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1/20/2015
Are we a democracy?
Dinesh Dayani wrote an article in TRE about a comment made by Leung Chun Ying, Chief Executive of HongKong, ‘Democracy would see poorer people dominate Hong Kong vote.’
In his concluding paragraphs he wrote these:
‘Did the last 10 years benefit all Singaporeans even though we collectively built or accepted the MBS & IR, saw our asset prices balloon and built a whole other financial district during the time? I’m not so sure.
What I am sure of however is that we are a democracy. It is in our power if we do not like the direction of where our country is headed.’
Dinesh is sure that we are a democracy and we are in control of our own future unlike HongKong and the reason for the students’ street demonstration. In a way we are, but sometimes we wonder if we are a demoncracy. ‘It is in our power if we do not the direction of where our country is headed.’ Really?
Do we like the influx of foreigners that made Singaporeans a minority and can we do anything about it? And it is going to be worse with the 6.9m PWP. Can we do anything about it?
Can we do anything about the huge number of PMEs being replaced by foreigners? Yes, no, are we a democracy?
Can we do anything about our savings in the CPF? Do we have the power to do anything about it? Can we stop and rescind the CECA now that we know what it is?
There are many things that the people did not like, did not like the direction that they are heading. So? Can we do anything within our power to change them as a democracy? Or has our democracy been hijacked? Or we are not really a democracy and has no say in the direction our country is heading?
Can politicians democratically elected to serve the people, to listen to the people and represent their interest, turnaround and proudly declared they chose to be deaf frog, refused to listen to the people and did what they thought best? Can the politicians ignore the people that elected them to power and expect to be elected? Yes, in Singapore always reelected. What kind of democracy is that?
Is our democracy a farce and everyone pretending that we are a democracy?
Is our democracy a farce...?
ReplyDeleteRB
That is really up to the real Sinkies themselves to decide lah.
If the strongest Sinkie opposition party is behaving like kaki lang when it should not, then of course democracy is a farce lah.
But who made up the strongest Sinkie opposition? Who else but Sinkies themselves what. So Sinkies, and obviously not PAP, decide the kind of Sinkie opposition they have, and hence also the kind of democracy that come with it, tio bo?
ReplyDelete"DEMOCRACY" is a BIG word!
Attached to it is a scale 0 to 10.
0 means no democracy.
Therefore 0-10, where are we now?
Therefore 0-10, where are we now?
Cheers.
Our democracy being a farce is good for some smart, including new, Sinkies.
ReplyDeleteAnd they don't mind because they can make lots of money and be happy under such a democracy.
Such a farce democracy will of course continue as long as such Sinkies, including new Sinkies, are a majority.
The Questions are valid.
ReplyDeleteThe Answers offered are relevant.
Agree that majority Sinkie Peasants are happy with the System. They will remain so and swim happily in the boiling water till they get cooked. That's the Fate and Destiny they choose.
patriot
D I N O
ReplyDeleteDemocracy In Name Only.
"Singapore is a democracy" is merely statement to make gullible motherfuckers feel good.
Singapore is a constitutional republic. Democratic processes are used to choose the representative government, which then makes decisions unilaterally because they have a MANDATE to govern---which means you simply just can't vote suka-suak according to your FLAWED EMOTIONS.
Democratic processes are also used in the parliament where members vote on bills.
Switzerland is a PURE democracy---they vote on EVERYTHING. Singapore is not a pure democracy, and probably will never be one.
Can you still "make it" here? Of course. It is one of the most "success-friendly" places on the whole planet.
Actually, if you look deeper, Singapore is more like a Communist Country who succeeds in packaging itself to look like a democracy.
ReplyDeleteOnly one newspaper company and is controlled by government and practically all forms of media is government-controlled, labour union is also government-controlled.
Actually, many aspects of our lives are being controlled. The rule is like a dynastic rule, father stepped down to be taken over by son without questions asked, etc.....
Being a Communist country that packaged itself so well to look like a democracy that this impresses the Chinese government a lot that it sends its own officials down to Singapore to learn how to adopt the Singapore Communist model for China.
