we must be thankful

Not much point still talking about elections now. Polling day is tomorrow, I think most people have already decided. So I decided to talk about not what is occurring at the moment, elections, but the impact that the elections will have on Singaporeans in the future.

I think the most important thing that will come out from this, whether or not we get a few more opposition members in parliament, is that Singaporeans will start to question what it is to be Singaporean. For those who have been fighting for non-PAP parties to get some seats, they have ignited a fire to want to have a say in the development of this country. For those who have been PAP supporters all the way, the protests from the opposing camp will make them think about what is really best for this country.

And in a way, I think, there will be a greater understanding and growth of the currently non-existent "Singaporean identity". The way I like to see it is that it has always been there, a dormant creature just resting, and the elections have awakened it somewhat. People like to know that they have a say in their country, it gives them a sense of entitlement and belonging and that's what democracy is ultimately supposed to do. Whether or not ideal democracy has been practiced is regardless. Whether you are voting PAP or not, you feel as if you are making a stand for what you think is good for the country. People will start to feel more attached, more inclined to fight.

Of course, if you take a look in any truly democratic country you will find that not everybody agrees on who should be ruling, what policies should be implemented, what guidelines they should go by. Republicans will remain at odds with the Liberals. The left and the right will never meet fully. But if there's one thing I suppose you can gather from democratic countries is a patriotism quite undeniable. Another place you will find extreme patriotism is in authoritarian countries where conditions are poor. Revolutions spring up because people have had enough of being forced to do things they do not want to do and getting nothing out of it. They revolt because they want to fight for their right to their land, to their home, to their country.

Singapore, unfortunately, hangs somewhere in the balance -- a benign dictatorship. Neither a full democracy nor a brutal totalitarian state, the patriotism and the sense of belonging goes missing somewhere. People think, "I don't have a say because the PAP will just ignore me anyway. But I don't need to have a say either, my life is quite alright." And so the attachment disappears. Nobody feels loyal nor indebted to Singapore, at least not to the degree that is favorable for everyone. The combining effect of a top-down approach and the basic luxuries of a prosperous economy has numbed the general population, especially the younger generation, into a sense of autonomy from the land. Like Singapore is a hotel.

So thankfully, I think the elections will awake a sleeping giant. People are starting to feel that things are at stake -- whether it be the horror of living under PAP rule for the next 5 years or the threat of allowing inexperienced opposition members into parliament. And I think this threat will create a "rally around the flag" effect. People will come together, camping on both sides, but overall come together as concerned Singaporeans to discuss the future. As a Singaporean I've always hoped one day to see Singapore turn into a country vibrant and alive with people who love and stand by their country, not always desperate to get out. I suppose the PAP will one day have to concede to this -- even MM Lee has prophesied that such a day will come when the electorate will not remain as docile as before.

The election process itself cannot be called truly democratic. That is clear for most rational people to see. But the bigger picture here is that the fight for democracy (be it challenging it or defending it) is going to develop a population of Singaporeans who are starting to feel, starting to cherish who they are as Singaporeans, Singapore's future and what she really means to them.

In spite of whatever results emerge tomorrow night, I think that will be a big step for us. A crucial one. And for that, I am grateful.

First rally even though I have a paper at 5pm tomorrow. Already running late, crawling along the roads looking for parking, walking all the way to the rally site, shoes getting soaked. Gus got interviewed by Reuters!!! "It won't be shown on TV here don't worry" the woman said. I think they were quite unfortunate, lugging around a huge video camera with tripod and all, footsteps getting slower as the mud sucked everyone's shoes in. All in all I don't remember much of what they (WP) said because the echo and the distance from the stage (masses of bodies in between) made their speech hard to decipher. Also because at one point LTK spoke in Chinese and I interpreted about 2% of it. But! The experience was quite an interesting one, seeing the kind of people that showed up regardless of the weather conditions. A funny man made an electronic banner! It flashed "VOTE WP" and then a hammer. Really cool!

I mean... despite whatever division the elections are causing right now, it's always nice to see some solidarity among such a big number of Singaporeans. You hardly see that! I was very excited with all the commotion. Police everywhere, massive jams, etc. You can feel the buzz in the air and that's something you don't get very often. Gus got bitten by lots of ants and our shoes got super soaked with mud but it was all alright! It was a good night.

