The Singapore youths are like all other Singaporeans - politically
apathetic.
The cause of this political apathetic
malaise is largely the work of the Ruling Political
Party over the last forty-five years of Singapore's political
history.
It started with the neutralising of the Chinese High School
students in the 1950s through the early 1960s, who were socially
and political concious of the responsibility of the more educated
towards their community.
In the 1970s, the students at the University of Singapore were
politically active, especially those from the Political Science
faculty, those in the Political Club, as well as the University of
Singapore Students' Union (USSU).
The Ruling Political Party could not possibly have students from
the Chinese and English streams being politically active, and
drastic actions were taken to nip the threats in the bud before it
gets too serious.
The government introduced Suitability
Certificates to screen students before being
allowed to apply to study in the University of Singapore, or even
at overseas universities.
Even for those who slip past the preliminary vetting - to weed out
politically undesirable student-candidates - the agents from the
Internal Security Department will continue to monitor university
students who are politically active on campus grounds.
In 1975, the President of the USSU - Tan Wah Piow clashed with the
Secretary-General of the Pan-Industrial Employees Union (PIEU), and
was later charged for rioting in the premises of the PIEU. He was
tried in a 'kangaroo
court' that was presided by a High Court judge that was
unashamedly bias towards Tan.
The years of persecution of any political activists in the
Universities has caused the death of political interests amongst
wide sections of Singapore society.
One of the major moves taken to neutralise the threats of political
activism amongst the university population was the closure of the
Nanyang University - a university that was built by the
contribution of the Singaporean Chinese Community, where the land
was donated by Ngee Ann Huay Kuan, with the money was from the
Chinese philanthropist - Mr Tan Lak Sye, and donations from the
Singapore Chinese community and Businesses.
The Ruling Party has always feared the idleness of the educated
mind, and this explains for the only single university in Singapore
for more then twenty years before the Nanyang University was
revived as the Nanyang Technological University - (and subsequently
changed to the name adopted this day).
Are the Singaporean Youths to be blamed, or should we blame the
Ruling Political Party for creating a situation which will surely
lead to the decline of Singapore - as it is slowly happening
?
