Democracy is
of the people, from the people and for the people. American democracy is personified in Donald
Trump and the American public. They are the voices and the people to decide who
should be the president of America, not an elite entrenched by years of
corrupting the system to their advantage. Would there be any call for a change
of the Constitution to prevent people like Trump from becoming the President
and upsetting the aristocrats and the vested rich and powerful in the establishment?
No way, the
power is not only divided and diversified, power is not vested in one person or
one party. This is the strength of the American Constitution, that no one can
suka suka change the Constitution on his whims and fancy. The American Constitution
is sacred and a piece of wisdom that would not allow fools of the day to change
as they like to their advantage. The Americans protect their Constitutions
zealously to ensure that power is separated and would not be abused by any one
arms of the govt or an individual.
The right to
oppose and disagree is part and parcel of the American democracy. Party members
and leaders of the Republican are free to express their opposition to Trump and
vote against him or abstained. They cannot be herded like sheep with a whip to
do the callings of a small group of elite in the Party.
And most
important of all, the power is really in the people. The people decide, not a
few elite or aristocrats. It was like that for a while until Trump stood up and
trumps them to their proper places. And Trump could do it protected by a strong
and endearing Constitution and an educated people that would speak and vote for
what is best for them, not to be dictated by a few elite or aristocrats. And don’t forget the extremely independent
and powerful judicial to uphold the Constitution of the USA, to protect the
rights of the people against the abuses of the elite and aristocrats. The
judicial will not be little office boy to do the running for the govt of the
day without questioning the right and needs of what they are doing.
There is no
Sue and no fear in American politics, and freedom of expression is a guarantee
that cannot be violated by the power of the day. The world is getting a lesson
in democracy, the rights and freedom of a free people who know that they are
the real master of their country.
You can't sue over speech in the USA, because speech is protected by the 1st amendment.
ReplyDeleteDamn hard to bring libel charges against anyone. Slander is 100% perfectly legal and protected in, and by law. You can call the US president a liar and a thief, without proof, and be 100% protected by law. Anyone who targets you with physical violence commits a crime, thus is a criminal and subject to the heavy hand of law enforcement.
Once again, it is out of the cuntry's CULTURE where politics and laws evolve from.
In most Asian societies, "feelings" are paramount as is "public reputation", and so the laws which evolve out of those cultures are aimed at "protecting" those societal values. For e.g. Losing Face is almost a universal Asian cultural and societal SERIOUS DECREASE IN VALUE. In Asia, if you make someone lose face, prepare yourself for dire consequences.
In the Singapore context:
1. Hurt feelings: if you hurt people's feelings in certain loosely defined (which makes the courts interpretation heck of a lot easier due to "flexibility") legal contexts, you can run afoul of many anti-harrasment laws, for e.g. the recent anti-harassment legislation on the internet.
2. Libel and Slander are serious offences under Singapore law. If you call someone a "liar" or a "thief", you'd better have solid evidence to back yourself up, or you could be sued.
The govt. is a reflection of the people, because the people CHOOSE the govt from the same cultural and societal pool.
Therefore, if the people tak-boleh-tahan "free speech", and are constantly OFFENDED by what they say to each other or get HOPPING MAD if their feelings are hurt, then guess what:
You are going to get a government which REFLECTS those values, and who will use laws and law enforcement to PROTECT those values.
An example of Singaporean "hurt feelings" fucked-upness.
ReplyDeleteThere are many so called SJWs (aka 'social justice warriors' on the Singapore networks). They spend their lives targeting the establishment---the govt and the wealthy and powerful private individuals (who mostly mind their own business and don't cause any trouble). They also like to shit on foreigners and such like who are invariably accused of being "fraudulent job thieves from shithole cuntries".
When the govt clamps down on such behaviour, these SJWs flip their shit and start remind the rest of the internet (who doesn't give a fuck about the offended pussies of Singapore) about "their rights" to freedom of expression and speech, quoting from the likes Martin Luther King Jr, and then trotting off to Hong Lim to hold hands and sing "We Shall Overcome"...as if they are "fighting injustice" more epic than Star Wars where all the good guys fight off The Empire.
The one fine day, Mdm Ho Ching posts a picture of a monkey giving the good-old FINGER, and just about everyone flips the fuck out and nearly breaks the internet.
The thing about free speech is that you have to PROTECT speech which offends you, or with which you do not agree. It is easy to protect speech which you agree with...that's a NO BRAINER.
If you can protect the BEST of speech, you have to protect the WORST of speech. Until the culture changes to reflect that...you will continue to get people who are so easily offended that they'll clai to be "victims"...and the political culture will be STUCK FAST in the Dark Ages where you cannot under any circumstances give The Emperor and His Court the finger...even when they are nicely raping you anally with their sandpaper penises. (i.e. fucking you in the arse until you bleed)
Nice work Singapore. Continue to remain "offended" and "victimized".