Am pleased with nails.

EXAMS END TOMORROW EVERYONE!!! JIO ME JIO ME JIO ME

Entertaining the thought of going out to do surveys to come to a conclusion exactly what kind of electorate Singapore has.

1) Childish, immature, "act cool"
2) Naive and gullible
3) Practical and pragmatic
4) Passionate but reasonable

From the way things are going I think the results will fall into 1 and 2, honestly. I will base this upon several questions:

- legitimacy and validity of reasons for supporting non-PAP parties
- legitimacy and validity of reasons for supporting PAP parties
- vertical variance in support between age groups
- horizontal variance in support between income groups
- variance in support between education level
- level of exposure to differing opinions/different media

By calculating the amount of variance between the various demographics I think you will be able to tell how being in different social strata can strongly influence the way you think. I cannot be sure at the moment, there are surprisingly quite a few people who have challenged my preconceived notions of what certain demographics are likely to be thinking. Although, from the looks of it I will say I think that my previous notion of Singaporeans getting "caught up in the hype", voting for non-PAP parties merely because everybody else is doing so and being anti-PAP is what's hip right now, without seriously considering why, will be true.

Anybody know a good way of carrying out this experiment? It will need some work but after tomorrow I will be so free, I don't mind. I will need a lot of people to survey, that's for sure. Getting people from our age group is fairly easy, but those from older age groups is tough. Anybody wanna help me... hehe

GUYS THESE R SO FUNNY 

I love all the Chiam See Tong ones!!!

&&& something that I wanted to say already. You know Lee Kuan Yew is pissing everybody off nowadays and shit like that, and people are so angry with him because he is anti-democracy, anti-opposition, bla bla bla. All I wanted to say was, I still respect him. For real. Even in the midst of all this threat, he is calm and steady, and FUCKING FEARLESS. He says whatever the hell he wants to say, and he honestly doesn't give a shit what people think. Who else can be so aggressively blunt, saying that Aljunied will "live and repent" for the next 5 years if they vote WP, but our beloved MM? Yet he says it and DOES NOT GIVE A SHIT WHAT ANYONE THINKS. In fact I'm quite sure he said "I stand corrected" to take some pressure off his son. He knew what he was talking about! & he sticks to his guns man.

He's crazy. And awesome. As a person I mean. Chill ok?

Everybody is getting riled up by the opposition. They talk about how the PAP has been ineffective, offering quick-fix solutions right before elections but not for the past five years, using GST but redistributing only less than half of the tax revenue to the poor, etc. They slam the PAP for doing all these things... and then? Offer some flimsy rhetoric about how they won't be the same because "we care for Singaporeans", "we will put your interests first", "we will grow your wages", bla bla bla. It seems many people are being enticed by this, swayed by this sudden outburst of care.

We have to listen to what they are actually saying. Where are the constructive ideas? Where are the practical paths of actions? You cannot be satisfied by mere rhetoric. You do not vote people into parliament to spew motivational speak but possess idle hands. It seems many people are getting into the hype of voting for opposition for the sake of voting for opposition, not something that has gone unmentioned by LKY himself. To put it bluntly, it is the trend now. Which is horrible. Politics should not have trends. Politics should be based on solid ideas and proposals, based on deliverance.

Consider this: a party that must resort to slamming the PAP for its inadequacies might only be doing so to look better in comparison. But remove anything said about the PAP (because it convinces you that whatever else they say will be better) and what do you have? Do you have legitimate policy proposals? Do you have convincing courses of actions to be taken? Good speaking does not equal capability.

Maybe Singapore should go to the dogs for awhile. I've told Gus this before, sometimes I feel the PAP does not have to impose such systemic impediments on the opposition. This GE, let's say the opposition wins a few GRCs, enough to overturn 2/3 majority votes in parliament. But I believe the PAP is capable, much more so than the opposition. For the next 5 years perhaps, Singapore will become lethargic and unproductive. Let people see what happens when they do vote without thinking. That will wake them up, make them see politics and elections are nothing to trifle with, things to toy around without serious consideration. You have to know what you want to be better for your life, you have to listen to who sounds like they will genuinely make an effort to give you that.

