The Strange Disappearance of The Men-in-White

by MIKOspace

As long as I could remember as a little boy, they were always there.  One or two of them would come to our house almost every week to talk to my dad, and neighbours.  They asked him what issues he might have regarding anything really.  Whatever my dad raised, they would promise to do something about it and come back to him with some answers. They always returned. Most times, my dad seemed quite happy with whatever actions reportedly taken. 

I grew up accustomed to see them around the community. On some occasions, they would wear their all-white signature shirts and pants, or skirts for the ladies.  Later, a book would be written about these Men-in-White, or MIW, who belong to the People’s Action Party (PAP) who has formed the government of Singapore over the past 55 years since 1959.  

Just over a week ago on 23 March 2015, MM Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister (1965-1990) and the Founder of modern Singapore passed away at the age of 91 years old.  During the following National Mourning Week (23-29 March), I did not see any MIW.  Indeed, where did the MIW go as the nation engulfed in sorrow and grief?  He was one of the Founders of the PAP, and the longest-serving Secretary-General of the Party of MIWs; their Grandmaster, their Paramount Leader, their Mentor, Advisor and General of Generals who led the MIWs from victory to victory at every general election battle after battle over the past 50 years!

Did the MIWs scatter upon the death of their first leader Lee Kuan Yew?  Lee’s son, Hsien Loong, is now the 3^rd Prime Minister, after PM Goh Chok Tong.  Were the MIWs so devastated by the loss of MM Lee that they became dissipated, disorganised and disappeared?

   

I decided to investigate the strange disappearance last week of the ubiquitous Men-in-White members of the PAP rank and file.  Here’s the Report of the purportedly missing MIW.   

The first discovery was that the MIW did not disappear last week during the National Mourning Week.  It was such a relief and comfort.  Yes, their PAP Branches remained opened as per their weekly schedule from Monday to Friday.  Yes, the MIW were there as usual serving the residents who came to see them.  However deep their sorrows and grief over the death of MM Lee, the MIW remembered that the weekly Meet-the-People Session (MPS) were instituted by him to connect the PAP to the people regularly.  This Mission continues relentlessly even as MM Lee rested in state at the Istana’s Sri Temasek and Parliament House later. 

The people’s issues and grievances have to be heard; their petitions to appropriate government bodies advocated, and they have to be assured of being represented, so that the masses’ confidence in the “Party of the People” be always reinforced and sustained.  For the MIW, the PAP is always there to help lift up the poor, assist in the healing of the sick and the protection of the weak.  Overall, the continuing Mission of the MIW is to assure, ensure and create the greatest benefits, the greater good, for the largest number of Singaporeans for a more secure future and better society for them, their children and their children’s children. 

During the National Mourning Week, the MIW were in fact everywhere, somewhere and anywhere the observance activities were taking place.  And then some. The MIW were there among the people queuing up to 6-10 hours along Clarke Quay, UOB Plaza, One Fullerton and the Cavenagh Bridge on Wednesday, as well as the Padang over the next 3 days.  As always, the MIW enjoy no special privileges or special shorter queue, and they also help to ferry the old and elderly as well as distribute water to the people in the queue.

No, we did not see the MIW in their customary white attires. The Men-in-White had joined common cause with the People-in-Black united in the common painful sorrow of the death of the People’s Champion.  They were indistinguishable. Dressed in common black, the MIW and people entwined in painful grief as they comfort one another to make the transition easier to bear.  The pain grew deep and unbearable as to be intolerable at times during the funeral procession on Sunday.  Together, they were one; united in loss, side-by-side as one people, facing tomorrow as one nation and reaching beyond our grasp towards realizing the fuller vision of the remarkably extraordinary man who took us on the road of no return arriving at the Metropolis which he promised, and which he has now entrusted and bequeathed to us all – MIW and people – to be One People and One Nation forever.

The Mystery solved – the MIW did not disappear last week.  Perhaps, they are always with us and never left us under any circumstances.  In times like the mourning and passing of our Father of the Nation, it is refreshing to know that MM Lee has left behind his MIW to guide and lead Singapore through whatever challenges and prospects await us.  We shall know that MM Lee is always with us, his legacies our foundation and his words of wisdom our pillars, as long as the MIW are around. 

