A P65 PAP MP believes that each citizen must feel his views matter.
Another government MP, Dr Mohd Maliki Osman (Sembawang GRC) urges
Singaporeans to stop just being 'problem identifiers'.
He asked: 'Are we turning Singapore into a nation of people whose
problem-solving skills solely rest on the mechanism of asking
someone else to solve their problems?' (ST, Nov 10). What mixed
signals are we citizens getting? Are we supposed to take the law
into our own hands?
Like children who are taught to seek help from parents or teachers
to resolve problems, Singaporeans turn to the relevant authorities
to look into the problems that they can't solve themselves.
For example, when students are not using technology in the right
way, we hope that the Ministry of Education will look at the
issue.
Why do we appear to be 'whining and whingeing'? It's all about
perception. Imagine this: You climb a tall tree. When you are at
the tree top, you set your sights far and get used to seeing the
big picture. When you hear voices from the ground, you look down
and the things below appear small. In fact, they are partially
blocked by the branches and you see only what you can see. You
think it is not worthwhile going down to find out more. When the
voice gets louder, you shout: 'Stop making noise while I'm looking
at the big picture. Why are there voices coming up from the bottom?
You have many measures in place but if these are not properly
linked, or are too difficult to achieve, they are as good as
useless.
Singaporeans are asked to play their part to help build the nation,
and there are telephone numbers to call the government departments
when we need to make enquiries or to report things that we think
are not right. Who will remember the long list of phone numbers?
When people find it too difficult to get access and do their part,
it's only natural that they get angry and complain in the hope that
someone will hear them. What do you think the children who feel
helpless do when they are being treated unfairly? You should be
glad that Singaporeans are willing to speak up and not resorting to
violence the way people do in some countries.
Benny Tan Seng Hee
I DISAGREE that Singaporeans have become 'a nation of complainers'
and 'a society increasingly reliant on the Government for help' - a
view shared by some MPs.
We voted for a particular party as it was competent in solving
problems. Naturally, we have high expectations. The Government has
been the main engineer of policies and active community
participation in shaping them is limited. It was only recently that
it encouraged citizens to voice their opinions. These are now
deemed as complaints. The MPs with this view should understand
grassroots sentiments and do soul-searching.
Wang Tiancheng
Get a life Sillyporean and stop leeching
on the gahmen or you shall pay dearly with GST increase