Matilar Knn Asians faces very thin so need legal protection lar. For example just wondering why u have not been sued yet? Cause you do not reveal your true identity u motherfucker got away Scot free.
ReplyDeleteYour comparative argument is severely flawed because of the power element involved or invested in a certain class of people. To bring ordinary people bickerings to the tables of those who are masterminds of high stake trade,secret affairs and basically gambling with your,lives is liken to taking some kids fighting over candies to the Supreme Court.
ReplyDeleteThose in power have always been on the offensive and hence, the blood from the ground is crying foul. These seated in high places have lost the rights to legal protection,
They have no legal grounds to shut people up when they have fucked with ordinary people dishonourably isn't it? Can the sister verify that statement please?
ReplyDeleteCain killed Abel. Deal with it.
ReplyDeleteHigh possibility this fucker is paid.
ReplyDeleteIt will take a 10-20yrs period to achieve what US s "no sue" in speech sg see today.
ReplyDeleteI feel that it is a trend. No matter what the people in authorities try hard to grip with their power to prevent others from challenging their wrong doings. There will be time, when people speaking up will draw huge crowd, so much so that the authorities will have to seek avenues to reason out to the victims and the crowds.
In early days of US, some outspoken were gunned down. Martin R King was a lasting example as victim. In Obama age, people dont think of some speeches as offensive. The standards shifted.
In Singapore, some ones in authority are rather sensitive to words not pleasant to their ears. It may change when these people retires, disappear in natural death, or lose power in elections. From the BB by election, the fighting spirit from opposition supporters was rather strong. The crowd of supporters waited for someone till 11:30pm to hear him said some departing words. So much eagerness was expressed. It is easy to expect some out pour of support for the opposition in the coming GE in 2020. Who knows there is another Wendy meeting with anther David secretly leading to another election. The chance is 1 to 40 in coming years.
Free speech is a culture. It is worth promoting based on respect to each other in order to drive out real ideas at work places.
We cannot have a work place keeping quiet. The similar situation will be expected of casual meeting places. If someone get sued out of no ill intention, then, it is a price sg voters are paying for: electing the tyranny to over control them.
Voters will have to resolve their own situation they ask for it to happen. Who care? We dont need free speech, as we speak up at home most of the time. But politicians who want to work in the political area, especially the opposition, they have to work double hard to ensure they themselves are protected. Get in more lawyers as opposition members. Guarantee will work.
Some countries are hypocrites, can accept gay, whore, drugs rights but cannot accept anti gay, racists, right wingers, free speech rights.
ReplyDeleteLike RB said..hypocrisy rules the day. You cast a small arone at small people and you will receive a boulder the size of hot air balloon up your AH
ReplyDeleteSorry..typo..small stone
ReplyDeleteOld man once said to...young people who thinking of running to greener pasture...don't you know man shall not live by rotiprata alone?
ReplyDeleteSilver lady quoted him and said...yes yes...get more diversified education and be happy like long long...is the way(money well spent on think tanks)
Then comes an ang moh who wrote...What is in a word? When it is packed with as much moral zeal as “meritocracy”, the answer is a lot.
All three dunch know what they r fiaking talking about...tio bo?
Matilah is wrong. You can sue for defamation provided you can prove malice.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the US constitution was amended no more than 27 times.
Or you can force malice on someone
ReplyDeleteLawyers are amazing animals. The constitution was birthed from their buttock if not, buttock vetted and graced for your sensory approval.
ReplyDelete@ 523:
ReplyDelete"Defamation" is an extremely grey area. How the fuck are you going to "prove" malice...especially if you are a PUBLIC FIGURE? Damn hard lah.
for e.g.: The Reverend Jerry Falwell tried to sue Larry Flynt the publisher of "Hustler" magazine, and got fucked nicely. Flynt created an article (advertisement form) in which he claimed that Falwell fucked his own mother in a toilet...which of course drove Falwell into a state of apoplectic rage. Falwell originally won, but ruling overturned on appeal.
Amendments to the original constitution should make it clear to doubters that the tenor of the foundational law of the land can be changed, if the majority believe that there are "better laws" than the ones originally written on those pieces of moldy old parchment, by stuffy lawyers who think they are above the rest of the population.
If not for constitutional amendments, Singapore wouldn't have an elected president.
"Jerry Falwell Talks About His First Time"---the famous parody advertisement in Hustler Magazine.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the ad: Reverend Jerry Falwell, evangelical Christian minister got drunk on Campari and fucked his mother in a toilet.
