Wake up Chinese – Serdarlah Cina

Apa lagi Cina mau was the headline of Utusan Malaysia after the GE. The shrinking support of UMNO/BN had led to angry cries by the ultras blaming the Chinese for not supporting BN. This attack on Chinese voters was refuted as not a Chinese tsunami but an urban shift of Malay and non Malay voters to PR. There was a lull as if the ultras have simmered down and things going back to normal.

Yesterday Utusan Malaysian again attacked the Chinese with another headline Serdarlah Cina and sanctioned by the collective voice of its editorial under Awang Selamat. The paper’s continued attack on the Chinese calling them greedy, ungrateful amounting to racist started last week. This is an indication that the moderates of UMNO and Najib are losing ground and the ultras are now calling the shot and setting the agenda, a dangerous trend for Malaysian politics. And Mahathir apparently is in charge.

Last week Mahathir wrote in his blog that the Chinese are racists for not voting for the UMNO, MCA, MIC Kongsi, the BN. Only by voting for this BN Kongsi would the Chinese be seen as not racists. He does not question whether the policies of this Kongsi is racist or non racist.

The Malaysian Chinese actually voted for another Kongsi with two Malay majority parties, the Keadilan and PAS. Why are they called racists by voting for a Kongsi that is 2/3 Malay majority? Shouldn’t they be accused of voting for a more Malay party? In this sense they are racists by voting for more Malay leaders.

In terms of policies, the PKR is in many ways more multi racial than UMNO with its Malay Ketuanan policies. So who is the real racist? This looks like a case of the racists accusing the innocents of being racists. And if Najib fails to take control of the situation, Malaysia may be heading to a road for more turmoil.

The Wake up Chinese call is quite appropriate in another way. The Chinese are political naïve and condescending, thinking that others in power will be kind and generous to them. In a way this can be seen down south when foreigners are being brought in in great numbers and thinking that foreigners are benign and will be fair when the original Singaporeans become a minority. This naivity will have serious consequences when foreigners become a majority and assume power in the future, just like what is happening to Malaysia. Serdarlah Cina!

Fundraising through indiegogo.com

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/paintings-of-gods/

I have initiated a fund raising project at indiegogo crowd funding site above. You are most welcomed to contribute to my project to promote this new mixed media art form of mine. You can do so by being a contributor, ie buying a painting through indiegogo or help to inform your friends about this fund raising project.

This project is not just about raising fund but to share the paintings of gods or Mother Nature to as many people as possible.

Many thanks.

Singapore: Towards deNationalisation

Singapore is a unique country that is not a country, a nation that is not a nation. While many countries have developed themselves into distinct nations with distinct people and culture, Singapore is in a reverse process. We seem to have abandoned the path most travelled by young and old nations, to build a country into a nation of people, proud of what they are, their distinct and unique culture.

Singapore is in a process of deNationalisation. We have gone through a 40 year process of nation building when the people were talked and educated about nationhood, about being Singaporean, about defending the country, about us as a new people of a new nation. We were progressing quite well and could be a nation today, when the citizens are proud of what and who we are, that we are a successful and rich nation with our own people, our distinct culture and way of life.

Did we fail in this process and a new philosopher has taken the people along a new ideology of no nation, no nationals, but just an economic organisation where anyone with some merits or ability is welcomed to reside in the island? Our citizenship is given away freely, our national identity prostituted and bastardised by new residents and ever changing and evolving. Our national identity is in a constant state of flux, and we do not know where we are going or what we will become, maybe a vague idea of being international citizens, or citizens of the world, but no country?

Our national mantra, or just mantra without the adjective of national, is survival of the fittest regardless of creed, colour or country of origin. We sell our citizenship, we sell our little piece of land, we sell our strategic assets, we sell our jobs and people to foreigners with no qualms of what the consequences will be when everything is sold. The next thing we will be selling our parents and children and wives, if they make economic cents. Nationalism and citizens of a nation have lost their meanings.

Singapore is pioneering a new paradigm of deNationalisation, without borders, without citizens, everyone a resident for only one reason, economic well being. No sentiments, no emotions, no roots, everyone be proud of being a migrant and be prepared to be migrants again in someone’s country when everything is sold and gone, including their rights as citizens. Citizens that cannot contribute better than foreigners are best discarded in favour of the latter. There is no need for frivolous ideas of nationalism, patriotism, loyalty or defending the country, for there is no country or nation to defend and be loyal to. Such ideas are just silly aspirations of medieval people. Clinging on them is meaningless and has little economic values.

This deNationalisation process has been gaining momentum in recent years without much fanfare or any official pronouncement of its existence. Perhaps it is just an unconscious outcome of years of pragmatism that is stretched to become another animal of different stripes and colours. Was there an originator of this trend, or it just happens, just like the population explosion over the last 10 years and the ballooning of property prices due a grave shortage in supply and an overflow of demand? No one knows a shit how it happened or had an inkling that it is happening.

Why is there a need to call ourselves Singaporeans? ‘Sinkies’ is any time more appropriate in all aspects. The bottom line of such a philosophy is all about self and self interest above all interests. And the idea of country or nation is simply superfluous, a meaningless attachment. The next thing to be sold away will be the soldiers and all the weapons and equipment of wars when there is nothing left to defend for. DeNationalisation will eventually lead to no nation, just a corporation run and own by a few elites.

More pictures from Hong Lim

Me and a couple of friends.

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.