1/01/2012

The inevitable change

2011 set the stage for change in a new world with new players. The Americans tried very hard to retain its number One super power status and to contain the challenge coming from an emerging China. Much as it tried, American power is dwindling in the midst of economic failures and a mountain of debt. America continues in its pursuit of military power and control, getting itself embroiled in wars, in sanctions, in interfering with the domestic politics of every country on its good book or in its bad books. It poked its finger into Myanmar and North Korea, two countries that have nothing to do with the lives of Americans. While the North Koreans are mourning the death of its leaders, the Americans are furiously engaging the South Koreans on how to deal with the North Koreans when it is totally none of its business. It still thinks it has the privilege and resources to mess around the world.

Domestically we are seeing a party on the defensive. The ruling party has expended all its political capital and with every minister a liability rather than an asset to the party. Without political capital, something that it callously chose not to build over the last decades, it is looking at social capital to fall back on. How much social capital is there when it neglected building on it like political capital?

Singaporeans went through a very painful phase of ‘nothing can be done’, it is all due to market forces, wide income gap is good and natural, that is growth. High housing prices are beyond the govt’s control, so is high cost of living, market forces at work. The high intake of foreigners labelled as foreign talents is for the good of the people, like it or not. It can’t be helped. It is not the norm or responsibility to build housing for the people when they needed it. The govt will dictate when they want to build and how many to build, and 3 to 4 years wait is a take it or leave it position. So what can the people do about it other than to accept it as the norm.

Many people benefited from the govt’s policies of market forces, including very high pay, very high property prices. Those who have plenty kept piling their plates higher and higher when they could live for generations without having to work. The average Singaporeans continue to make ends meet and whine quietly. And the people were told to accept it as normal in a meritocracy. The rich will get richer and the poor poorer. Can’t be helped.

Many things were taken for granted. Retaining more and more of the people’s money in the CPF/Medisave is done against their wishes as if the money belongs to the govt becomes a norm. No need to consult the people. Just legislate to make it legal.

Is there really much social capital that the govt can tap on or call upon when the social economic system benefits only a small group of elites at the expense of the majority? The elites and talented are very happy, very, very happy, as they get richer and richer with favourable govt policies. So are the foreigners and the foreign talents. No where can they find a system that is so friendly to them than Singapore. And they would threaten to move some where if govt policies were not favourable to them. We owe them a living. On the other hand the average Singaporeans are finding life getting tougher for themselves and were told that they have themselves to blame.

Does the ruling party really believe that things are getting better for them and not getting worst for the years to come? The Americans are going to face tougher time ahead, like it or not. The only thing they have left is power, power to destroy, to impose sanctions, to coerce, to start wars. As the born again convert of Americanism, everything the Americans do, we follow. Would the blind believer follow the leader to the same end?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sir!

Indeed, much of what You said are true.
Me am about two and a half decades younger than Lee Kuan Yew, such is to say me lives through much of my life under his control except for a decade of British Rule.

As one more convinced by socialism and nationalism, me was and is not in harmony with the political developments after the British gave Singapore its' independence.
As a subject, me witnesses the Local Leaders paved the highway to economic success and to the pinnacle of materialism which to me was the inevitable cause of many downfalls of civilizations and nations.

In fact, me said the downfall of Singapore will not be due to poverty, on the contrary, it shall be GREED and materialism. This country was GIVEN independence due to the waning power of the Colonial Master. There was no struggle for liberty, it was given on a silver platter with golden fork and spoon thrown in. There was not a national spirit born out of struggle nor was the population then looking collectively for a nation.

In the 50s, Singaporean Politicians were struggling amongst themselves over business, labour and local community leaderships with probably some hopes of ultimately running the Island one day.

NATIONHOOD WAS NEVER THE MAIN MOTIVE WITHIN THE INFIGHTINGS IN THE SO-CALLED STRUGGLES. The Britist too was never perturbed, much less, challenged by any local fighting against them for independence. And the British was simply too powerful for any local.

So, the British had absolute control of this tiny island. But, then It governed and developed the Island in a way that most inhabitants were not unhappy. Migrants from China, India and other nearby countries made their ways here to escape poverties in their homelands and some were here due to the wars in the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

When the Locals took over the running if the Island after the British presented it to them, the LOCAL LEADERSHIP had/has total and absolute control over the populace as the British did.

...../2

Anonymous said...

THE DIFFERENCES and they were big changes; such as the English Language was made to be the PRIMARY LANGUAGE and Vernaculars were relegated and gradually atrophied as they became Second and Third Languages.

The local inhabitants were relocated from their countryside abodes to government built compact highrise HDB Flats. Huge proportion of Singaporeans were deprived of their livelihoods dependent on primary production. The main reason, me suspect, was to have the people moved to the industrialization embarked on by the Local Government.

It did improve the economy and industrialization was further speeded up and expanded. Soon, it was high tech development and followed by commercialization and finacial marketing to health, education and now vice industries.

Throughout the whole process and phases of economic programmes. Materialism was breeded and INCULCATED progressively to higher planes and it leads to GREEDS.

Singaporeans, dare me says here, were very AT EASE and in fact many were fine with the System. And until this very moment many are comfortable with the journey of progress.
However, some see and foresightedly knew that decays brought about by materialism and greed is bringing more woes to the people each and everyday. More Singaporeans are unhappy as day goes.

Despite a late awakening by some, only a handfull of intellectuals are active in taking actions while most are apathetic.

To sum it up, those freedom fighters in the past were neglected and given cold shoulders by Fellow Singaporeans. In my view, it was not just the draconian laws and schemes that make the Present Regime invincible. IT IS THE APATHETIC ATTITUDES OF THE INTELLECTUALS TO THE OVERALL POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THEIR UNSYMPATHETIC FEELINGS TO OTHER FELLOW SINGAPOREANS THAT CAUSED THE SITUATION SINGAPOREANS ARE IN TODAY.

