Unfortunately, I cannot agree with your statement that
Singapore is not a democratic society - as this
Singaporean society yearns for democracy, which LKY aka PAP
has turned Singapore into a non-democratic
country.
The seemingly democratic practices that are seen to
operate, are kept to satisfy the Singaporean yearnings but the
manner in which the practices are allowed to exist - have
all been modified to suit LKY's plans to perpetuate himself
and his PAP to be in control into infinity.
This is the cause for the existing belief that "there is
never fair play in politics".
Why should this be the case when Meritocracy is supposed to be
fair practice ?
Are those who claimed to be the Meritocratic Elites so
vulnerable of their position that they cannot be confident of
winning by fair play ?
Under such circumstances, how should we view
the meritocratic qualities that are supposed to be
characteristic of the Singaporean Elites in Government ?
Yes, the Pledge is more then being a beautiful piece
of writing by S Rajaratnam as it was written in 1966
- after Singapore politicians lost the
internal battle with the UMNO Ultras, who insist on
politics based on the exclusivity of the Bumiputras over all
others.
The Pledge was written by S Rajaratnam in the aftermath of
Singapore being kicked out of Malaysia, amidst the uncertain
future that LKY had no clue for, and while he had to recover
at a Changi Chalet from his shocked disappointment - the
Singapore Government was held together by Dr Toh Chin Chye, Dr
Goh Keng Swee and the dear S Rajaratnam.
The Pledge was written to show the way forward for
Singapore to build a multi-racial society in contrast to
the skewed UMNO politics of Bumiputra dominance in all spheres
of political, economic, educational, social and cultural life in
Malaysia - which Singapore had objected and led to the events of 9
August 1965.
The Pledge was NOT written in response to the riots of the
1950s or the 1960s - as these were NOT racially motivated riots
that had sparked from deep seated racial animosities between
different races or communities.
The Mariah
Hertogh incident(*1) was a politcal issue between the
Malays and the Colonial Government a.k.a the over
domineering Colonial European Community in Singapore.
(Read the full detail in my response on Page 4 - 22 Aug '09
7.44AM).
While the 1964
Racial Riots in Singapore (*2) that
occurred on two occassions - in the month of July and
September - the breakout of racial riots was
intentionally instigated by those whom LKY had accused to be the
ULTRAS in UMNO, and the Malaysian Prime Minister said that it
was instigated by Indonesian provocateurs and Communist
elements out to destroy Malaysia.
The truth was that UMNO ULTRAS was determined
to remove or weaken the PAP's political grip on Singapore by
creating incidences to allow direct Federal Rule.
The Pledge was Singapore's answer to move forward to build a
"Democratic Society based on Justice and Equality, regardless
of race, language or religion".
Can the Pledge be an Aspiration that Singaporeans solemnly swear
to achieve, or are the words in The Pledge containing the IDEALS
that Singapore believed in so sincerely for the last 44 years, to
pledge ourselves daily that we MUST ACHIEVE ?
What is your understanding between “an
Aspiration(*1)” and “an
Ideal(*2)” ?
If one is to question the basic fabric of the Pledge, is
there any basis for us to use the Pledge to build a new Singapore
from the disastrous beginning on 9 August 1965 ?
If one is to question the relevance of the content of the
Pledge to our existing society - one will
be questioning the basic tenets of the Pledge that is
embodied in the simple words used :-
"Democratic Society
based on Justice and Equality, regardless of race, language or
religion".
In the typically skewed style of LKY's self-serving arguments -
he narrowed his speech to EQUALITY of Race and avoid
addressing the essence of the speech by NMP Viswa Sadasivan.
While you have narrowed your preferred argument to
"equality in the
distribution of limited resources".
Do you have any understanding to the original intent
of the carefully chosen simple words in The Pledge - that
was crafted from the ruins of a political disaster that shocked
everyone in Singapore on 9 August 1965 ?
Do you know the main essence in the
maiden speech by NMP Viswa Sadasivan in the Singapore Parliament on
18 August 2009 (*3) ?
Did his speech make any particular reference to a single part of
the Pledge or was his speech intending for the PAP Government to
fulfill the Pledge which they have also taken to build a
truly "Democratic Society
based on Justice and Equality" ?
One can surely see that if the PAP is to believe in the Pledge,
and fulfill the main essence of the pledge to build a
"Democratic Singapore based on
Justice and Equality" - for everyone, every
politician, every Singaporean - then LKY and his PAP
will have alot more hard work to retain legitimacy in
their continued control of politics in Singapore.
In the present circumstances - when Justice is dispensed
differently for commercial issues and for political issues
involving members from the Alternative Politial Parties, and when
Equality is based on meritocracy as decided by LKY and his cronies,
and when real Democracy will undermine the present
undemocratic practices in the PAP control over evey aspect of
political, cultural, social and economic life in Singapore - then
one can see the fears and nightmare scenarios that LKY is
determined to conjure so as to maintain his continued grip on the
fortunes of Singapore.
Pragmatism require one efforts to be modified according to the
circumstances encountered.
Aspirations are desires that one wish to have or achieve but
will be subject again to the circumstances encountered that may
require modification,
Idealism are goals that are meant to be achieved
despite all odds, if these cannot be achieved today, they will
be achieved someday, somehow - but the efforts must be seen to be
made in some ways.
This effort to achieve the goals is then solemnly sworn to
be done.
These goals are the spiritual embodiment of the Pledge that
Singaporeans take so solemnly on the most significant day of the
National Calendar on 9 August every year.
Can these spiritual embodiment be taken to be mere aspirations
?
Huh?? Singapore no democracy meh,..u democrazy liao ar??
Every demorcratic society plays a different roles in governing
their own country, but the basic remain that you got the rights to
votes, the rights to leave, the rights to stay, the rights to excel
and the rights to opportunties. Same goes to communism, china dun
govern the same way as Russia, Cuba and N korea, but all of
them dun have the rights to votes.
The pledge remain us of how fragile our racial society can be,
it is a national pledge, of course, if someone wanted to changed
it, he can voice it out, sit down and talk it over. We all pledge
it in our school days in and out, but usually i just blah blah
blah..same goes to the teachers behind me,..nearly wanted to sleep
already. As a nation pledge, we must not take it on a
political ground to argue, this is not about PAP or SDP or those
small opposition parties being in function just for the sake of
functioning. Please let it be clear in our mind, that involving
govt with the pledge is totally out of the scope