New Garden in Jurong
New Science Centre
Jewel in the west
Degrees not necessary
Tweaks to CPF
The five points above above just about sum up Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally.
As the term implies, the National Day rally is supposed to "rally" the nation. Yet was anyone - other than those diehard knuckleheads in the PAP and those praising Lee on his Facebook - inspired, let alone rallied?
Distill the three hour ramble and you will find that fundamentally, little, if not nothing has changed.
The fundamentals that underpin the PAP's longevity, remain very much entrenched namely:
1. Rule by fear (ISD, police investigation, libel suits).
2. Pork barrel politics which involve dispensing token sums of rebates subject to a host of strict pre-requisites, effectively excluding many and selective implementation of estate enhancement plans focussing on PAP wards such as Ang Mo Kio.
3. Crony capitalism with Temasek and GIC-linked firms maintaining a stranglehold hold on the economy. In fact Singapore was recently ranked 5th on the Economist's Crony Capitalism index:
4. Thought control through manipulation and censorship of the media by means of PAP members holding management and editorial positions in SPH and Mediacorp.
All the above reinforce the PAP's political hegemony, allowing it to maintain a firm grip on power, steamroll the Opposition and its critics.
More fundamentally, what we have is a system that depends on the "beneficence" and "goodwill" of a small group of elites earning millions while doling out pittance to the masses.
Rules can be overturned or negated or delayed through its overwhelming parliamentary majority. Take for instance Article 5(2A) which seeks to reinforce the protection of our fundamental liberties and powers of the President by requiring a referendum to be held. This article has been held in abeyance since its introduction in 1991 simply because the PAP decides it doesn't want to implement it. Is this a democracy?
Even the system of the elected Presidency can be skewed by influencing the election through the media which constantly engaged in fear-mongering to sway the electorate to vote for Tony Tan, a former Party CEC member during the 2011 Presidential Election.
So ask yourself: how long do we want this to continue by accepting such cosmetic measures over real fundamental changes for the good of this country?
The Alternative View
*Article first appeared on https://www.facebook.com/358759327518739/photos/a.598097686918234.107374...