shut Up''.... so tell me....
Who is being childish here.....
Who claim to be spreading the message of democracy, but only his own version.....
You wants the reader here to side you.... No Problem.....you sure win one.... a good 90% here are all Anti-PAP.... but I doubt those 20 protester with Chee comprise all or even most of the forumrunner here.....
Which comes back to my post -
Most S'porean has a -
"Any Price For Freedom..... As Long As I'm Not Doing The Paying...."
- mentality.....
Feel free to prove me wrong by putting words into action......
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Originally posted by Singa Crew:
pathetic? lol
Well, let astute readers judge for themselves who’s the pathetic one making childish remarks and unwarranted personal attacks.
What I aim to do here is to spread the message of democracy. And if those who attack me indulge in childish behaviour, it just gives credence to my message.
Crew
I'm one of those 90% who are against the PAP. But even I wouldn't side with you.Other forumners not telling the truth meh? You never take part in the protest but yet give so many excuses. When others point that out you can still ask them to shut up. Haha...democracy.
People say you pathetic, you say they personal attack. Then you call them childish...piangz, that's childish larh.
Sure, you didn't sue him for defamation (which you can't because they were pointing out a simple truth). You didn't send them to the police station. You didn't influence the media to cast them in bad light even though you reacted so strongly. So that makes you very democratic isn't it?
You can't even accept criticism still want to fight for democracy. Please larh...practise what you preach first. Or at least practise what the SDP had been preaching...don't end up tarnishing the image of the party you are supporting (like don't know what you've been learning from them).
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The slient is deafening.....
So much for democracy & Freedom of Speech......
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i dun mind if singapore is under the pap for even 1000 years......
as long as they give us good life etc......i dun mind.........
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as long as they give us good life etc
How do you know what is good life?
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under pap you can't grow rich, u only have enough 3 meals and an obscene job. U can only be yes man.obedient to the gahmen
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How do you know what is good life?
This I agree with Poh Ah Pak..... what I consider good life isn't the same for the second person or the third.....
We all have to decide for ourselves.....
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under pap you can't grow rich, u only have enough 3 meals and an obscene job. U can only be yes man.obedient to the gahmen
The avg man won't grow rich..... but that is the same all over the World. If not, Name us a country that has 98% Rich and only 1% middle class and 1% poor..... I would really like to know if such a country can be found.....
You complain about having just 3 meals and an obscene job...... friend, some ppl will 'cut out your liver' for just 1 meal and a job in some countries.....
Since there are more Anti-PAP ppl here than 'Yes-Man'.... are you telling me you have either Jobs or Food....
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How do people define obscene job in singapore? If people don't want to do this obscene job there are always people ready to fill in especially thos FT's. When that happen you will start crying FT taking over Singaporean Jobs.
There are quite alot of rich people in Singapore and you bet they are not your average Singaporean cos they have the brain and the will to make it big. So please wake up and stop dreaming. -
Originally posted by hloc:
Welcome to the reality of how S'porean is willing to 'change' the Govt......
It is best describe as -
"Any Price For Freedom..... As Long As I'm Not Doing The Paying...."
can't blame them.. afterall.. who introduced this kiasu kiasi mentalism in the first place? who said that there is no free lunch in singapore? who aid welfare is a dirty word? who said that being paid in millions deters corruption..?
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who said that there is no free lunch in singapore? who aid welfare is a dirty word? who said that being paid in millions deters corruption..?
Listen to PAP regime's bullshit also dun lan.
How to be happy like that we singaporeans?
Everyday listen to this type of cock talk?
Old fucker like to appear on TV give speech some more.
Too secure in power already PAP regime.
Talk this type of cock.
Fuck your backside in the next elections like malaysia then you fucking know.
Always talk cock.