Closest definition, qualified with some caveats:
ReplyDeleteSingapore is (guided) LIBERAL democracy. i.e. some individual rights enshrined in law--including the right to conduct legal enterprises for PROFIT, freedom of association, including freedom to contract voluntarily, some defined measure of free speech and expression, freedom of movement---NS men have to apply for exit permit, freedom of religion, and the #1 most important one: The Rule of Law.
In other words, we're ok lah. Stop panicking for nothing and relac lah brudder!
To be fair uncle, we may not like it but sinkie land is a democratic country with government elected by 60% of sinkies.
ReplyDeleteYou and I may not like it as we are the 40% minority but 60% loves it. As woody used to say, it the net Hapiness that count and there is no such thing as absolute Hapiness. 60%.is net Hapiness lar
@ cherry-picking the data, lust for love 1247:
ReplyDeleteIF Singapore is a communist cuntree, then it is THE BEST RUN communist cuntree in the world :-)
The above statement is not original---several friends in the free-wheeling equities market---i.e. die-hard money-making unapologetic capitalists---say this to me all the time!
I am a CAPITALIST. a hard-core, anarcho-capitalist who grew up on a diet of Ayn Rand, Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard. And I fucking DIG Singapore!
So if it is communist, then let the music play on and may the party never stop!
Keep on rocking, Singapore!
@1251:
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right.
The people get the government and the cuntree they deserve!
Toute nation a le gouvernement qu'elle mérite. Joseph de Maistre
I love the picture of matilah getting his face massaged.
ReplyDeleteHard to believe anyone would want to touch the fucktard's face.
But then again.
many people vote PAP.
No accounting the good sense and taste of people.
Malaysia 2013 -
ReplyDeleteBN 47.38% of votes gets 59.91% Seats
PR 50.87% of votes gets 40.09% Seats
Singapore 2011 -
PAP 60.14% of votes gets 93.10% Seats
Even if more than 50% did not vote for PAP, they probably still have the simple majority. And you dun need more than 60% to get the absolute majority. If you know why this is so, then probably you will understand democracy.
All these demo or auto cracies are bullshit lah. At the end of the day, they both are there to facilitate the elite class getting richer at the expense of the exploited class. 1% of the rich people in this world now controlling 99% of the resources in this world. It is clear that whichever cracies lead the exploited class to slavery and serfdom.
ReplyDeletethere are no such thing as democracy.
ReplyDeleteUK is parliament dictatorship
same party hold control over legislature , executive , indirect influence over judiciary.
Parliament can revoke decision by court by passing new law.
court cant declare an act of parliament is invalid because it infringe your right.
judge is impartial, independent in the sense that the govt cant sack him.
judge has security of tenure.
judiciary system are based on "Respect my authority"
1.judge in lower court is less intelligence than judge in higher court
2. higher court can overrule the decision of lower court
lower court cant overrule decision of higher court
3.such system are based on hierarchy of authority.
till today, uk refuse to implement written constitution.
yet,British PM often brag about "core values is democracy, freedom"
OK you belly-achers and low-value kopitiam philosophers, here's the truth which you all will not accept:
ReplyDeleteSingapore is run under a BENIGN DICATATORSHIP which works damn fucking well. (Sorry to my fellow libertarians out there).
Democracy has largely FAILED in the so-called western democracies. It has bred and is reflexive with the entitlement mentality by which people believe that they can live by plundering the wallets of one another to "fund" entitlement programs and "free stuff" like education, healthcare etc.
Authoritarianism has worked wonders in Asian societies---despite the dark sides of authoritarianism. S Korea, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Malaysia all had authoritarian govts that fucked off democracy for the sake of rapid and effective national development.
And not only did it work. It worked DAMN FUCKING WELL and beat all the other shit-basket so-called "free" western democracies which are now struggling from "give free money" debt burdens, whilst Asia is adding to its savings and becoming richer and richer.
Fuck democracy lah. It has failed spectacularly.
Benign dictatorship?
Fuck yeah!