A Nation it never will be

This is my impression of what this island will be if the policies are not changed. We will always be in a constant state of flux, with the infusion of new people from different backgrounds, race, religion and culture, to keep the city state vibrant. And the concoction of race and religion is a highly inflammable mix that could go up in smoke in the slightest miscalculation, or a loose statement. Basically we are playing with fire. We could have made some headways after the first 40 years of nation building when the poor migrants, leftovers from the colonial legacy, and very pliable given their impoverished background and simplicity, shared a common history and growing up together, were gradually blending together with one another quite comfortably. They were less demanding of their racial, cultural or religious superiority and purity. They are quite comfortable with being chap cheng. No big deals. Things were working quite well until the policy changes of the last 10 or 15 years when foreigners were welcomed in the shiploads or planeloads to live and be part of our citizens/residents. And basically we are starting all over with a new brew. And if the policies of coveting other people’s talents are the way to go, we will continuously be in a state of change and uncertainties. We will never mature and develop into a stable society like the countries in Europe. Race, culture and religion will forever be sensitive issues as the new migrants are not the poor immigrants anymore(the foreign workers excluded as they are here only temporarily) and have high expectations, demands and pride. They will present a different threat to the establishment as they are likely to be less tolerant and adaptable to the whims and interests of lesser beans. And the price for that is that the country must be always put on a leash by a strong hand govt, and press freedom and many liberties of a mature society will be put on hold, possibly forever. An immature society with a people that do not see themselves as a people of a country or nation cannot have the luxury of a loose press and freedom of expression. The people will be immature, insensitive and would turn a well meaning debate into a personal vendetta. This is no good. So, the rigid control of the media stays…forever and ever, in a country that will never grow up, always in a state of change, with new people replacing older ones that have left. Have we traded a nation for economic growth and development, that economic growth is everything and the making of a nation is secondary, unimportant, a hotel is just as good? Secuity threats and fears are legitimate reasons to justify stringent control of the media. Maybe one day when security threats and fears have disappeared, press freedom will be returned to the people...one day....

The Singapore Death Penalty Blog

I read an article posted in the Singapore Death Penalty Blog and I must said that I am not pleased. In fact I am terribly worried. The discussion was centred on the killing of Darren Ng in Downtown East. And the Blog took to questioning the cries to hang the assailants of Darren Ng. It gives the impression that if there are good reasons to the killing, like there is no intention to kill but to harm, or that it is not just a staring incident, then perhaps it is wrong to hang the killers. Below are some of the reasons raised and I quoted from the Blog. 'There are many questions left unanswered from the incident: * Was Darren Ng murdered or mobbed (with weapons), which resulted in his death? (The implications are important as they decide the charge and sentence of the accused persons) * Was it really a simple random staring incident resulting in a cold blooded murder? * Did Darren try to stand up for his friend, which resulted in a confrontation and the mob attack? * How many of the dozen or so assailants were carrying weapons? * Was there a real intention to murder Darren, or were the knives use with the intent to cause serous injuries? * How many other suspects are still at large? * If 10 men mobbed and caused the death of one person, should all 10 be charged for murder, a crime which carries mandatory death sentence? * Out of the 4 arrested and charged for murder, who attacked Darren, how many were doing so because their peers were doing it?' Do all these reasons or questions make any difference to the vicious killing of Darren in a public place? To me it does not. A young man was killed. It was not a case of simply two persons fighting or self defence. It was a mob attack. Or a mob attack deserves lesser punishment? Oh, perhaps they just want to give Darren a few cuts without any intent of killing him. The knives were just another tool and not meant to be for killing. Oh, there are other reasons...So? And 10 people killed one man. Maybe no need to hang 10 people, only one for one? The questioning and doubts cast sound pretty sick.

A new kind of BTO Factory

When the human race begins to lose its sentimental and emotional attachments, the bonds of human relationship will gradually disappear and replace by fads of fancy. Keeping pets and treating them as dear family members are catching on around the world. People choose to shower attention, money and tender loving care to animals than to other human beans. Family as an institution is losing its grip and breaking down in some societies. Instead of dogs and cats, human pets may become a bigger attraction in times to come. With the advancement in medical science and cloning, it is quite possible to determine exactly what a new child will be, or at least look a like in the future. BTO Factories could sprout up in the not too distance future to produce babies according to the demands of the owners. Babies To Order could become a flourishing commercial activity to add to the Bride to Order biz. People can walk into such a factory and order a Lady Gaga, Harry Porter, Rudh Khan, a Sammi Cheng or a Bruce Lee off the shelf. Or they could put in their own specifications of height, colour, sex etc etc. By the time we reach this stage of human race development, no one will bother about genetic purity or lineage. Anything that fancies will do. And there will be no angst of IVF mix-up kids too. And there would not be any affinity or attachment to race. All will belong to the human race and the human family. Maybe family will no longer exist in the human vocabulary.

Brave Japanese will fight!

The militant right wing Japanese are shouting, ‘Brave Japanese will fight. Proud Japanese will fight’. And they are denouncing Naoto Kan for releasing the Chinese fishing boat captain as crumbling under China’s pressure. I really like to see Japan declaring war on China today. It will be a spectacle to watch the brave samurais wielding their Japanese swords against the Chinese broad swords. Today, the match can be very interesting. In the last century it was tanks, big guns and aircraft against bows and arrows and spears. Not anymore. Go brave Japanese, go. Banzai! Banzai! Show the world the true yakuzas behind the suit and tie. And I am not the only one instigating the Japanese and try to drive their superiority complex to a crazy pitch. Read the main media today and there are at least a couple of articles castrating the Japanese govt for being weak and unable to stand up to foreign pressure. Let’s stoke the fire of war and push the Japanese to do it. And those who can profit and benefit from wars will pop champagne and celebrate.

Qantas plane crashed near Batam

Latest news flash from Reuters. No details yet. But this seems to be a deadly one.