Sue lah! ....and lost.
Oh shucks. Obviously his jeezus didn't help him...
Singapore is NOT a Democratic Country - Not by the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin.
ReplyDeleteSingapore is a Communist Country disguised as a Socialist-Capitalist State.
The PAP cadres addressed one another as "COMRADES". Only Communists addressed fellow cadres
as "Comrades" - to indicate that they are of EQUAL STATUS.
Singapore Parliament is basically a vehicle to legitimize the PAP's Dictatorship of The Proletariat.
In this case, the Proletariat is the Cabinet (but the Actual Power is held by the Inner-Most Circle), which comprises only a handful of personalities, who are very close and trusted by the Master Dictator,
the Prime Minister.
Holding elections regularly, every now and then does not mean, in any sense, that Singapore is
a Democratic Country. Communist Russia and Communist China also hold regular elections. It
merely means that the People of Singapore are given a chance to cast their votes but not the
Freedom to Choose Their leaders, especially the Prime Minister.
Singapore's Political System of First-Past-The-Post is not a Representative System.
It is a Winner-Takes-All Lob-sided System. If it is s Representation of the People,
then, based on the percentage of votes cast for the PAP and Oppositions, rightly there should be
ONLY 70 Percent of Seats for the PAP and 30 Percent of Seats for the Oppositions in Parliament.
If PAP is sincerely "worried" about Minority Representation, then the System of Representation of the People should be adopted, instead of the Winner-Takes-All First-Past-The-Post System having
been adopted all these years.
Worst still, From the Horse's Mouth, none other than the present PM himself, Singapore has deteriorated
from Communism to Aristocratic-Elitist-Dictatorship.
Only daft and balls-less people allow themselves to be intimidated, depressed, oppressed, suppressed, repressed and indoctrinated to this extent.
No wonder people from Taiwan, Malaysia and Hongkong say Singaporeans are Stupid. And people from Thailand
Philippines and Vietnam say Singaporeans are Cowards.
Pathetic and Tragic.
Anon 7:52am
ReplyDeleteI think winner take all system in election has not taken the sharpest damaging side in Singapore. It is a UK system. In UK previous GE, the UKIP pro independent brexit party garnered the 3 largest votes. It only had 1 single seat in parliament.
On the other hand, Aljunied grc was won with 1000+ majority votes.
Ur point is: proportional representation is good. I think it is not a clean system, when Aljunied grc will have 4 from WP and 3 and half from Pap. It is a waste of time system in Singapore because sg is just a small town, not bigger than London.
What sg needs is a governor system to elect a Mayor, not a PM. The system u talked about the Pap PM is elected from a small circle. It is true. U cannot mix Pap system with Singapore system.
If another party takes over the Pap, the pm will not be election in similar way as Pap.
Singapore s govt is over crowded. It only shows the Pm needs so many people to crowd around him. Yet the industries for export is declining for 2 years. Even ur suggestion comes in with proportional representation to crowd more seats in parliament, the poor economic policies will still be the same.
Because the cabinets are mainly consisting of people of no real working experience in the commercial world. They dont need to apply jobs, so they dont need to create jobs too. They even give jobs to Indians and Pinoys by saying these foreigners will create new jobs for citizens.
It boils down to their collective intelligence: like children below 30s year old.
Why it happens this way? The voters own fault. Let the voters learned by getting screwed. They will learn when the pain hit them hard on the pockets with high debts and high cost.
@ "bullseye" 752:
ReplyDelete>> Singapore is NOT a Democratic Country - Not by the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin.
Singapore is a Communist Country disguised as a Socialist-Capitalist State. <<
Fuck me. 752 hit the nail spot on!
I like the "socialist-capitalist" label: socialism for the masses of CPF-HDB'ers (keep them "inline" like good little, obedient COLLECTIVISTS), and large dollops of crony capitalism for the well-connected. This is "having your cake and eating it too".
Toss in a few of the "magic words" like democratic and democracyin the pledge which the automatonic, yet adorable kids---devil spawn of their automaton parents, but adorable nonetheless---swear an oath to everyday...and what do you get...
Singapore! Rocking, awesome, best-hotel-ever...Singapore.
Majulah motherfuckers!
Only in Singapore
Of course The Speaker was fucking an Asian for shouting (impolitely) in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAsia is a place where good manners are a hallmark of one's good parentage. If you are rude, it reflects on your parent's skills, or lack thereof.
Yet Asians who have poor "EQ" (emotional restraint) lose their shit over the slightest thing and start screaming like banshees at each other---as if 2 village fools were having an argument in the daily market square. ;-)
Got basic manners, motherfuckers?