Well Prof,
The question should be, "Can singaporean stage a protest" even a
peaceful one. You and I should know the "yes man/madam" attitude of
Singaporeans, of course you can argue that it is the govt who
brainwashed Singaporeans into this mode. But frankly speaking, abt
70% of singaporeans take the bait of the govt and stress in
return for peacefulness, harmony, work and education and most
importantly a place to bring up a family. That is the mentality of
Singapoeans today, unlike the old days, peoples needed to struggles
and were less educated to understand what violences would lead
to, so they dun mind going into protest because no protest also
die, got protest may not die so fast. There was simply less jobs,
lots of parties were at stake including the commie party.
Are you asking a question if Singaporeans can organize
one, or if the PAP Government will allow one to surface ?
Over the years, Singaporeans have the guts and the ability to
organize peaceful protests, but it has been the nervous PAP
Government that prevented any to be held unless such protests are
organized by PAP Members to serve their own political agenda.
Singaporeans can stage peaceful protests - if and when this
Government allow Singaporeans to exercise the Right in Political
Expression to have peaceful protest.
So far, this Government is worried about Singaporean's being
empowered by the Rights to such Political Expressions - as can be
seen in the pre-emptive intervention of several protests in the
past.
In the mid-1980s, Singaporean car owners had attempted to organise
a protest drive to the continuous costs aimed at car owners and
were supposed to gather at the Changi Airport Carpark and drive in
a convoy along the ECP.
The Police got wind of this and organised a team of Traffic Police,
ISD and Riot Police to question the passengers in every car going
towards the predetermined assembly point at Changi Airport car
park.
There was no intention to have a protest march - walking on the
roads.
It was supposed to be a group of cars driving in single line convoy
with no intention to block traffic or be a nuisance to other
traffic.
Yet, the nervous PAP Government mobilised the Police Force and
recorded all the particulars of everyone that had no business to be
at the Airport.
In the late 1980s, there was also the planned protests by the NUS
Students Union that was to be conducted as part of the annual
public display of the creativity of tertiary students. Somehow, the
ISD officers heard of the plans and began to make a higher profile
appearance amongst the students preparing the mobile float
exhibition.
It ended with nothing too provocative being part of the mobile
float arrangements
Of course, i understand that every nation in it infant stage
will have to go thru wars, protest and finally a true leader
emerge, and to repeat that, you need another revolution. Peaceful
or not is another issue, the issue is base on what ground are
people willing to sacrifice their harmony and peaceful society with
work and education. It a high to price to pay Prof.
Does every nation in its infant stage have to go through wars
?
Switzerland has been in relative peace throughout its history of
neutrality, and had gone through two major wars in the European
Continent.
There are many countries on earth that has been largely
unscathed by any kind of wars throughout its history - and these
include most countries in South America, most island nations in the
Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Unfortunately, while there were exemplary Chinese,
Malay and Indian Nationalists that emerged in the struggles of
World War 2 against the Japanese Occupation - with names such as
Lim Bo Seng, Elizabeth Choy, and Lieutenant Adnan - our MM LKY
played a survival game to become a Japanese interpreter and
President Nathan was said to be recruited into the Japanese secret
police that ruled Singapore with ruthless and merciless iron
hands.
Lim Bo Seng led a team of saboteurs to attack Japanese military
targets in Malaya and Singapore and was captured, tortured and
killed during interrogation.
Elizabeth Choy was similarly arrested under suspicion for spying
for the British, and was similarly tortured by the Japanese
Kempetai.
Lt Adnan led a platoon of Malay Regiment in defense of the Pasir
Panjang Ridge, and died in combat.
The price paid by these heroes against foreign invaders is the
ultimate price paid for the freedom of a nation that was yet to be
born.
What price should we pay for the freedom of a nation that is
already born but has been kidnapped by those who have learnt the
art of terrorizing Citizens from those whom they had served as
collaborators during WW-2 ?
At least, the Japanese Kempetai will put you out of misery, but
this modern age tormentors have the filthy scheme of taunting and
toying those whom they imprisoned under false charges, and make
examples for the other citizens to fall in line.
After more then 50 years of political development, and with the
political education put forward by the exemplary conduct of those
in the Alternative Political Parties - such as the late Chia Thye
Poh, Lim Chin Siong, Dr Lee Siew Choh, Francis Seow, Tang Liang
Hong, JBJ, and CSJ - the Singaporeans of today has begun to stir
from their deep slumber.
LKY's strategy - of "dulling
the brain by filling the stomach" - has begun to lose effect
as Singaporeans are asked to make more and more sacrifices with
every economic downturn that return every 7 to 10 years.
Can harmony and peace provide Singaporeans with jobs in a
recession ?
In every economic downturn the rich gets richer with the
financial breaks, even as the lower and middle income
Singaporeans that form the bulk of the population are expected to
shoulder the bigger burden of the economic slowdown - can peace and
harmony help to find food to feed the family and cash to pay
the ever increasing cost of living ?
