11/09/2012

Calling the thinkers for Natcon



My earlier post calling for the elite to step forward to share their brilliant minds for the good of the nation is likely to prove in vain. Who am I to make such a call but a noise in the wilderness of insanity. I am pleasantly surprised to read in the media that Ngiam Tong Dow has stepped up to the podium to make the same call. This time he was addressing the academia, the place called Ivory Tower, where brains are made of ivory unlike the peasants that are made of mud. Ngiam is inviting the intellectuals, the thinkers, huddling in their Ivory Tower to speak up, to share their precious wisdom and knowledge with the govt for a better future for all citizens.

Then I was slammed right in the face by the comments coming out of the Ivory Tower. Read these words very very carefully. I am quoting them from the Today paper. Eugene Tan, the SMU law professor, ‘cited the fear factor as a possible deterrent for academics to speak out.’ My eyeballs are rolling. Eugene also said, ‘some senior faculty “frown upon their colleagues being involved”, …They regard such involvement as purely non academic and not in keeping with the academic norms.”’

A Taiwan born analyst at NUS, Lee Der Horng said, ‘he found it strange that compared to other countries, academics here are not necessarily thought leaders, who drive discussion on public issues.’ Think he is right. Ours are text book academics whose views and interests are confined to the four walls of academia.

Can anyone wonder why protest or demonstrations on social and political issues are often led by students and notby the thinkers in the academia? But could the thinkers see that the Natcon is different, that the govt is extending an invitation to all Sinkies to speak out and tell the govt what they want for the future of Sin? If the academics are shrouded with fear from opening their gold gilded minds, the govt would have no choice but to ask the uncles and aunties in the market and hawker stalls what they would like Sin to be. And what the uncles and aunties decided, the Ivory Tower academics would have to live with it, if they don’t open their golden mouths. Or is it that the academia is filled with foreigners and they rather not be involved in local politics?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, a former academic (Chee Soo Juan) did speak out. Look where that got him. I no stupid.

Anonymous said...

Once upon a time there was a foolish farmer who punished all the brilliant scholars for speaking their minds. He would sue them into bankruptcy or use his goons to make life difficult for those who spoke up. Soon no one spoke up any longer.

One day famine and pestilence descended on the valley and though this farmer was very experienced, he was none the wiser as to what was the cause of this misfortune. Or even how he should go about prescribing a solution to this intractable problem - should he grow another variety of crops? Should he built canals?

So one day the foolish farmer went to the village as he wanted to have a conversation as to how best to solve this problem. But no one it seems was interested to talk to him. No one except pravenu's, knaves and perhaps fools.

As for the intelligent people, they rather be masturbating in the riverbank.

What is the moral of the story? I wonder.

Good Day Chin Leng.

Darkness 2012

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi Darkness, the moral of the story is that immoral is good.

Anonymous said...

Natcon is bound to fail. There is no clear goals and committment. Simply call some groups to talk all sorts of things. Messy and no direction. Is a waste of time and resources. At the end same same will prevail.

Anonymous said...

If you are serious about improving lives for fellow sinkies then you should participate in Natcon. With serious suggestions, not I want this I want that.

You may say it's a waste of time.

But at least there is a millionaire Papie to smell your fart and analyse your fart, than farting here.

Anonymous said...

NatCON is not about conversation among equals.
NatCON is all about converting us to better understand and support their daft policies.

You want proof?
----------------
All the topics and material for a national conversation has already been laid out in the internet for the last few years.
The only thing that is missing is a reply from the Millionaires-in-Parliament.

Anonymous said...

Matilah what do you think?

fed up singaporean said...

Let's get real; the thinkers who are worth their salt will not speak out if they cannot speak the truth given that this PAP govt is very thin skinned and not too friendly to the unpleasant truth of their incompetencies and thuggish mentality.

fed up singaporean said...

Let's get real; the thinkers who are worth their salt will not speak out if they cannot speak the truth given that this PAP govt is very thin skinned and not too friendly to the unpleasant truth of their incompetencies and thuggish mentality.

Anonymous said...

When students sense injustice, they say aloud "WTF wrong with PAP !"

When academia sense injustice, they think behind closed door with "WTF wrong with keeping silent and staying obedient to PAP. Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil of ruling party, and we get to keep our jobs, promotion, research fund, bonus, and even get praise by PAP for doing nothing ! It is the best of the world !"



Anonymous said...

"Natcon is bound to fail. There is no clear goals and committment."

How can Natcon fails when its goal and definition is to CON and WAYANG ?

Anonymous said...

"The only thing that is missing is a reply from the Millionaires-in-Parliament."

They already reply to you by keeping silence. Silence is golden, don't you know that ?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

I am not a thinker. I am but a humble beach bum who like guns, booze and pussy -- not in any particular order.

However, I am happy to engage in a cuntree-wide talk-cock session on what is good for Singapore. My ideas are mostly dubious, and my wisdom (if any) -- suspect.

Anything for the Mother Cuntree.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

I give you a star for being honest.

The said...

/// As for the intelligent people, they rather be masturbating in the riverbank.

What is the moral of the story? I wonder.

Darkness 2012 ///

Tell those intelligent people not to do it upstream of where I am.