While the Sin Leadership has lost it's social capital, Singaporeans have lost much of their happines after many decades of BLINDLY following their Rulers. How can the Leaders be blamed when Singaporeans were and are so proud of the Leadership?

patriot

Anonymous said...

Wow ! Red Bean ... The commentators
are giving your blog a run for their money ...

Happy 2012 to all :) i salute you guys for making this blog so hard hitting and educational

Regards and Respects
Bengster

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi Bengster, patriot and everyone, a happy new year.

And who are the commentators giving our blog a run?

Anonymous said...

Thanks Redbean.

Wishes Everyone Better Years ahead.
And
also wishes that change will come soon.

Meanwhile, take care of health and the family, there can be joy and happiness.

patriot

Victor said...

Good day dear Sirs.

Hopefully the ruling generations can ephiphanise and see through all clout and steer this ship we call Singapore back to shore.

I would go as far as saying, give me humanity or give me death! If only we can destroy this tainted concept of wealth and acquisition and barter that with creativity, compassion, charity.

With these 3 C's, i dare say the world would be vastly different.

Should we buy into this manufactured animosity towards each other, we allow others to control us by either inciting organised chaos or overly organised status quos.

Time has come to free ourselves from the puppet master who is busying itself with the devil's work!

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi Victor and Vanquished, you said it. There are many freaks out there who are only serving their own interests with all kinds of statements and themes. Internationally it is always for peace that they conduct wars. And by claiming their interests are affected, they go out to control and kill others.

Domestically it is always for your good that we are doing this. We take keep your money for your good. We price the HDB high for your good. We pay politicians out of this world salary for your good. Everything is done for the good of the people.

Just like the religious who have been praying for world peace since time immemorial. Is there a day of peace?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Happy New Year!

American Exceptionalism has been the foundation of every doctrine post WW2. Like it or hate it, the US leads the "free world" -- by force, if necessary. Yes folks "freedom" by FORCE... the idea is so fucked up I suspect there's religion behind it ;-)

Oh wait. Of course. Jesus is American. Which makes America the most righteous cuntree on earth, bitches.

In Singapore -- yet another cuntry where the people deserve the government they get despite the incessant yammerings of deluded fools who think things can be "different " -- there's a sort of "Exceptionalism" practiced by the ruling classes.

The messiah here, although aged now, has a much bigger cock than that zombie jew jesus. The Spore messiah has "promised" to resurrect himself and "save Singapore ". What a dumb thing to say. What is even more surprising is that MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THIS BULLSHIT.

Btw, it is pointless complaining about "inequality" or "greed". The math will always work out to, or close to a Pareto Distribution. This is a POWER LAW. Scientists who subscribe to quantum theories based on Quantum Information suspect that power laws like what is observed in phenomena like Pareto Distribution are "written into the code" of reality, just like physical law.

i.e. Try as you might, when it comes to wealth and power, there can never be "equality", and that folks is simply a FACT OF REALITY (from quantum info theory) Some people are going to get screwed. And a minority are going to get a fucking big slice of cake :-D

Anonymous said...

I have become a Optimist Pessimist

Optimist ....
Because the articles and commentaries gives me hope

Pessimist .....
Then comes along Matilah and kicks me in my balls to wake me up

:) keep up the good works !
Your Student
Bengster

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Matilah likes to kick balls real hard. He would have raised himself to another level if only he needed not resort to vulgarity. That will the superior form of Matilah.

Anonymous said...

Dear Red Bean,

That's why your blog has my utmost respects with your keeping censorship to a minimum and tolerating all dissenting views

I find justin bieber very vulgar and offensive! but what can i do?

Hmmmm maybe i should give justin a proper listening too?

Regards
Bengster

Anonymous said...

Matilah and his vulgarity is what makes him a rather interesting but odd contributer to this blog. RB sure provides food for thought. Happy New year to all readers,

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

I tell you that Just In Beaver is exceptionally offensive to sensibilities. His music is awful.Yuuuk! Vomit!

As for accusations of "vulgarity":

Guilty as charged, motherfuckers.

...but then again, I lived most of my life in very free societies (western democracies) where the right to free speech is exercised, well... freely. That includes publishing, free press, sexual liberty on TV (check out some of the european TV programs), liberal use of language, and extremely socially liberal culture.

Really, sometimes your reactions to my liberal use of language speaks volumes about you.

Get out more and mix with folks (yeah that means socialise, date and get intimate) out of your own culture. i.e. expand your fucking boundaries, bitches, and you might eventually blossom instead of remaining such parochial cunts.

But I'm not putting you down. I'd be the fool if I thought there wouldn't be "culture clashes" between my socially liberal, economically laissez faire worldviews--which allow me to live a fantastic life--and the (seemingly) smothered, almost "culture of hopelessness" exuded by many of the Singaporean posters here.

Seriously folks, being happy, hang-up free and open-minded are much better choices than the doom and gloom of "the-government-stole-my-CPF-vote-opposition-I-want-cheap-house-foreigners-stole-my-job" tired old bromides that seem to form the currency of this blog ;-)

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

I also let out in expletives now and then to make my point. But I used it sparingly. When everything is vulgarity it destroyed its effectiveness and became vulgar and unpleasant.

It is an art in the use of language and vulgarity to make them meaningful. Overdosage becomes defeating : )

Anonymous said...

Anyone can use expletive, even an uneducated child can do it. So, no big deal. Neither it is wrong, it all depend on how one is brought up.
In any case, there is likely compulsive disorder which is of course 'medically' considered a mental disorder.
Let us just say that if it is not 'thrown' at your face physically, just bear with it.