November 2008
Singapore Opposition Also Unique-ly
An American magazine interviewed media mogul Rupert Murdoch with him saying “I love competition. And I want to win”. It brings to mind my country’s leader who is really quite different in that respect cos, if you ask me, ours doesn’t like competition one bit and he wants to win-win. Make that – has to! Ah, but a politician is very different from a business entrepreneur (much as Singapore is run like a business center). Indeed, let’s not start on the justifications. There’s The Straits Times enough for that.
Gasp, actor Robert Redford and his German artist-partner cancelled their appearance last minute at the Singapore Sun Festival 2008 (ST, Oct 16). Can it be because the famous actor-director had heard a thing or two from Amnesty International? (That’s a question, I stress.) Like I said – gasp!
The Human Rights Watch – a New York advocacy group called on Singapore leaders to “end the practice of using defamation suits to stifle political opposition”. It was reported in the ST on Oct 18. Singapore’s Government responded by saying that “opposition politicians have the right to criticize the Government but that does not entitle them to tell lies or defame”. I think, quite uniquely, only Singapore’s opposition leaders are fond of telling lies since we don’t hear much of other countries’ opposition leaders being sued. (Yet such simple logic of mine is never uttered or discussed in the local press! Now that should say much about our upright system.) But what do I know? If I really know that much, I’d be driving Ferraris and opening high-fashion boutiques in Knightsbridge, London by now! I mean if I had that kind of ‘wisdom’ at my perusal, do you think I’ll still be slaving over essays like this when I can high fly? Rhetorical? Ah, I must have learned from you know who? If you think I’m apathetic in my attitude, I’m proud to insist that I read the Singapore system right.
“A stayer to the end” was the headline of a Straits Times essay by Chua Lee Hong on JB Jeyaratnam who passed away on Sept 30, 08. Far as I remember, the man did set up base in Johor, no? So, let’s not flog the propaganda that even one of the fiercest opposition-leaders of Singapore is a stayer. In any case, we’d all be stayers if we have a choice! Just ask Tang Liang Hong. Anyway, Chua’s piece ended with these words: “He fought a good fight. May he rest in peace.” Speaking for the Government, heh? I doubt someone who fought such a long hard fight would want to simply rest his peace about Singapore. Am I arguing for the sake of arguing? Am I ‘playing to the gallery’? Am I not being win-win? Oh fuck off, already.
“Veteran writer Ismail Kassim knows Malaysian politics better than most,” a ST report stated on Oct 5 to say that the writer has published a new book. The writer himself was quoted saying: “I am someone who cannot keep my mouth shut when I see something disagreeable happening. In Singapore, as a citizen, I have the right to express my opinion at any time on any issue. I cannot do it in Malaysia, even if I become a permanent resident or citizen.” The man must be nuts to want to voice dissent in a country he checks himself into to be a PR citizen.
As for Singapore, I can almost speak on Kassim’s behalf to say that he probably sees nothing disagreeable about Singapore. Goes without saying, or the ST wouldn’t be promoting him with a half-page report as a writer with no other agenda. Now, even if a Singaporean were to voice his dissatisfaction about the system, he’d better do it politely with the greatest earnestness of a straight-laced patriot or the repercussions are far more rippling than the supposed outright punishment one gets in Malaysia for doing the same. We are, shall I say, far more ‘discreet’ about such disapproval. Malaysia has much to learn about imaging. (Not that they don’t know, they probably can’t bring themselves to be that hypocritical!)
“Only an A-Team will do: MM Lee” was a ST headline on Oct 25. Oh yeah, we gotta tell Singaporeans or they’d think we need a Bossy team, or a Compromised team or a Dollar team. Why would they assume A-Team? Exactly. The MM also said - “What do I think of where we are? I worry about it. I’ve got a younger generation that thinks this is a natural state of affairs, not knowing how we got here.” I think yours truly X’ Ho must be the powerful one to restrain that knowledge from the younger generation. I mean, who else? Not that anyone’s asking, of course. Besides, why bother asking anything when EVERYTHING is done for us and for our own good. We just have to sit back and pay millions of dollars for the super-management of our funds and our lives.
And they still wonder why Singaporeans blank out! LOL. -- X’ Ho
