July 2006
Karma In The Cosmos: Singapore Gaga
So fast and furious did the system here play itself for all its worth during the pre-elections season (April, early-May), I’m too over-boggled by the shamelessness to even begin to comment. Some trivial matters, however, stuck in my head. The headline for Straits Times’ senior writer Janadas Devan’s General Election piece on May 1, 06 – “Psst. No one’s debating foreign policy.” My response to that is – why should they? Singapore is their oyster. Doesn’t anybody know Singapore uber alles? Okay, you feel it but never say it. That’s good enough for me. Narrow perception for a nationalistic cause… why, that’s brilliant! Keep it up.
Opposition party leader Chee Soon Juan being sued by our two big masters, for alleging that they are corrupt with regards to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF)’s misuse of funds, is almost an election-given. But the printer, who printed the Singapore Democratic Party newsletter for Chee, was also served a letter of ‘demand’! Scary? No reason for paranoia in Singapore? I’ll try to kid myself better. Our PM warned – “the political process is unfair”… Now, big guys playing dirty is one thing, but how do politicians feel about being called petty?
As for the alleged corruption… .How can our masters be called corrupt when they reacted to investigate the misdeed? As for the national watchdog (governing charity organizations like the NKF) being accountable….. The master already said “We should understand the circumstances the NKF worked under before we throw stones.” Can I just say that for sure, whatever oversight/blunder the watchdog committed must have been an ‘honest mistake’! Don’t stupid Singaporeans know that? Why is Chee digging his own grave? He should understand that the world is never fair but our government always is! (Even if truths be halved, but that’s notwithstanding, of course!)
Miss Tan Sai Siong may righteously punch the air and say “Accountability Is A Real Issue” in Today newspaper (May 2), but we surely know there are many facets of accountability in Singapore (while our PM may add, for that matter in the world). So, let’s not further halve half-truths.
“Dominant PAP is what makes S’pore succeed: PM” – the big headline on ST, May 4. That is soooo true. Who better to think about money, fame and power than Singapore’s ruling party like it’s done these 40 years? Do we REALLY know any other dominant party anyway? There’s only ONE choice when it comes right down to it, and in more ways than one too! One-look, one-style, one-choice nation, now and forever. Be not afraid to think it, simply fall in line. Step(ford) right up! Wasn’t it Richard HELL who sang “I believe in the BLANK generation”? Singaporeans “can take it or leave it” each time too. They just throw their angst-heavy weight on each other, lor. I’m truly loving the culture of it all. It goes hand in hand with my post-modern sense of individualistic beauty. One’s beauty can simply stand out by not joining the hoi polloi-uglies all around. Keep it up, y’all. Make me feel more beautiful BY THE DAY!
And then, just the day before the big GE, the ST big front-page headline was “PM refocuses poll on S’pore’s future” (May 5), with, of course, a big pic of our PM meeting his supporters. Eh, it’s contest time, leh, how come just focus on one contestant on front page, hah? Just wondering, y’know, in that ‘Singapore Gaga’ way!
The PM also talked about ‘fixing’ the opposition and how problematic it is if the opposition number rises. Depending on whose side you’re on, you can sure read into the use of the word ‘fix’. Methinks the James Gomez issue is a distracting farce. This, I’ll say, real opposition always gets sued. Grin-grin.
Not to my surprise and to my great delight, the ruling party PAP emerged the winner again! My siow friend’s comment was: “With all that press and TV hype on overdrive, but lip-service coverage on opposition parties, the PAP won only 66.6% of votes? I thought first class must be 75% or higher? That’s what I was taught in school anyway.” I did tell him not to nit-pick, cos in Singapore, there’s fairness and there’s fairness. For three days from the polling day, the front-age headline of the ST had something to do with ‘strong mandate’. It’s like a beautiful mantra. Say it often enough, gee, we could all believe it! Strong at 66.6! What devilish strength!
Oh, that number of the beast. Rock on, Iron Maiden, or Danzig, or whatever. Karma in the cosmos, already!
In that same day’s Life! Mailbag, a Dr. Gabriel Oon Chong Jin called for our Board of Film Censors and the Media Development Authority to seek the views of religious leaders before showing the movie The Da Vinci Code, as the story apparently distorts Christian truths. Aiyah, ten or even six years ago, Big Brother would have already banned the film for us Singaporeans already, no need for you to say. But nowadays, we have economically hip-&-funky issues to contend with, besides having DVDs and the Internet! Of course, we are ever so cautious about religious issues but just think – a ban like this could set us back ten years in being ‘open’ apart from, how shall we put it, the issue of being economically challenged. If we can tell the Lord to take a hike over the casino issue (“it’s NOT a religious issue”), banning a mere Tom Hanks film is a piece of cake. But surely, we have to deliberate about our, y’know, ‘global standing’ on such a ‘commercial’ project. What if the US free-trade pact thinks we’re narrow-minded about the film? Have you, Dr. Oon, thought about such crucial modern Singapore issues?
Coming back to the post-election headlines… There was one that said “Non-PAP voters ‘still pro-S’pore’ (the deputy PM said)” (ST, May 8). It points out a general assumption that to be pro-Singapore, you have to be pro-PAP. Fabulous. Keep it up. I so love it! Karma in the cosmos leaking. Jul, 06