Remembering MM Lee Kuan Yew:

Eulogy to MM LKY (with Pix)

Last Walk with MM LKY (with Pix)

Obituary 2015 – Lee Kuan Yew

A Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew

MM Lee’s Timeless Advice: “Peace & Progress in East Asia”

The World Will Miss Lee Kuan Yew

The Strange Disappearance of the Men-in-White (with Pix)

Daft Sinkies deserve to be kicked out from this island.

Below is a letter of complain against a foreigner by a daft Sinkie appearing in The Real Singapore blog.
 
‘FT TEACHER HOGS 2 RESERVED SEATS IN BUS AND IGNORES ELDERLY COMMUTERS' STARES
THEREALSINGAPORE 16 March 2015 - 9:42am
 
This PR lady was infront of me in the line queueing for the feeder service which plys 10 bus stops around my estate. First when i stood behind her she gave me a very dirty stare like i had done something bad to her. I turned away.. immediately she took her phone started dialling and i guess the other party answered... she started reprimanding the person with her very heavy accent and was giving instuctions to run a class.’
 
I take issue with this good for nothing daft Sinkie not because he shied away when confronted by a nasty stare when he did not do anything. I take issue not because he did not do anything about the ugly situation in front of him. I take issue not because he acted like a lame duck, afraid to defend what is right or wrong. I take issue not because he thought it was a brave thing to complain in the net and not deal with the matter there and then.
 
I take issue because he cannot tell the difference between a lady and a bitch. He called a bitch a lady! For goodness sake, he is so stupid. With this kind of useless Sinkies around, this island would eventually be taken over by foreigners and bitches.
What is happening to the once proud Singaporeans who built and own this island? Do they have to behave like pariahs, like aliens in their own country and be allowed to be bullied by foreigners and got frightened by a hostile stare of a foreigner?
 
God, please get rid of all the useless daft Sinkies. They don’t deserve to be citizens of this island. Wait a minute, they have given it up by default and allowing the foreigners to stake a claim on this island as theirs. It is only a matter of time before they become boat people, chased out by foreigners from a country they no longer think is theirs.
 
My message to all the daft Sinkies, if you are afraid to defend your rights and ownership as citizens of your country, if you don’t defend your rights to be citizens of your country, you will lose your rights to be a citizen of your country and you will lose your country.
 
Stop behaving like foreigners. Defend your birth rights to this country your Ah Kong and Ah Mahs fought and built for you.

Protecting LKY’s legacies

There have been many comments about the need to protect the legacies of LKY. The issue is not so simple as it seems to be. Many of LKY’s policies are good, but there are bad and ugly policies as well. People should not blindly accept everything as they are but be discerning, like in all political and economic philosophies, only pick out the good and reject the bad and unworthy legacies. No, all are good? Please lah.
 
We can discuss about the legacies and shift out those that are not wanted today. For the moment let’s look at the most important legacies of LKY, the most enduring and endearing policies that he had left behind, that led to the show of respect during his funeral, and should be preserved not only to respect him but for the good of Singaporeans. The phrase, ‘for the good of Singaporeans’ must not be spouted freely to deceive the people by the asses.
 
LKY’s biggest contribution to the people of Singapore is the founding of this independent city state. But he did not stop there. He had emphasized in many of his speeches that this island is for Singaporeans, for the good of Singaporeans, better education, better homes and better jobs. Beware of those that are so ready to hand over pink ICs to foreigners and call them Singaporeans. Be careful of their real intent.
 
And as far as leadership is concerned LKY specifically said that political leadership must be in the hands of Singaporeans and not any silly Singaporeans. The Singaporeans to be recruited into political leadership and the govt must be instinctively Singaporeans, always be thinking of the interests of Singaporeans. On this point you can simply pick out the fakes and pretenders who uttered they are for Singaporeans whenever they opened their mouths.
 
What should we do with people who are out to dismantle LKY’s legacies, to turn his policies upside down? We have seen many policies that are anti Singaporeans, pro foreigners, allowing foreigners to assume political, commercial and social leadership. We have policies that favour foreigners in housing and good jobs to the detriments of Singaporeans. And these were done while LKY was still alive. Now that he is gone, these people who claimed to be for Singaporeans but systematically and consistently dismantling LKY’s legacies will be even more callous. Make no mistake about it, giving a foreigner a pink IC does not make him a Singaporeans in the definition of LKY and in the eyes of true blue Singaporeans. See how they bring in their own kinds here at the expense of Singaporeans! A Singaporean is dedicated to the well being and interests of Singaporeans by instinct. How many Singaporeans in leadership position qualify to be instinctive Singaporeans and really thinking for the good of Singaporeans? Hear them spout their nonsense about bringing in more foreigners. See them instinctively go around the world to find foreigners to replace Singaporeans in top jobs and you will know who they are and their instinct.
 
