Saturday, April 25, 2009

A young person interested in politics

Hi Mr Tan,

I went tru the survery and read some of the comments in the post... just like to add:

I'm 27, just an average skilled worker, holding a diploma, getting 2k+ a monthly. Like most sg kids then, I have no interest in politics nor policies the white immortals came up with. I always thot: wats it gotta do with me? After all, I'm just another ordinary guy, interested in stuff like computers and have no interest in politics.

Fast forward 20 years and then we will realise: whats it gotta do with me? everything.

I have come to realise in recent years: Every scheme every policy every act, no matter how small affects us. It pains me to see how incompetent the current govt is. Its no joke whenever u seek help or answers, u are pushed into a chain of merry go rounds whereby each recipients declare someone else is responsible.

The media furthers this cause by dropping red herrings or changing the subjects to make govt related bodies look good.

Look at the recent Current affairs. Which agency or leader have ever declared "yes its our mistake. we will do watever we can to learn and not repeat" ?

Every single one starts by declaring "its not my fault. Everyone else is to blame" and then finds a scrapgoat, if not then its "everyone went in with their eyes open".
Whatever happened to govt is meant to serve the people, instead of the other way around now?

Its a sad state that singapore has fallen to, what has happen to inspirational leaders like the current Obama, hell, even the past LKY? Now they "fix oppositions and buy votes" if cannot? then declare "public order act" and use the army in case they lose. What is this? This is not the sg i knew when i was younger, or maybe i was so ignorant then.

The younger generations... they dont see these things. I never did then either, after all you cant blame them. What do pple care about in the teens? sports, bgrs, entertainment, games etc... Politics is 'boring stuff' for 'adults'. At least I used to think so.

If i were given a chance to get into politics now, i would snap at it, not becos of fame or fortune. I dislike fame, and I think i am already fortunate. The only reason to why I would want to get in, is only to be a voice of the oppressed and the repressed, to keep ministers in check or at the least, make them stay honest. I'm no noble man, being just a normal ordinary citizen, but I dislike injustice, and to think that I used to think such things dun usually happen in our sparkling clean Singapore.

Yet we STARE at it every single day, and still they want to whitewash every event and highlight their "achievements" and gloat about their paycheck. 6 times the POTUS paycheck? Where's 6 times the responsibility? All i see is 6 times the taichi, perhaps there is a correlation between higher pay and less responsibility after all. If not, how do people hold multiple directorships and run every inc at the same time? Somebody has got to keep them honest, and make them work for their paycheck.

I hope Singapore never experiences what Thailand is going tru... but I feel that like many people after they climb all the way to the top of the ivory tower, sometimes they need a good fall to be more down to earth. Bend a branch too much, eventually it will snap. Its a precarious balancing act those people are doing, how long before the "mortals" get sick and tired of being treated like idiots and being taken for a ride? For me, its probably too late to get my say into politics. If I knew then wat i knew now, i would have chose a much different path. The day President Ong stepped down was the day the govt 'won'. What we have left, is just a mascot doing the biddings of the mastermind.

A certain character from a action movie once told a "hero" in his fight against corruption: "you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villian".

For me, I waitng for a new dawn in singapore government. Failing which, I'm setting my sights on New Zealand. I heard the grass there is not only greener, but a lot less hectic.

(name deleted)

5 comments:

Cashew Nut said...

Fellow Singaporeans
This letter compels recognize the importance that every Singaporeans should be given space and voice, especially for the ordinary people. We are a small and young nation, and every body counts and we must make them count.

It saddens me to read this letter. I hope people can be made to feel that "Singapore belongs to everybody, no matter how insignificant you are!."

David said...

Don't understand why the writer said "If i were given a chance to get into politics ...".

I thought the chances are always there and if you are above 21 years. If PAP don't want you, can always join opposition (or the alternative as Mr Tan Kin Lian prefer to call). It is all up to him/her.

But I can understand why he/she don't want to take the chance. The reasons are well known to be restated again.

Therein lies the reason for the status quo in Singapore politics for a long long time. But maybe Tan Kin Lian can help to change a bit. (I read he mentioned something about this in the mainstream media)

Mr Tan , any updates on your work in this area eg persuading more to join the alternative?

Hooi said...

Yes, in this economic crisis, what I see is that our “highest paid cabinet in the world” is waiting for those “low paid governments” such as USA to solve the problem for them! Please wake up! Can our high paid ministers stand up to solve the unemployment rate and creating more employment for the nation to show to their “counterparts” they are worth been paid by the nation. Don’t let other countries “laughing” at our nation to pay top salary to our cabinet yet cannot solve the problem faster than their "counterparts"... our government goal should be " we must be the 1st one to recover....,right?" (we like A, isn't is?)

AB said...

"The day President Ong stepped down was the day the govt won"?

My view - much earlier than that, I would say the day SG lost Lim Chin Siong to be the PM was the day SG lost.

"waitng for a new dawn in singapore government?" and "persuading more to join the alternative"?

My view - the problem is not a question of an incompetent ruling party, and the problem is also not lack of credible alternative parties. The key issue is the 66% who are either ignorant, brainwashed by propaganda and still living in their dreams, or are totally selfish and sell away their souls just for some immediate gains (such as upgrading) at the expense of the future good of the country.

Falcon said...

Tan said on April 26, 2009 1:08 AM

Yes, in this economic crisis, what I see is that our “highest paid cabinet in the world” is waiting for those “low paid governments” such as USA to solve the problem for them! Please wake up! Can our high paid ministers stand up to solve the unemployment rate and creating more employment for the nation to show to their “counterparts” they are worth been paid by the nation. Don’t let other countries “laughing” at our nation to pay top salary to our cabinet yet cannot solve the problem faster than their "counterparts"... our government goal should be " we must be the 1st one to recover....,right?" (we like A, isn't is?)

You have got it wrong. They never said paid millions must solve the problem. They said have to paid millions so will not be corrupt.

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