February 2007
Have You Got Your Wee-Wee Out For Nation Building, Kids?
“Public can still give feedback on Penal Code” – someone wrote in to The Straits Times (Dec 27, 06) to say. Perhaps Singaporeans inherently know that however true that may be, it doesn’t apply to codes pertaining to politics or punitive measures to eliminate true opposition party leaders. Such a sweeping statement -- “public can give feedback”. No wonder yours truly tend to make easy generalizations too. Think I’m exaggerating? A govt. official stated in Today (Dec 27, 06) in relation to accreditation of the local varsity’s accountancy program: “Strong foundation in audit and reporting critical – but not at the expense of areas such as ethics and governance”. See! And how conveniently ethics gets lumped with governance! Donch worry. Singaporeans don’t really know the difference, and even if they do, they know what’s good for them not to comment!
That same day in the ST Review page were two eye-catching headlines: “Local politics: Mind the gap” and “For our workers’ sake, leave CPF (Central Provident Fund) rates alone”. They certainly seem to be targeted not at the layman but our decision-making leaders. What? The newspaper is issuing lessons to our leaders? How preposterous is that, and what a farce! Though they seem to offer written proofs of a people-power system, the headlines must strike thinking Singaporeans as something very routine. Like most of everything in Singapore, it’s all a ‘show’. C’mon ST editors, you can do better than something soooo transparent and condescending! There are literate readers out there, y’know!
Today newspaper reported on Dec 22 that “university students can’t recognize Singapore leaders”. No worries, simply put their pictures next to some fashionable and sexy youths in Straits Times’ blogging-site Stomp, make out another $10,000 cash prize in the deal and I’m sure they’ll know their Clearasil from their hogwash in no time! That same day, Today also reported that an Australian artist named Tim Patch used his penis (sic) to paint portraits of the Aussie prime minister and an opposition leader. Whew, not in Singapore, then! Well, not to worry as well. To whip our youths into a maverick state of mind to help build Singapore into an arts hub, may I suggest that some brave young artist tries the same. Brian Gothong-Tan, have you got your wee-wee out yet?
“Stomp is free, interactive website to engage readers of the Straits Times and The Sunday Times,” The Sunday Times stated on Dec 10. “Hey beautiful on Stomp,” it added. Engage for what? Ahhh, that’s the million-dollar, no-future-leaders-paranoia question. No answer needed cos we know the answer deep in our hearts. As the Cantonese saying goes – lift up your tail, and we sho’nuff know if you’re peeing or shitting. Just that we’re ‘mouthless’!
Can you blame the folks for not knowing their (leaders or) history? History is constantly being re-written and re-interpreted. The COMPASS newsletter Clef in its Nov/Dec 2006 issue explained that local music died in the late1960s because of the advent of television. "In fact, the entire pop rock revolution died in the early 70s when television became accessible, bringing Abba and Boney M into everybody's living room." What a load of bollocks! That argument doesn’t even make sense in the first place. Ask any practicing musician back then and the answer lives. Oh, then again, they won’t be saying much now knowing what’s good for them! Besides, who’ll print them, knowing quiet sanctions will follow! My band Zircon Gov. Pawn Starz did dispense the blatant lyric: “Intolerant hypocrites/murdered rock and banned the skates/then built a park to mask the hate” (check album Follywood). Believe it, skateboarding was once banned too. Nowadays, the one park has blossomed into hundreds of parks all over heartland. Ever wondered what a government co-opted skate-scene looks like?
Now, the latest re-write of history suggests that it was the SARS crisis that enabled the system to kick-start a need for survival and loosen up by thinking of economic strategies like having an Integrated Resort and casinos; no mention of Internet empowerment and fear of no future-leaders, of course. This was in a report “Singapore changing for the better” by Liu Long Chang, printed in the ST (Jan 25, 07) that’s a translation from a Chinese report published by Sin Chew Daily in Malaysia. Sin Chew… (but of course!), and in Malaysia…! Great, we can even say an ‘outsider’ got it wrong, notwithstanding the mention of ‘democratic autocracy’ (which is now an acceptable way to label our govt., I suppose). I love it.
A Sunday Times’ Lifestyle feature screamed the big headline “Teen Spirits” on Dec 31. It’s about teens (as young as 14) consuming alcohol though the law only permits them to drink at 18. Why has this come about? The blooming club-culture, that’s why. Lest we re-write history again, let me point out a few things we inherently know but might just get lost in the shuffle, depending on what Big Brother wants us to remember.
Back in 1969, dance clubs were closed for fear of drug-culture and western decadence impeding nation-building. The death of local rock was a by-product of Big Brother’s stringent annihilation of that so-called western decadence. (Hello, you can’t even say the word ‘disco’ on the radio back then! But let’s not remember or mention that anymore!). Today, our nation is gripped with the fear of having no future leaders, so, winning over the young, along with boosting an all-important economy with its carriage of a modern clubbing lifestyle, is now top priority. That includes sparing the rod and spoiling the child, to put it bluntly. Truly, even just 10 years ago, a report about teens drinking would have sparked a public outcry for moral-enforcement. Somehow, that kind of outcry doesn’t happen anymore. You mean, the older generation suddenly decided it’s okay for teens to drink as well? C’mon, we all know what’s going on.
So, what happened to good old conservative values? Ahhh, that’s the secret of Singapore’s success, lor. When Big Brother can tell the Lord to take a hike when he’s issuing an agenda, like approving casinos! Suddenly, the good old conservative society for Asian family values conveniently takes a back seat to Big Brother’s agenda. 10 years ago, teens drinking would have been a religious issue. Today, you can smell the authorities’ mission to win over teens with their love for clubbing. Fine, but the dogmatic disapproval of, say, no discos just yesterday – argued with religious sanctimony to justify the stand – just makes the govt.’s code of ethics appear so arbitrary and dictatorial. Not that there will be any mention of the arbitrariness in the press, since those there are but ‘happy hostage’ eunuchs.
The rest of the world may marvel at Singapore’s ‘squeaky clean’ system as a nation with (so-called) no corruption. But really, why bother with corruption when we have morality at our convenience! Don’t think that applies ANYWHERE ELSE in the world, baby! -- X’ Ho
