TR EMERITUS

By Eugene Yeo, Consultant Editor [In this two part series, Eugene Yeo writes about the two chief limiting factors of Singapore's success: the growth-at-all cost economic policy and an unthinking, unquestioning, subservient citizenry] MM Lee has always emphasized to the West that Singapore is a "Confucian" society, whose embodied values enabled us to build a stable, prosperous and successful country in the span of four decades. Confucianism can be considered as a teaching, a philosophy or as a form of governance based on the teachings of the ancient Chinese sage, Confucius. What exactly is Confucianism and how does it manifest in our society? Before we begin, let us examine the background of the founder himself and its subsequent development in China's history. Confucius was born in 551 BC in or near the city of Qufu in modern day Shandong province in China during the Spring and Autumn period which is marked by great social upheavals and endless warfare in China. Technically speaking, China was still ruled thenby a King under the Zhou dynasty, founded in 1045B.C. by King Wen (Zhou Wen Wang) and his son King Wu (Zhou Wu Wang) who conquered the preceding Shang dynasty. After more than 500 years, the Zhou dynasty fell into disarray and split into over a hundred feudal states. It existed in name only. Confucious advocated a return to the Zhou rituals (Zhou Li) in order to build a stable, harmonious and prosperous state. His philosophy emphasized personal and government morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and stability. According to Confucius, society will only be peaceful and stable if the order of hierarchical relationships between the King and officials, the government the people, father and son are maintained and upheld. Therefore, respect to authority is a central tenet in Confucianism. One pays due respect to the elders and do not does not question their authorities. Confucius' passive doctrine did not win him any fans from the feudal lords during his time. The Qin dynasty, which united China in 221BC,  was founded on Legalism and Confucius scholars were persecuted and their treatises burnt. It was only during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty that Confucianism was formally adopted both as a philosophy and model of governance. The reason was political: the state was going to mount a protracted war against the barbarians in the north and needed a statecraft to keep the population contented, happy and obedient. Confucianism, with its emphasis on respect to authority, was an ideal philosophy to maintain social order and harmony. From the Han dynasty onwards, Confucianism became formally sponsored by the state and was integrated in the civil examinations introduced thereafter. As a political tool, Confucianism played an important role to ensure political stability especially in the early years of each new dynasty. However, it impeded the emergence of an intelligentsia, growth of capitalism and stifled creativity and innovations which explains why the industrial revolution did not come to China. Confucianism was blamed by reformers in the last years of the Qing dynasty, intellectuals of the May 4th movement and the Communists as an outdated, regressive and feudal thinking which held back China's development in the last 2,000 years. Does it make any sense for young, vibrant and dynamic country like Singapore to adopt Confucianism which has been repudiated by China, as a pillar of society? Though 'Confucianism' was never incorporated officially in our Constitution, it is omnipresent in all aspects of our society. The ruling party regarded itself as the rightful ruler and owner of Singapore, having obtained "Heaven's mandate" from repeated elections in which they steam-rolled over the feeble opposition. As MM Lee once quipped - "I am not ashamed to say that the PAP is the government of Singapore and vice versa". Citizens are expected to be obedient to the government. Political dissent is quashed. Public assemblies, rallies and speechs are outlawed. Ministers, MPs and senior civil servants followed orders from the top like robots. The people accept whatever policy shafted down their throats like a flock of sheep, without thinking or questioning. While a "strong" government coupled with a docile, if somewhat sheepish citizenry which is conducive to building a stable and harmonious society, is a winning formula in the early years of Singapore, it may no longer be that effective as a doctrine for nation-building in the future. A rigid, authoritative and "tops-down" approach is a bane to creativity and does not motivate or incentivize the citizenry to partake in nation-building and take charge of their own destiny perpetuating a nanny state to micromanage all aspects of their lives. An unthinking, unquestioning and unconcerned citizenry contented to leave the governance of their country solely in the hands of the ruling elite is the biggest challenge Singapore must face and overcome if it were to have any hopes of fulfilling its full potential and succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. We are a small nation with a population of only 4 million people. A second tier city in China like Wuxi and Dongguan has a population of easily more than 5 million. Every single Singaporean counts. We need everybody to contribute ideas to chart our future destiny instead of depending on a few scholars and bureaucrats appointed by their close ties to the ruling party. The problem with Singaporeans is that we do not think, analyze or question, which is admitted even by Prime Minister Lee himself. We accept everything the government says or does without ever questioning as if it is right all the time. The state media, has done a great disservice to Singaporeans by its relentless one-sided, unimaginative and partisan state propaganda in support of the government day in and out. If Singaporeans do not even bother to question their government, how are they going to participate in nation-building as rightful citizens of their land? The ruling party is not as omnipotent and infallible as the media has made out to be. It has made terrible blunders which it never have to pay a price for because Singaporeans simply refuse to take them to task. We are now living in a sort of pseudo-dynasty like during the early