I am not saying people should therefore vote PAP without question. No. If you genuinely listen to the rally speeches, the things people say, and are convinced that they are the ones -- then go ahead. Vote for them. But if you haven't even listened to anything and you're spouting your loyalty and support for this and that party. I see people saying things like "Gonna vote for opposition :D", referring to them as a collective which is WRONG. You do not vote for all opposition, you vote for ONE party. You vote for WP. You vote for SPP. You vote for SDP. You do not vote for opposition, because being the opposition does not make you automatically competent. 


In my personal opinion, the PAP has some severe faults that can be pointed out -- inflation rates, wages, GST on essential goods, minister's salaries. But there are many things you can also say thank you for. They have delivered in many aspects. If you are intent on voting for the opposition, please take the time to listen carefully to what they are offering. Do not vote blindly because there is that "air of change". Do not think that "everyone is going to vote for PAP, so I'll just vote for the opposition" because when everybody thinks like that, nobody is going to like the end result.

If you must vote opposition, the best party to go for is undoubtedly the WP. They have good ideas put forth, they have some parliamentary experience and they are led by sincere and capable leaders. They came close to winning Aljunied the last GE, and I think they stand a very good chance this year. If there was any opposition I wanted to win, it would be the WP. I also think they are the most likely to effectively be incorporated and considered in parliament. They know how to work within the rules, move step-by-step. They are reasonable and I think the PAP will find them easiest to co-exist with, which is important as well.

Ugh, I dunno. Feeling very frustrated. I know nothing much will change -- "the PAP is the government." That will remain for at least the next ten years. But people must not take this lightly. This is their lives and their futures that they are toying around with. Don't be stupid, basically. Take time to listen. Think carefully. Do not think your vote doesn't matter, and I am going to say something extremely cliché but I say it now because it is important: your vote counts. Don't simply jump the bandwagon. Vote wisely.

--

Otherwise, on a brighter note, an appropriately timed joke:

Q: Who are the only three prime ministers Singapore has had?
A: The Father, the Son and the Holy Goh

BAHAHAHA I laughed so hard

also, this:



OOOOMMMMGGGGG I AM SO FCKING EXCITED SRSLY OMG. on the other hand i don't want to watch it at all, i don't want to believe this is the end, i don't want to :'( I WILL BE SO SAD UGH what a magical world WHY AM I A MUGGLE, WHY. WHY. WHY.

OMGGGGGG I'm at Sam's house now with Gus, and his two dark brown labradors are chilling around me while I do my work on the com! :') We used to come here a lot and play with them, then Sam left for Australia so I haven't seen them in three months!!! I miss them a lot. Their names are Coco and Buddy SUPER CUTE. I want to bring Meelo to come play with them. I want to cry already because Buddy is really old... 14 years. He walks slow and his eyes are a little cloudy. Sometimes he whimpers. He just put his head under a stool haha.

BUDDY! But he took his head out already

Gus just came over to play with Buddy with me. Buddy is so old he won't even walk around, he just lies down most of the time. I googled average lifespan of a labrador, and it said about 12 - 14 years. Which is how old Buddy is. So I cried because I looked at Buddy and I couldn't imagine him leaving. Gus says it might be any time, in his sleep or whatever. I don't want him to go... I googled average lifespan of a cocker spaniel and it said 9-15 years. Meelo is 7 years. I hope she lives forever

Gonna spend the rest of the time reading party manifestos. Or in PAP's case, watching a video powerpoint presentation. They've already got the edge with strains of Home playing in the background, emotional manipulation, etc. Can't wait for tomorrow so we can finally confirm all the candidates. Read that only Tanjong Pagar GRC & Ang Mo Kio GRC. One helmed by LKY the other by LHL. It's smart not to contest la... slowly right. Cannot be too ambitious.

Also found out George Yeo had a talk with Xiaxue! BAHAHAHA I want to see a clip of dat. And Chen Show Mao is bilingual as fck man jeez I'm impressed. He's seriously fluent and eloquent in both, normally this is quite difficult! You listen to even Lee Hsien Loong talk, his chinese isn't that good. He takes awhile. And I think the hype over Nicole Seah is a bit too much... I mean she's hardly proven her mettle, and she's only 24. I mean, no matter what, more experience is always better. In my honest opinion I think Marine Parade will go to PAP again, if only because GCT is heading it. But they won't win by a huge margin. It's interesting! Can't wait for the results...