As the #FreeMyInternet movement continues to gain traction, with over a thousand people heading to Hong Lim Park tomorrow and the petition gaining about four thousand signatures, people have also rallied and protested against the “overreaction” and the “misunderstanding.” Some have also taken the opportunity to remind people that if they are displeased, they should just remember to vote for the opposition the next time. When we look at democracy in a spectrum from elite to participatory, Singapore is undoubtedly an elite democracy.
“(In elite democracies), Democracy is defined not as a kind of society or as a set of moral ends or even as a principle of legitimacy but rather as a method for choosing political leaders and organizing governments. The elite model of democracy claims to be realistic, descriptive, empirically accurate, and the only model that is appropriate to modern social conditions.”[1]
The fear-mongering of shifting towards a more participatory form of government has been ingrained for many decades: a fear of “inefficiency”, the dangers of “mob rule”, that participation is “unpractical.” This is a dangerous perception, one which cedes command and control of the polity to the ones who are elected – where we can only protest every five years when elections roll by. Complaints are unnecessary; points are “misunderstood.” The processes might not be right, but by the virtue of the surrendering of decision-making to these leaders, they are made right.
I am tired of these commentators pretending to care about the “dêmos” (People), when they seem all too ready to call claim to the “kratos” (Power). That those that are on top stay on top, and deserve to be on top. Consultation is unnecessary, for these elites know best. However, we need to move past this paternalistic system of governance, because the right answers have not always come from the people we elect. These bourgeois and elitist representations of governance have not always been right.[2] When they make the wrong decisions, one that both in process and application has violated our democratic rights, we must speak out.
It is crucial to remember that active participation is something that is to be proud of, even if participation might not translate to actual results at the end. There is nothing wrong in trying. There is something wrong, however, when people actively demean the efforts of others, who are trying their best to secure and speak out against at best, a toothless and aimless piece of regulation, and at worst, a new choker placed upon our democratic voice.
These dialogues (even those who protest against the event) are actual National Conversations. They are spontaneous, unplanned, and are undoubtedly authentic, rather than the PR sessions that the government masks as dialogues, but are in actual fact, soliloquies that threaten to drown out the voices of the people.
Regardless of the decisions of the MDA thereafter, we must remember that the diversity, solidarity and discourse that was discussed and debated is already a step towards the normalization of politics in Singapore. That we are learning, not just to talk to the State when we face a problem, but also to talk to one another, to make associations, to form a community.
For those who are going down to Hong Lim Park tomorrow, be proud of who you are, and what you represent. You are there as a citizen, before a netizen. You are there to display your displeasure at the even greater curtailment of your personal freedoms. You are there because you care about the little red dot and the people here. So I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. It is people like you, who constantly restore my faith, and my love for Singapore.
[1] Introduction in Cohen, Jean L. and Arato, Andrew (1992) Civil society and political theory, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press
[2] For more details on cautionary tales of the perils that accompany authoritarian tendencies,Seeing like a State shows how autocratic ideals of improving life often turn out to be very bad decisions. Or well. Just look at all of the National Campaigns that have been part and parcel of Singaporean life.
Lim Jialiang
*Article first appeared on https://www.facebook.com/notes/lim-jialiang/be-proud/10151779057031844