FreeMyInternet Protest at Hong Lim

The protest organised by TOC got on to a slow start. At 4pm when I arrived, there were about 200 to 300 people around. This was what many had expected for this event. As the clock ticked away, more and more people streamed in and to my pleasant surprise, there were around 2,000 people at the Park. And we had a bright sunny day as contrast to the earlier two protests that were wet and all umbrellas.

Amazing, and more amazing, many were of the younger set, and several of the speakers too were from the younger generation. This is most encouraging, seeing the young people showing more interests in how this country should move forward.  Below are some photos taken at Hong Lim that will give a better description of what happened there this afternoon.

PS. I left a bit early as my legs were weakening after two hours of standing and walking around. And I missed a few speakers at the end, including the one from Leong Sze Hian. Just listen to the youtube. Quite interesting.

Andrew Loh of PublicHouse, the MC for the event.

Ravi Philemon, one of the speakers

Richard Wan of TRE

Roy Ngerng from the HeartTruth

Choo Zheng Xi from TOC, a promising young lawyer

I missed out his name. Was it Rafi? He spoke in Malay and English.

Dow up 207 points

Dow was up 207 points while most European bourses rallied. And the whole of last week all the bourses, including Asian bourses were sold down to recent lows amidst fear of an economic Armageddon. Fed is cutting down on buying bonds and a financial crisis is over the horizon, all the funds are selling and getting out of equities.

In Singapore, all the gains in the last 6 months were wiped out in less than two weeks. What the hell is going on? Everything is like doomsday! Fear is everywhere.

And Dow rallied, Europe rallied yesterday as if everything is fine, the sun is shining again. The fundamentals were wrong for a week and right overnight with nothing changes. Asian bourses would follow and rally on Monday.

Who do you think is benefiting from the swing? Who is wiser or smarter?

A govt that does not need to listen to the people

There is another protest gearing up this evening at the Hong Lim Park at 4pm. This time the issue is about freedom of expression that is seen as being threatened by the new regulations on social media sites. Though the Govt in the name of two ministers have spoken to assure the netizens that there is nothing to it, that the Govt has no intent to gag the internet community, no one believes it to be so except for a few you know who. The fact that the new regulation is so loosely drafted to cover everything under the sky, the fear is there that it can always be used to clamp down on bloggers at the most critical time when needed.

So the bloggers and the internet community are up in arms, calling for a protest in Hong Lim, the safest little corner in Singapore where one can think he is safe from harassment and can speak freely, even against the Govt. Many speakers have been lined up to express their misgivings. So what? What will be the likely outcome?

From the experience of the two recent protests against the unpopular and unacceptable Population White Paper, the ending will be just the same. You can have 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 people turning up, nothing will come out of it. You can have another 10 protests, nothing will change. When the Govt has made up its mind on what it wants to do, that is final. The fate of a 6.9m population is closed. And the fate of this new regulation is just as good as closed.

A minister, Swee Say, even proudly commented that when the Govt decided that something is right it will just do it, and they will even acted like deaf frogs. They will ignore the noises, especially from the lunatic fringe, and do what is right. And the Govt is absolutely confident that the noise will subside after a few dins. And the Govt knows for sure that it will be re elected in the next GE come what may. This is the precedent being set, the way the electorate will behave and it will not change.

This is a Govt that knows the people very well. There are many grievances and unhappiness among the people caused by Govt policies. But comes election time, it will all be the same over and over again. This Govt knows that it does not need to listen to the people and knows what is best for the people and the results will show.

The day when this Govt listens to the people will be the day it loses power. That would be the day when it no longer has all the right solutions from all the super talents in the ranks and has to accept the insane suggestions and views of the daft Singaporeans. For the time being, the Singaporeans can go protest and protest, for a little fun and letting off a little steam on the generosity of the Govt.

The awakening of a sophisticated electorate

As everyday passes by, the age of the ignorance and the illiterate, our parents and grand parents, is fading away. The literacy rate of Singaporeans is among the highest in the world and the presumption that they are still as dumb as their parents and grand parents is not going to hold anymore. The two by elections and the Presidential Election must be open the eyes of many that things are not the same as before. Thinking and treating the Singaporeans as daft will have a very high price to pay.

The AIM case must have a logical and honest closure that is seen as proper and correct. There is no running away from it by sweeping it under the carpet or by some unacceptable reasoning. No, the people will not buy it. It is best to come clean and give the people a proper answer that the people are expecting.

And the licensing of the social media is coming in swiftly in a manner that is amazingly naïve, thinking that it can still be done, presuming the people to be daft and dumb. No, the people will not accept it anymore and will take it badly.

More daft and dumb policies assuming that the electorate is daft and dumb will have very serious consequences. It only explains and confirms who is really daft and dumb, refusing to understand and accept the new reality of an intelligent and politically sensitive and discerning people. The people have upgraded their intellect and the govt must upgrade its intellect as well. What we are seeing is a mismatch, a growing divide between the growing intellect of the citizens and the declining intellect of the govt.

Believe me, this is the truth. Failing to notice this, refusing to acknowledge this new development and living in the past is not going to be a viable political option. It is a losing position to adopt. Time to face the unpleasant truth. Time to take stock of the unavoidable truth. 

The perversion of Nationhood

A state cannot exist without citizens. A state is created by the citizen as a protective umbrella for the common good of a collective citizenry. A state and its citizenry co exist in a symbiotic relationship. One cannot exist without the other. A people without a state become stateless. A country without a citizenry is waiting to be taken over, or a loose or disorganized state will soon be taken over.

The role of a govt is an intermediary between the citizens and the state. A govt in a democratic state is voted by the people as a caretaker of the state and to promote the interests of the citizens. Promoting the interests of residents or non citizens is incidental and can only be pursued by the good grace of the citizens, on the generosity of the citizens. A govt that usurped the power given to it by the people to take care of non citizens and neglect the interests and rights of the citizens has no reason to exist or be supported by the citizens.

Permanent Residents are not citizens and owe no loyalty or responsibility to the state but to themselves. They are fair weather residents and will move to greener pasture when things are not favourable to them. They have no right to vote and be represented in Parliament. They cannot enjoy the same privileges as citizens. Period.

Non residents or transient workers have even lesser rights than PRs. It is pure stupidity to allow non residents and PRs to have the same opportunities in all things, especially in employment opportunities. There could be exceptions for those who are here to contribute extraordinarily to the country and people. Such people, like the tycoons, may even get special privileges in some areas to make their stay worthwhile but not to compromise the well beings of the citizens. One glaring problem is the buying up of properties and high property prices.

Top talents in their respective fields, not joker talents dressed up as talents, can also be welcomed and bestowed with certain privileges. This group is unlikely to be more than 1 or 2% of the foreigners here. The rest are here to benefit themselves more than the state and better enjoy their time here and the hospitality of the state and people, and not to exploit the people.

Discrimination by foreigners against the citizens must be made a crime. It has no place in the country. The govt of the people, by the people must be for the people, must be there to protect the people in its own territory. Neglecting this principle cannot be tolerated. When a govt sees it its responsibility to care more for the foreigners than its citizens, it is a dereliction of duty to the citizens, a perversion of nationhood.