The best way to describe the government in SG =)

[Nathaniel]

I was reading a post on Singapore from a blog http://wherethehellismatt.typepad.com/blog/singapore/. And I have a snippet from a entry I feel best describes our government.

The snippet reads as follows:

"Yes (Singapore), it's a very ordered place. But the fascist, Orwellian images one might conjure are entirely inaccurate. Totalitarian governments function on the backs of the people. These folks aren't exploited, they're molly-coddled. If anything, the state is guilty of being overly paternal. It's clear that Lee Kuan Yew, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, the first prime minister of independent Singapore, and the guy who rebuilt this city from scratch, genuinely wants the best for his people. He wants them to be safe, happy, and morally pure. He runs a tight ship with lots of rules. And in a very real, visible sense, his methods worked."

To use an analogy, I liken our government to that of an over protective father who just simply wants the best for his children. Yes, his methods are questionable sometimes and could do with some tweaking. However, the fact of the matter is, our "father" really wants the best for all of us.

To be honest, nobody can truly accuse the government of working against our best interests. Everything they do (high ministerial salaries notwithstanding lol!), is for the betterment of the nation as a whole.

Maybe his methods can a lot less stifling, but that I believe that will come with time.

Any comments?

 

[Nathaniel]

To put it in simple terms, our government is adopting the "father knows best mentality". Perhaps if he learns to take more input from his children (us) and his neighbors (other countries). There wouldn't be as much dissent as it is going around now haha

BUT let's not doubt our father's love for us haha. The intentions are noble.

 

[tpiledriver]

this has got nothing to do with music.

 

[Nathaniel]

this has got nothing to do with music.

LOL! i was inspired to come out with this thread after seeing the Chee thread. which also has nth to do with music. Stop the apathy yo! hahaha

 

[VidaK]

you're... noble

 

[fgl]

hahahah BIG BROTHER is watching this thread .... and prolly U :twisted::twisted::twisted:

 

[DeathCubeK]

Hmm, but a father loves all his children equally, not those that give him the most money, amirite?

 

[konsandy]

To put it in simple terms, our government is adopting the "father knows best mentality". Perhaps if he learns to take more input from his children (us) and his neighbors (other countries). There wouldn't be as much dissent as it is going around now haha

BUT let's not doubt our father's love for us haha. The intentions are noble.

?? i oso want the best for s'pore so do all s'porean so wat do tat make them?? fathers too?

 

[shinobi]

there is no real democracy in singapore. the only nations where the prime minister is the head of state are those where some sort of monarcy still exists (thailand, malaysia, uk/australia/new zealand, japan, too many to mention). it will be extremely rare (if at all) that in a country, the prime minister calls the shots while a president is in office.

on elections:

the president is elected but the PM is not; the PM is elected by the parliament. and singaporeans only have a partial say in who enters the parliament. there has not been any voting in my area for donkey years because there has not been any opposition. what is the justification of elections being held on geographical bases? is there a difference to the way different constituencies are governed? are there different jurisdictions within the country?

if those elected into the parliament are representative of the people, then i for one must not be part of this 'people'. the parliament definitely does not represent my interests. even if i am not resentful, there is still a sense of alienation.

i am not partisan to any political party because i believe that they are redundant. i only support policies and policy makers. in the end, i only support the people and the society, because it is the only group that i feel i can identify with. i do not feel that i necessarily share the values of the government.

on values, society vs. government:

and what are these values? we have built a society where we equate success with wealth, wealth with success, and that success of the nation will necessarily result in success of individuals. the causality is reversed.

the result of which is a great amount of dissatisfaction with life among the majority of singaporeans. subjective journalism paints us as a bunch of whiners. the truth is that many people did what they were told, they made as much money as they could, but realised that there was no end to it.

on policies

many people say that the government does what is best. which is illogical. the government only does what it thinks is best; remember, it is supposedly representative of the people. it doesn't mean that any other way would have failed, or couldn't have resulted in some kind of benefit. in reality, nobody knows what is best because according to gandalf the grey, "even the wise cannot see all ends". that's why in a democracy, we have consensus. but i've already established how parliament is not representative of the people.

on foreigners:

i don't like the government's policy on foreigners. i don't want to go into detail, but consider that nobody likes to be treated like a foreigner. i would like to think that being a singapore citizen is of some actual significance of value. but it seems like someone with an S-pass or PR can be treated just as well. but then, i do get the right to vote (once again, there has not been any polls in my area for AT LEAST the past 2 elections) and i have the 'privilege' to pay more dues to the nation, either in equitable terms or a form of service. this is why, if you ignore the propaganda horns, outsiders say that singapore is a great place; their opinion is subject to the conditions given that they themselves were to live here.

conclusion:

in the end, i am just a singaporean. my opinion doesn't matter. why do you read this?i will never be a person of any significant political influence, especially when my generation takes the reins, because i am not a government scholar of some sort, and my father is nobody of any importance (ie. elite).

i am really less concerned about what i mean to this country, than what this country means to me. but every day it seems that the values of the society are diverging from those of the government. as time goes by, the thought of having to reconciling these differences becomes more realistic.

 

[HeyJoeILoveYourSis]

I don't think it's appropriate to post about the government and it's issues, it may cause quite a controversy. Haha like FGL said, they might just be watching you.

Joe

 

[Dime]

time to migrate.

 

[Nathaniel]

I don't think it's appropriate to post about the government and it's issues, it may cause quite a controversy. Haha like FGL said, they might just be watching you.

Joe[/QUOTE/]

When I see such statements, I feel kinda sad about the political apathy and the fear of boat rocking that's going through our nation this days

we are the spoiled generation and that is perhaps the greatest tragedy of having too much of a good thing

 

[HeyJoeILoveYourSis]

Hey I guess you're right man, but it's just, you know 'em. Say anything wrong, they're out to get you. Just like US, you say anything wrong, they ain't gonna get ya, but you're dead sooner or later. Peace out.

Joe

 

[THOA]

there is no real democracy in singapore. t

And judging from most of the responses to this thread, it seems just about right.

Most of it seems to be self-imposed censorship, though.

 

[vx02]

sure, no real democracy. but i rather the pap run the show then say the sdp. i dont like how chee plays his politics like a poker game. but best solution is MIGRATION!

 

[d2nial]

.

Yeaha i agRee to that , the best solution is MIGRATION!

 

[tim098]

Why is migration the best solution? Is there really a problem? We all have decent lives what. No place is ever perfect.

 

[teleplayer]

Sensitive topic...

 

[I-Am-The-Walrus]

the best way to describe our government is that describing our government can get us in trouble!

that speaks for itself

 

[teleplayer]

Should remove this thread asap... to SUBBY AND SOFTY.