years of the Republic of China where real power is concentrated in the hands of a few and Parliament is merely a rubber-stamped institution to legitimatize the "mandate" of the ruling class. The people have no power - they are not allowed to express their dissatisfaction against their leaders openly because doing so will endanger the myth which the ruling party and its mouthpiece have so tediously built up over the years - that it is a "popular" government "elected" by the people to govern them. We are now living in a modern era and not feudal times when authority must be respected at all times. If the government is right, we should obey and follow its orders. If it is wrong, it is our right to speak up against them and disagree openly to the extent of protesting using non-violent means which is guaranteed by our Constitution under Article 14 - the freedom of speech and assembly, but is curtailed by draconian laws passed by the ruling party to further consolidate and perpetuate their political hegemony at the expense of the people's natural rights. Is it little wonder that Singapore has produced the least number of entrepreneurs, inventors and scientists compared to the other Asian Tigers? We have only one internationally renowned brand - "Creative Technology" which was founded not in Singapore, but in the United States. Our economy is dominated by state-linked companies such as Capitaland, DBS and NTUC with the backing of the state. Our Sovereign Wealth Funds - Temasek and GIC, are flushed with billions of dollars of taxpayers' monies accrued from years of budget surpluses, but are they run by the best people and are we getting value for money? These questions will forever remain unanswered unless Singaporeans dare to question and demand an answer from the government. Dissenting or opposing voices in our society are far and few because the government does not tolerate them and use whatever means they have to silence them - either through defamation lawsuits, use of the police or employing spin doctors in the media to demolish their opponents completely till they lost all shreds of credibility in the eyes of the public.  The virtual absence of an opposition in Singapore, either in Parliament or civil society, is a mortal danger to our nation. The opposition is like a mirror which the ruling party uses to see its own flaws and deficiencies. Even the dictatorial Mahathir Mohamad acknowledges the role of an opposition in society. Without an opposing voice and surrounded by yes-men, the leaders will never be able to find out their faults and worse still, be taken in by their own propaganda to believe that they are perfect. As the Chinese saying goes: "Zhong1 Yan2 Ni3 Er3" - loyal and sincere words are often sound unpleasant to the ear. In Singapore where dissent is miscontrused as anathema to the security and stability of the state and against "public interest", alternative voices contrary to the establishment's point of view must be dressed in palatable hypoboles before they can be voiced out through mainstream or proper channels where they are frequently disregarded and ignored by the authorities due to the lack of impact and most importantly, a real "punch". It is not a coincidence that the most prosperous periods in China's history are during those when the court censors were dominant and the Emperor was receptive to criticism as during the reign of Tang dynasty's Emperor Taizhong, Ming's Emperor Chengzhu and Qing's Emperor Kangxi and the decadent years of each dynasty was ruled by Emperors surrounded by sycopants, villians and traitors. An unthinking, unquestioning and unmotivated citizenry serves the interest of the ruling party because it makes governance so much easier. There is little accounting to do, mistakes can be swept easily under the carpet and forgotten and there is no opposition to one's initiatives and policies. However, in the long run, the entire nation will be poorer as a whole due to a dearth of fresh ideas and talents to join the government. Thinkers, visionaries and inventors will not thrive in such an oppressive environment like ours where alternative views to the establishment are quickly censored with the originator reprimanded or even punished by the law. How can the government expect citizens to contribute to the nation when they are expected to be right all the time? The overwhelming dominance of the ruling party in all aspects of life is one reason why talented Singaporeans are leaving the nation in droves. More than 50% of young Singaporeans have expressed a desire to emigrate elsewhere while 70% of students studying overseas do not return. We are suffering a serious brain drain because of the reluctance of the ruling party to accommodate diversive voices and to relax its iron-fisted rule. The solution it comes up with to replace departing Singaporeans by important immigrants from other countries is only a short gap measure which does not solve the root of the problem. In fact, it may even exacerbate the problem as the rapid influx of foreigners are changing the nation's demographics radically to such an extent that many native Singaporeans do not feel a sense of attachment to their land of birth anymore. What does the ruling party want exactly? If it wants only unthinking sheep just to fill up the numbers, then anybody will do. If it really wants to strengthen the nation, then it has no choice but to liberalize the political landscape and return power to the people to stem the tide of migration and to attract real foreign talent to take up our citizenship. The 'Albert Einsteins', 'Benjamin Franklins' and 'Thomas Edisons' are not coming to Singapore because there is no academic or political freedom here. We are getting second-class immigrants and not the creme la crop whose preferred destinations are the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Based on the current situation right now, we may soon have a mediocre citizenry ruled by a mediocre government which continues to employ the state apparatus to control the population in the name of maintaining social stability and security. The few talented Singaporeans we have in our midst are kept out of the government either because they are not keen to be mere subordinates to the ruling elites or their views are too radical to be co-opted. In order to