of course, I love my country too .... that's why I've taken
steps beyond chatting on the forums about this issue, as some of
you may know.
I may have a very traditional asian mindset about this, but to
me, there are overriding considerations above minor bouts of verbal
incontinence from ruling politicians or policy lapses, or even the
over-inflated ego of an old man, whom, like it or not, really built
us up to where we are today.To me, stability, predictability and
the big picture are more important than any sort of personal peeve
or grevience that one may have.
True, the MIW may have gotten long in the tooth, and certainly
policy and administrative issues have struck people right in the
ass. But I think a vote should be more than a revenge or axe
grinding tool, or even as an outlet of displeasure, for the
collective consequences can be far reaching.
Will change happen one day ? I'm not sure when, but eventually,
it will, for no party lasts forever. If nothing else, what I do not
hope to see, and what i am hoping to avoid, is for the local
political scene to degenerate into the circus that characterizes
the democratic process of most other countries, east and west. When
politicians tell you only what you'd like to hear, for you to feel
good, out of fear for your votes going the other way, then, verily,
you'll only get shows and theatrics from showmen and nothing else,
like most other countries. It is implicit in the democratic
process, goverment by the vote, that an emotionally mature and cool
electorate is neccessary for it to work. This is something that
cannot be learnt overnight; most other countries have not gotten it
right yet, and we'd be kidding ourselves if we think we have. If
anything, to me, this is the most damaging legacy of the past 40
years of MIW rule. For we have evolved into a people whom,
actually, are too dependent on the ruling party for all the
answers. And now, like an over-coddled child grown up, people are
learning to use the ballot box to get what they want to hear. This,
of course, is our right, but have we as a people learnt the
responsibilities that comes with this right ? looking at the
trollers in the ypap forums, at other forums, etc, I think not. I
think we still need some years to learn that.
Now if nothing else, if the MIW's last function were to be a
holding and transitional force in politics, even if it's to slap
down people like chee who's trying to degenerate our political
scene into something unsavoury, while allowing the rise of a real
viable alternative bloc to emerge, then perhaps it's all
worthwhile.
Why else, would they spread their legs wide open this time round
?