What shall we do to these ‘Singaporeans’ that are destroying the legacies of LKY? Now who is calling for the protection and preservation of LKY’s legacies when piece by piece is being taken down? Didn’t they know?

Amos Yee – How sick can we be?

A 16 year old, I was bowled over by his articulation and command of the language, was arrested over a self produced YouTube clip ranting about LKY with a heavy dosage of vulgarities. With 15 police reports made against him, and for the subject of his video attack, somehow a police intervention was quite expected in this uptight little city that wanted to be known as a cosmopolitan city to stand side by side with New York or London and other famous western cities.
 
Is the arrest of Amos a case of maintaining law and order? Or is it a case of throwing the book at anyone when a police report is made? Is what this young man, or an adolescent, said that serious that it would cause rioting in the streets? There are many assholes in blogs that uttered even worst comments than this Amos kid. A flutter of a butterfly in the Pacific Ocean could cause a storm? Not every flutter will cause a storm, maybe one in a million.
 
Such a ranting is not uncommon in the internet or even in the kopitiams. So, are the police going to arrest everyone who committed this crime of ranting against somebody, against a religion, against the govt? My impression after viewing the video clip was nothing more than a young man letting go some steam maybe for some publicity. Period. It does not go any further to envisage what more harm it would bring to anyone, or to create a social and security problem. Sure some highly sensitive people would feel hurt or agitated. Remember the UOB Annual Dinner and Dance theme when some racist minded cried racism because some of the staff dressed in different ethnic gear. Would the police arrest them if there was a police report or several police reports made? If a society cannot live with such a video clip in the YouTube and demands action be taken in every such cases, I think the enforcing officer will not have time for anything else. Block the YouTube, lock down the internet. Close down all the kopitiams.
 
What kind of society do we want to live in? Do we want a society that is filled with paranoids, everyone rushing to the police station to make a police report when they feel hurt, their feather got ruffled and the police will jump to their becks and calls? And every ranting is a national security threat?
 
My recommendation. In addition to the Cardboard Police Division, have a Robocop unit to answer to such complaints and let the Robocop store it in their harddrive for perpetuity, to be forgotten. The Police are already short of manpower, let them do the important jobs than chasing after kids or whenever a highly sensitive asshole makes a report.
 
It is about time that the knuckle duster be put away for good, that our people, our children, should be treated as one of us, to be dealt with as people and not enemies of the state, to be whipped, to be put away for every little indiscretion or ranting? A 16 year old boy arrested because of a few expletives and someone’s feeling got hurt? Did anyone shout, ‘Horror, this boy is dangerous!’
 
On the other hand there was an adult who threatened to cut the boy’s prick was found to be safer and allowed to go scot free? Who is more dangerous? This adult is in the same mold as that Raymond who threatened bodily harm, and imagine that these characters are part of the power equation? This place is going to be a very dangerous place not because of boys like Amos Yee but with psychopaths behaving like above the law gangsters.
 
What do you think?

Singaporeans taught the foreigners a good lesson in social behavior

Last week as Singaporeans mourned the lost of LKY, hundreds of thousands were on the move to the many sites to pay their respects. The Padang in particular was where many congregated, forming long queues and waiting for hours, 8 to 10 hours, under the hot sun, in orderly manner, no rush, no impatience, and no litters. Yes no litters!
 
The behavior of Singaporeans was at their best in a difficult time, was exemplary, the foreigners have a lot to learn from us on how to keep a place clean after used. Now who is going to tell the foreigners that we are a very bad bunch in social etiquette, prone to disorderly behavior and littering everywhere? On record, there were no rowdy behavior, no rudeness, a lot of patience and good manners that in many places tempers would have flared. Singaporeans are a graceful and discipline lot.
 
Singaporeans have shown to the foreigners what good behavior meant, from the young children to the grandpas and grandmas, we were a very discipline people befitting of our good upbringings, our education system and our status as people from the first world.
 
No one should be allowed to go on spreading misleading myths about how bad Singaporeans are and putting the blame on Singaporeans for all the shit on the streets. Last week was an excellent example of what true blue Singaporeans were and they should be very proud of themselves for being Singaporeans.
 
Singaporeans must not allow silly people to slap them for the wrongs and misbehavior of foreigners.