survive, our political system must change to become liberal, fair and balanced like the United States instead of an unchanging monolithic one-party state like China. The United States remained the primary destination for migrants today and not China whose repressive regime is leading to a brain drain as many Chinese left for greener pastures elsewhere but China can afford to lose people because it has a large population of over one billion, but not puny Singapore where every single citizen counts. The ruling party and the state media have always compared Singaporeans unfavorably with new citizens protraying the former as an ungrateful lot while lavishing generous praise on the latter as being appreciative and easily contented. An immigrant growing up and coming from a rural village in China or India will surely find Singapore a paradise to live in. Being unfamiliar with Singapore's history, politics and society, most felt a sense of gratitude to the ruling party for granting them citizenship in the first place. However, are these new citizens, many of whom do not have an understanding of Singapore's unique culture and values, ready to assume the ownership of the country in a time of crisis or will they flock back to their land of birth? An unthinking and unquestioning "Confucian" society is Singapore's major stumbling block in our quest to become an established first world nation and economic powerhouse in Asia. The onus lies in the ruling party to relinquish its monopoly on power and allow unbridled participation of citizens from all walks of life across the political divide, be it left, right or center. The media must be liberalized to become more free, unfettered and independent to be given the space to criticize government leaders and policies instead of being the unofficial "Petir" of the ruling party. While no paper can be truly fair and balanced, having a myraid of competing views and allowing the people to judge for themselves will serve to raise their political awareness and maturity. Singapore has produced enough bureaucrats, technocrats and functionaries. What we truly miss and need is a thinker, a visionary and a leader even if he/she is a "rebel" and does not conform to the mainstream ethos of society for how can we ever progress as a nation if we remain stuck forever in our comfort zone dominated by a nanny state which is still under the control of its founder? But first, we must dare to think out of the box, question authority and go against conventions in order to unleash our potential to the fullest. We can be the Venice or Malta of Europe. The choice is ours.   Other articles by Eugene Yeo: >> Do we know the real meaning behind the words of the National Pledge? >> Debunking the “constructive opposition” illusion >> How Singapore manage to lose its opposition over the years  Read More →

From our Correspondent Singapore has awarded the Malaysian Special Branch Chief Datuk Seri Haji Ramli the "Meritorious Service Medal" for his role in "promoting closer ties between his team and Singapore's Internal Security Department." The investiture ceremony was attended by guests from the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore, the MSB and Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs and its departments. Ramli was credited with the MSB to investigate and capture Singapore JI leader Mas Selamat Kastari, who had escaped from custody here last year. The escape of Mas Selamat Kasteri from the Whitney Detention Centre in February 2008 was a cause of major embarrassment to Singapore leaders, in particular, Home Affairs Minister Mr Wong Kang Seng. The Singapore government heaved a great sigh of relief when Mas Selamat was captured by the Malaysian police in Skudai, Johor, this year. State media Straits Times tried to claim false credit for the Singapore Home Team when it reported that reported that “intelligence leads provided by Singapore’s ISD late last year played a key role leading to the arrest.” [source: Straits Times] This was debunked immediately by the Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Datuk Hishammudin Datuk Hishamudin Hussien who attributed his team’s success to the assistance given by the Indonesian authorities: “Our ties with Indonesia are very strong and without Indonesia’s cooperation, I do not think we were able to make the arrest after his escape from Singapore.” [source: NST] It was subsequently revealed by the Malaysians that Mas Selamat made the escape to Johor by swimming across the Straits of Johor 4 days after he fled WDC. In spite of frequent patrols along the Singapore coast, he was not spotted. Mr Wong Kan Seng was initially hopeful that Mas Selamat will be returned to Singapore: ‘The Malaysian authorities want to interview him, and in good time he will be returned to Singapore…..When Mas Selamat is returned to Singapore, he will be sent back to Whitley Road Detention Centre“, Mr Wong said. [source: Straits Times] However, he was detained by Malaysia under their own Internal Security Act at Kamunting camp, Perak for two years.   Related articles: >> Malaysians undecided on repatriation of Mas Selamat >> Was Mas Selamat caught sleeping or did he put up a struggle?  Read More →

From our Correspondent There were fewer bookings for National Day dinner this year according to a CNA report. Some catering companies said they usually cater up to 1,500 tables each National Day. But this year they have recorded a 5 to 10 per cent drop in business, as fewer customers placed reservations. A yearly fixture, the National Day dinners are held in open fields for residents from all constituencies in Singapore. Diners usually pay between $20 to $25 per head for a standard 8 course Chinese dinner which is usually graced by the MP. Besides the lower turnout this year, the number of national flags hung by Singaporeans are also obviously lesser. RC volunteers have to decorate the flats themselves in some cases to lessen the embarrassment to their MP. In spite of the million dollars spent in the National Day Parade and sprucing up the neighborhoods with banners, aided by a publicity blitz by the state media, few Singaporeans are genuinely in a 'celebratory' mood. The real sentiment on the ground is reflected in online postings in cyberspace which are never reported in the mainstream media.  Read More →