TR EMERITUS

By Fang Zhi Yuan and Lim Siow Kuan In part 1 of this article, we touched on the winds of change which have blown across Peninsula Malaysia since the March 08 elections, heralding a new era in Malaysian politics. Change has come to Malaysia, but has it arrived in Singapore? If online postings are an accurate reflection on the real sentiment on the ground, there is a considerable segment of the young IT-savvy population which will form an influential voting bloc in future elections who yearns for change in the political status quo. Though Singapore is more highly wired than Malaysia's, the impact of the New Media on influencing public perception and opinion of the government is limited due to the following reasons: 1. The alternative new media is not as developed as Malaysia's. Singapore does not have a credible, widely read news daily in the mould of Malaysiakini which is run by full-time journalists. The pittance of socio-political blogs dotting Singapore New Media landscape has little muscle to fight against the mainstream media's extensive network and resources. 2. The opposition is not only fragmented, but lacks the collective will and purpose to mount a challenge to replace the incumbent. The elected opposition MPs eschew civil activism as a means to act as a catalyst of change to increase the political awareness of the electorate while resorting to breaking "unjust" laws to show how tyrannic the PAP is fails to win any meaningful mass support for their cause. 3. The political system is heavily stacked in favor of the PAP which continues to attract the best talents into its ranks. The dominance of GRCs in the electoral seats highly tip the playing field to the side which is able to field a stronger team. 4. Singaporeans are generally apathetic, disinterested and ambivalent about getting involved in politics. Even prospective PAP candidates have to be "coaxed" repeatedly to enter politics. There is little incentive or motivation for one to sacrifice time and energy to "serve" the nation. 5. In spite of all its flaws, the PAP is a relatively capable, efficient and shrewd government which is constantly in tune with the sentiment on the ground - PM Lee's latest tweak to the electoral system to allow more "alternative" voices in Parliament being a case in point. Unlike the Barisan Nasional, whose race-based policies such as the New Economic Policy (NEP) had segregated the different races in Malaysia and benefitted only a small group of well connected cronies, there are no compelling reasons for Singaporeans to vote against the PAP. The elites who are plugged into the system are contented to let the PAP run the show as long their interests are preserved. The middle class are busy making a living to move up the social ladder. Though life is tough in Singapore, everybody is given a chance to succeed, regardless of race, language or religion. The lower-income group will be struggling to fill their stomachs daily let alone think about politics. MM Lee will surely be consulting Malaysian opposition leaders to learn from their experience in engineering the March 08 political tsunami. It is certainly not a coincidence that Minister for Information, Communication and Arts Lui Tuck Yew is in the delegation as well. Though Malaysia and Singapore are similar in many aspects, the political tsunami which struck our neighbor last year is unlikely to be replicated here any time sooner simply because Singaporeans are not prepared for change. How many Singaporeans are ready for a life without the PAP? Singaporeans deserve the government they get because we lack the political awareness, maturity and determination to reform the system to return ownership of the state to the people instead of a group of self-serving political elites who are obsessed with perpetuating their hegemony. In most societies, the middle class is the kingmaker. Without support from the middle class, any attempts to change the status quo will be futile. The middle class is perennially preoccupied with their livelihoods and future. They are more concerned about progressing in their careers, moving up the social ladder, accumulating material assets, ensuring a bright future for their descendents instead of lofty values like human rights, democracy and social justice. The middle class's 'revolt' against the ruling coalition at the ballot box is not due to a sudden enlightenment or paradigm shift in their collective political consciousness towards the need of dismantling the system set up and perpetuated for 50 years since independence under the UMNO-led coalition. The Malays voted for the opposition to protest against the rampant corruption, cronyism and nepotism in the system which has benefitted only a small group of well connected elites. The Chinese want to see an end to the race-based New Economic Policy and to secure the future of their children in a land where they are increasingly marginalized. As for the Indians, their support for the BN dipped drastically as a result of the backlash against the incarceration of the HINDRAF leaders under the draconian ISA. Taken in this context, the push factors for the middle class to change the PAP's system are even weaker which explains why civil activism and disobedience do not find considerable support among the majority of the population. In the face of the a largely apathetic middle class which remains contented at the current state of affairs, it is unhighly that calls for change will gain any traction from Singaporeans. Public pressure, together with a relatively free press can serve as a useful check on the excesses of the ruling party. These are the two necessary pre-conditions for the growth and development of a mature, astute and responsible electorate who understands their rights as citizens of the state. Unless the PAP reforms itself and allow more room for genuine alternative and dissenting voices to be aired openly in society, the political tsunami which hit Malaysia last year will never find its way to Singapore.  Read More →

From The Newsroom Team Torched PAP MP Seng Han Thong said in an interview with the minor PAP mouthpiece Petir (the primary mouthpiece is SPH) that he has "moved on from the incident". (read article here)  He was referring to his personal tragedy in January 2009 when he was set on fire at a community event by a resident of his constituency. The assailant is a 70 year old Ong Kar Chua, who is now remanded at IMH due to "unsound" mind. The exact diagnosis was never revealed to the public. Ong deserves to be punished under the law for assaulting a public servant. He should be allowed to stand trial and given the opportunity to defend himself in court. Locking him away in IMH for good not only denies Ong his basic human rights under the law, but also prevents the natural course of justice. If Ong is diagnosed to be mentally "unfit" to plead, he can be treated with appropriate medications by psychiatrists at IMH till he is fit to do so. Except for schizophrenia and senile dementia, most mental disorders are treatable to a certain extent. Under the Constitution, Ong has the right to post bail and to engage a lawyer to represent him. In this case, he may be jailed for a number of years, after which he can start afressh and live as a free man for the rest of his life (assuming he doesn't die in prison). Till today, Ong is not prosecuted for his criminal assault on the MP. No charges were ever leveled at him. Ong's treatment by the authorities is reminiscent of the former Soviet Union and East Germany, where dissidents are often incarcerated for years in mental institutions at the "pleasure" of those in power.  Read More →

From The Malaysian Insider Dressed in black, the colour of protest, 200 activists sat at cafe tables quietly drinking coffee — black, of course. Bewildered, police stood outside and watched the coffee drinkers without interfering. The protest at three cafes in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, was their way around a ban on unauthorised protests. It was the latest twist in a row over the governing National Front coalition’s seizure of power in Perak state. “Police were coming down hard on us and so we used this unique way to protest and tell people to demand an election in Perak,” said Wong Chin Huat, a protest leader and academic at the city’s Monash University campus. “We managed to send the message across.” However, Sunday’s protest — which the academic called a “mild form” of civil disobedience — did not last long. Within half an hour, the managers of the cafes - outlets of the popular Old Town White Coffee chain — had ushered the protesters and other customers out the door. A spokeswoman said the three were shutting temporarily for “regular maintenance and renovations”. She said it was unfair of protesters to use the chain’s outlets for the protest. “We have loyal patrons who are unhappy with so many people suddenly appearing all wearing black, which we associate with death. This is very bad for business.” Undeterred, pro-opposition NGOs yesterday announced they would repeat the protest tomorrow — at seven Old Town outlets in the capital and Penang. The protesters, who announced the location of the protests via the social networking website Facebook, urged the coffee company not to close the outlets. “We are only drinking coffee and paying for it,” one protest leader said. “They make money, we get our message across.” This time, police will be waiting for them. “We are monitoring the targeted outlets and if necessary will arrest any person wearing black as they approach the outlets,” a police spokesman said. Source: The Malaysian Insider  Read More →