So, young Tim (not his real name) wrote that we should learn to appreciate things more, instead of complaining. Well, Tim (not your real name), let me tell you what I think.
You’re right, that these are your views and you’re totally entitled to all of them. However, have you thought about all the other opposing voices, which under the PAP, are unable to freely share their views and are under the constant threat of persecution and demonization?
Anyway, I’m not here to chide you and try to persuade you to change your mind; after all, I can’t force you to be right.
You started with foreigners’ perceptions of Singapore. Well, people from overseas tend to see the surface of what the truth is. Living in New Zealand, I experience this firsthand all the time. Heck, even Singaporeans aren’t immune to that, and when I was 18, I too was very pro PAP because I accepted, without a second thought and without any investigation, all the wonderful and amazing things that the government purported to have done. It was only recently, and through a lot of research away from the usual array of (mainstream) sources, that I realise that the Singaporean government, the PAP, isn’t as wonderful and amazing as they present themselves to be.
As for your friends from Japan and London, do you know what sources they’re looking at? Also, as you’ve pointed out, it IS true that the PAP is better than the Japanese and British government. For example, the Singaporean government has never covered-up a nuclear plant disaster, like the Japanese government did in Fukushima. But is that because the Singaporean government is honest and clean or is it because there’s no nuclear disaster to cover up? Attribute the right cause to the right reason and vice versa; don’t put the horse before the cart.
The other point to remember is that everything needs to be put into context. I live in New Zealand, and there are so many things wrong with the political scene here. However, when it comes to important factors (to me) like freedom of speech and transparency, the government here is a hell of a lot better than the one back in Singapore. So now, between the Singaporean, Kiwi, Japanese and English governments, how do we decide which is the best, and in what areas?
I also agree with you that Singaporeans sometimes don’t look at the good in things. However, there ARE many good things to look at*. The problem is that those are not the issues that we’re thinking about right now. It’s very much akin to the news on the BBC. Count the number of “bad” news stories, like wars, famines, disasters, murders and compare them to the “good” news stories. Chances are, the bad ones outweigh the good stories. Life in Singapore is so unbearably tough at the moment that whatever few blessings Singaporeans have tend to be put by the wayside; ignored and superseded by the harsh realities of life.
You then pointed out London’s 40% tax rate, but this has to be put into context. What is the buying power of the GBP? What are the incomes that people are earning (not the median income, because a few high earners can easily skew that number, like in Singapore). What are the services that are provided for free? Have you heard of the NHS, for example?
As for the Philippines, well, yes, there is abject poverty there, but there’s also a lot of wealth. Yes, they’re not as lucky as we are in Singapore, but don’t fall into the trap that many PAP supporters get themselves into – comparing Singapore to 3rd world countries and their conditions, when in fact, we should be comparing ourselves with 1st world ones. We are, after all, 1st world country, are we not? Why compare a Ferrari to a Toyota? You need to compare a Ferrari to an Aston Martin, or a Lamborghini.
No trains in Malaysia? What a tragedy? I guess they’ll just have to settle on owning their own, cheap cars and “suffer” from the burden of owning their own car. It’s the same here in New Zealand; I “suffer” from owning my own car too. I hate having to wash it on weekends, taking it to the mechanic for service and being forced to use it as and when I want to, at my own convenience. I wish the New Zealand government would just learn from Singapore and roll out a multi-billion dollar infrastructure that gets everyone from point A to nowhere; fast!
But I jest. I wouldn’t want ultra cheap cars in Singapore; it’ll just clog up the roads even more. However, if the government imposes sever and expensive car-ownership restrictions on ordinary Singaporeans, then the public transport needs to be infallible.
Now let’s talk about picking a new political party to run things. I completely agree with you – picking a new political party to run the country does not guarantee a change for the better. In fact, it could very well be the opposite! A new government might be terrible. But how are we to know? Surely conditions can’t be THAT good (you’ve already said it yourself that your father is struggling) that change isn’t warranted. Wouldn’t you like live in a country where one isn’t immersed in a rat-race from an early age? Where one doesn't have to compete unfairly against unqualified and uninterested foreigners who use this country; YOUR country, as a stepping stone?
Rest assured if a new government were to screw up, I'd be the first to start yelling at them and fighting for change, just like I am now.
You then delved into popularity. True, what is popular may not always be right and what is right may not be popular, but have you considered – what if the policies of the PAP are neither popular nor right? Just because the PAP, the people who think up and implement said policies, champion their own work, doesn't mean you have to fall for them hook, line and sinker. Do some research (not from the Straits Times or any of the government's propaganda machinery); talk to people; look at the suffering around you (your father, perhaps).
You boast of the government making surpluses during recessions. I'm not sure if that's something to crow about. Have you ever considered – at what cost were these surpluses made? More specifically, at what HUMAN cost were these surpluses made?
Next you touched on students being sent to less developed countries. Again, look beyond the surface and ask yourself why the government is sending students to less developed countries? Why isn’t the government sending students to highly-developed, highly-evolved countries where they can compare and learn from? Because that’s exactly what happened to me when I came to New Zealand. I realised that our way, as good as it was, wasn’t in fact, the best way, and by no means was it the ONLY way to do things.
Yes, there are tonnes of 3rd world countries that are worse off than Singapore, but there are a hell of a lot more 1st world ones that are head and shoulders above us in immigration, education, and economic policies (among other things). Why aren’t we sending students there? Do the reasons for sending young, mouldable minds to these 3rd world countries have a darker, more sinister motive?
Then, your coup de grâce – proclaiming proudly that this government turned Singapore from a fishing village into a developed country in 60 years.
A fishing village into a developed country? Just by saying that demonstrates your naiveté. 60 years ago, Singapore wasn’t a fishing village. Heck, I doubt it was a fishing village in the 19th century. If not, why did the British want this little island; why did its inhabitants fight to defend it against the Japanese; and why did the Japanese want it so badly? By 1955, it had infrastructure, it had a self-determining government, and it even had human beings evolved enough to riot! Yes, it definitely wasn’t a developed country, but it sure wasn’t a fishing village as you and all the other PAP-apologists love to highlight.
Seriously, I don’t understand why people keep insisting that Singapore was a fishing village 60 years ago. With the internet, any sort of misinformation can easily be uncovered, and by continuing to belie the facts, the government is fighting an untenable battle; one that only serves to make them look untrustworthy, opaque and oh, so stupid.
Finally, you lamented the lack of social graces your fellow Singaporeans afford you. Have you ever wondered why people aren’t friendlier, aren’t more appreciative? Could it be perhaps that these people that you admonish for avoiding eye contact and not greeting you each morning are too busy worrying whether the train that they’re in right now will not break down and get them to work on time, whether today’s the day a non-qualified foreigner will steal their job, whether next month’s reservist will give their boss another reason to make their job “redundant”, whether they’ll ever get to retire as the Minimum Sum balloons to an unattainable and unrealistic level, whether the hospital will have a bed when the time comes for their elderly parents.
Yes, you’re 18 years old; young, and can’t wait to face the world with a smile. I just wonder how long it’ll take before that smile of yours gets permanently wiped off your face.
*By the way, Tim (not your real name), I’ve been inspired by you and will endeavour to work on an article highlighting all the great things that Singaporeans should be thankful for; please keep a lookout for that, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.
BlackandWhite
TRS Contributor