didn't know my posting yesterday ended up with quoting the
Robertteh msg twice, resulting in the long long msg. sorry and pls
ignore that. Below is my msg in reply to robertteh.
US democracy developed out of America, under conditions that are
unique to america. When the USA was founded, its constitutions
dictate one single language, English and no other native languages,
and one value, basically the Christian value and none of the local
cultural values. Mr. Phar might have written to lambash america but
a point he made was true, i.e. US democracy is a brilliant
instrument for reclaiming innocence. None of the atrocities
committed before and after US's independence matters in their
constitutions. Minorities such as black and Chinese were taken in
as slave and their languages and cultures means nothing in the
democractic process. Other European immigrants, French,
Spaniard...followed, in the US democratic process. Minorities,
especially non white, and the few red indians tribes that were not
massacred, remain of no siginificance in this great democracy.
Where is there an immigrant society where one culture dominate all
the rest?? Can Singapore, a multiculture and multiracial society,
emulate this system? It may end up being a few more men who think
they are more superior than the rest, dominating the rest.
America is also blessed with a vast land and seemingly unlimited
resources where the needs of all its people can be satisfied. If
they can't produce they can outsource. It is much easier to
distribute wealth when there are more than enough. In such small
place like singapore where there is always not enough, then will
the US style democracy brings about a more even distribution?
America is also powerful enough so that other countries need to
make friend with whoever the new president is. How will other
countries react to a Singapore, or other small countries that are
going through turbulent political changes, US democracy or
not?
We need to identify conditions under which the US democracy works,
and ask if Singapore have that conditions to benefit from that kind
of democracy.
The more important question is, What will US democracy give us? In
US they have a president and a senate, in singapore we have a PM
and a parliament. It remains a "govenance based on a few men who
called themselves leaders with bigger brains or talents ...." There
are more "few men" there because their country is bigger. I don't
understand how the US democracy can make the leaders accountable
than it is now, "at the end leading to great suffering."
To a general public, if we are not involved in politics, most will
say "whoever the few men are, President, PM or Emperor, as long as
they provide shelters over my head, food for my family, education
for my children, they are good government." Deng Xiao Ping said it
well, " black cat or white cat, the cat that catches the rats is
the good cat."
What can US democracy bring us? We are already paying the price of
suing government, or those who sue pay the price, high price which
benefit the charity. In US, both you and government gain publicity
and the lawyers make the money. Power play, we also have, just that
the PAP seems to be on the upper hand most of the time.
P/S Hitler started WW2, not WW1. He was winning the war against the
allies until he made the wrong decision to start the eastern front,
i.e. attacked Russian. Russian drained the nazi's resources
allowing the allied forces to turn the tide of war in their favour.
The Russian were under Stalin, another dictator. After normandy,
the east and west were racing towards berlin, to claim the reward
of victory. Along the way, the French, the dutch....were claiming
back their countries. It was this other dictator who had done the
western allies a great favour. Democracy had nothing to do with the
outcome of the war.
