Tan Kin Lian's Blog: What values characterize Singapore?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

What values characterize Singapore?

View posted in my blog

In our PAP-led government's drive for economic growth at all costs, they have practically destroyed Singapore as a nation. We associate US with the land of the free, of democracy... What comes to mind when we think of Singapore? What values, characteristics then do we associate with Singapore? A little red dot, insecure, hard driving, kiasu, relentless growth,... little that engenders a sense of belonging and pride... What pride we had - clean and green garden city, world class efficiency and service standards - have been eroded and lost...

This is Singapore Inc, truly, a place to make hay while the sun shines, monetize our "homes", "upgrade" and pocket the money... No one owes anyone else a living. What did Singapore Inc achieve in the past decade?

1.In our drive to be an education hub, we reduce the subsidy for our own Singaporean tertiary students; education fees increase practically every year, the industry carved a bad name among international students.

2. In our drive to be a medical hub, we now tell our citizens that they had an additional option of going over to Malaysia for affordable medical care.

3. In our drive to be a financial hub, we created the exact monsters described by the financial adviser in th blog post. People were sold minibombs and dud products like wine and land. Caveat emptor we were told while the regulatory bodies took a soft or non-existent touch.

4. In our drive to be a tourism and MICE hub, we build not one but two casinos, proudly termed international resorts, one of which is aptly designed like ancestral tablets overlooking our financial district.

5. In our drive to achieve all the above and to make up for the loss of our own people who are driven to leave Singapore, we "attract" "foreign talents" by the hundreds of thousands, so much so that we rub shoulders with strangers every day. We are indeed strangers in our land, for we do not recognize the values, the people, the facade of a place we were once proud or at least not deigned to call our home.

I yearn for day, soon, to shout Merdeka!

8 comments:

Lye Khuen Way said...: It describes the current Simngapore fairly well.; February 24, 2011 6:16 AM
captaincaveman said...: Singaore is being running like a profit driven MNC and I think majority of the Singaporeans know that it is not right. However, do we have enough Singaporeans with the courage to tell the miw enough is enough and vote for change in the coming general election? I doubt so as majority of them will continue to chose to live with an ostrich mentality - see no evil so no evil. I will be happy to be proven wrong come the next general election.; February 24, 2011 8:57 AM
yujuan said...: My old mother in her mid eighties
lives with great uneasiness in her HDB flat near Braddel MRT, almost to the point of fear, as her foreign neighbours keep on changing. She could not believe that Singapore has changed into another creature, very surreal, cold and calculating and foreign.
She said this is no longer a place to bring up children, a place that has no values anymore, everything centres on money, money, money, and nothing else.; February 24, 2011 9:41 AM
Recruit Ong said...: Agree with Lye.

did you all read the news about this famous doctor who overcharged patient by over 500 times? 500 times! now that she is being investigated she is willing to waive all charges, hahahaha! i bet she will at most get a light tap on the wrist, thats the kind of justice we have today... the elites will protect their own.; February 24, 2011 10:18 AM
ron said...: Yes, in the pursuit to achieve all this, it seems we have forgotten the soul.

( fireworks displays & processions don't count)

Yet, we have created things that never existed before within 8 hour flight time...

A financail centre that never was
A health hub that never was
A education hub that never was
A MICE centre that never was..
A oil rig building centre that never was
A air hub that never was

We have nothing except a great geographical location... and even then, it will one day be obsolete
just as it was with the rock city of Petra, now in ruins and serves only as a curiosity.

We need a balance.

The weights for economic growth is expected but we must not ignore the weight for social growth.

And when people feel that their feelings are being ignored, loyalty, faith, trust, sincerity is all lost

It will be difficult to win all that again.. just like a customer who was ignored and later given a free ticket or cash back. He may feel compensated, but he may not return anymore.

Do not ignore people.; February 24, 2011 12:05 PM
e said...: When I think of Singapore values, these words come to mind:

Widespread Elitism. Selfish. Calculating. Profit-at-all-cost. Fearful Climate politically. Kiasi. Soul-less & helpless people. No-creativity. No humanity. Hamsters-in-wheels. Contrive. Winners-takes-all.; February 24, 2011 1:12 PM
Anonymous said...: From what you had written it is obvious it is the bloody fault of the PAP that led to the low birth rate. Let the PAPians fuck the pros and increase the birth rate that way lor. Especially PRC pros will offer free for the PAPians to fuck them. LKY can fuck a thousand PRC pros since he likes them so much.; February 24, 2011 5:42 PM
Gary said...: The people should reclaim our country from these mutants and their soulless creeping changes. We should do it like in Egypt - peacefully, and if possible through the ballot box. But if trickery was used by the ruling party to maintain majority, I would say it is time for the people to march!!!; February 24, 2011 8:04 PM