The Politics of Fear in Singapore
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"If nobody is afraid of me, I’m meaningless."
Politics of Fear
15 June 2009
TOC, Out of the Box
Singaporeans, in general, are a fearful people. They are afraid to express their views and do not have any opinion. They are afraid to take any risk or face the consequences. They prefer other people to decide for them.
For several decades, they are afraid that their vote in a general election is not secret. They are afraid that they will lose their job or will get into trouble with government officials, if they are found to have voted for a party other than the party in power.
They are afraid to be sued for defamation, if they were to make any statement that is unfavourable to people in power. They are quite naïve about their rights to free and honest expression.
Withdrawal
After many years of living in fear, they learn to withdraw from society. They do not wish to express any opinion publicly, but they will vent their anger in the coffee shops or in anonymous internet forums.
They learn not to get involved in any issue of public interest. They learned to take care only of their personal interest. If they are adversely affected, they will shout and expect other people to help them. But, they will not come forward to help other people.
Extreme views
Many people are unhappy with the high cost of living and the quality of life. They have to work hard and for long hours, just to earn enough to get by. If they fall sick or face with some financial hardship, life will become more difficult and unbearable.
Those who are adversely affected by misfortune will harbour a strong resentment about life in Singapore. But they are afraid to voice their grievances using the proper channel, or find that the people in power are not listening, or do not really care.
They use the anonymous internet forums to express their hatred in quite extreme ways. They find that as long as they are anonymous and cannot be traced, they can express their views safely, and why not exaggerate or dramatise them?
Stages of fear
Psychologists have identified the different stages of fear.
Fear is an emotional response to threats and danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of pain. It is possible to escape or avoid the specific threat.
Fear is different from anxiety, which typically occurs without any specific threat. Anxiety is the result of perceived threats that are uncontrollable or unavoidable.
There are various degrees of fear, from mild caution to extreme phobia or paranoia. I am quite worried that the fearful behaviour of some Singaporeans has reached the extreme form of paranoia.
Personal experiences
I wish to share some of my personal experiences.
I have expressed my views under my real personal name in my blog and in The Online Citizen. Many people have asked me if I have received any threats or warnings from the people in power, for these views, which may be uncomfortable to them. Did I get any call at midnight or any knock on the door?
I did not. I believe that the people in power have been rather fair in dealing with me and my views. Or, some cynics say, perhaps they are too busy dealing with the economic crisis?
But I did receive many “friendly advices” from relatives and friends, asking me “to be careful”. It seems that their views are worse, in creating fear, than the real threats from the people in power. Perhaps, the people in power approach these proxies to express their threats?
The worst kind is from people who made the “friendly advices” through my wife or children. If they are fearful, they should keep to themselves and not spread the unfounded fear.
Initially, many people came forward to volunteer their help to get signatures for me. After a few weeks, most of them dropped out and became unreachable. It seemed that they have received some advice or warnings, and decided not to get involved. Perhaps, they face the same kind of pressures and subtle threats?
Negative Traits
The years of fear and paranoia have led to the following negative traits of Singaporeans:
a) Not willing to express any opinion
b) Take care only of personal interest
c) Not willing to speak for other people
d) Not willing to stand for what is right and fair
e) Express extreme views, if protected by anonymity
f) Irresponsible behaviour
Change for the better
Is it possible to change behaviour for the better? It will take a long time, as the current negative traits have been ingrained after many years of fear and education.
A good starting point is to adopt the following values:
a) honesty;
b) fairness;
c) public interest;
d) positive;
e) courage.
If one is expressing an honest and fair view, one does not need to be afraid of being sued for defamation.
If one is exercising the right as a citizen to vote for the future, one does not need to worry about losing one’s job or being victimised by government officials. Anyone, the government officials do not have the time to go about victimising large numbers of ordinary people, which would be against their own values of decency.
It is best to express your views in a positive way. You can point what is right for society or your wishes for the values that guide our society, without having to point out that someone is wrong or dishonest.
I adopt a positive approach because it is only fair to the other person, rather than to avoid being sued.
One needs courage to be able to express an alternative view. But the values of honest, fairness and a positive attitude help to give the courage.
Conclusion
It is time for Singaporeans to get away from the politics of fear and be willing to step forward to express what is right for our country and our future. We can rebuild a nation to be proud of.
Tan Kin Lian -
From an Opposition Role - and in between - and into Absolute Power.
The speeches reflect the devious manipulator of circumstances, and a master in the art of duplicity.
"If it is not totalitarian to arrest a man and detain him, when you cannot charge him with any offence against any written law - if that is not what we have always cried out against in Fascist states - then what is it?… If we are to survive as a free democracy, then we must be prepared, in principle, to concede to our enemies - even those who do not subscribe to our views - as much constitutional rights as you concede yourself."
- Opposition leader Lee Kuan Yew, Legislative Assembly Debates, Sept 21, 1955
Well said in 1955, and forgotten when LKY instigated Operation Cold Store in 1963.
" Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they're conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict."
- Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member during 1956 speaking to David Marshall
As an underdog, LKY's speeches in Parliament have always been eloquent in the calls for an open, accountable and transparent government.
These protesting words reflect the actions of one who knows how to act against the protestors.
"If we say that we believe in democracy, if we say that the fabric of a democratic society is one which allows for the free play of idea...then, in the name of all the gods, give that free play a chance to work within the constitutional framework."
- Opposition leader Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Oct 4, 1956
Well said in 1956 when he was standing on the Opposition side against Lim Yew Hock.
"Repression can only go up to a point. When it becomes too acute, the instruments of repression, namely the army and the police, have been proved time and time again in history to have turned their guns on their masters."
- Opposition leader Lee Kuan Yew, Straits Times, May 5, 1959
Is this the precursor of what is to come ?
This is the driving force in the short sighted policies of having the Chief of Defense Force retiring after approximately 4 to 5 years in the office, and was only changed recently to allow Senior Officers to serve beyond the enforced retirement age of 45.
"If I were in authority in Singapore indefinitely without having to ask those who are governed whether they like what is being done, then I would not have the slightest doubt that I could govern much more effectively in their interests."
- Mr Lee Kuan Yew, 1962
It was during Chief Minister David Marshall's term that the Hock Lee Bus riots broke out and saw the combined actions against the Chinese Secondary School students actively supporting the Trade Unions in their industrial actions against unjust employment terms.
When David Marshall resigned from a failed mission to London - of which LKY was also a delegate in negotiating for self-government, it was left to Lim Yew Hock to deal harshly with the daily agitation and mob rule.
LKY was representing the Trade Unions then, and was their legal adviser.
"Let us get down to fundamentals. Is this an open, or is this a closed society? Is it a society where men can preach ideas - novel, unorthodox, heresies, to established churches and established governments - where there is a constant contest for men's hearts and minds on the basis of what is right, of what is just, of what is in the national interests, or is it a closed society where the mass media - the newspapers, the journals, publications, TV, radio - either bound by sound or by sight, or both sound and sight, men's minds are fed with a constant drone of sycophantic support for a particular orthodox political philosophy? I am talking of the principle of the open society, the open debate, ideas, not intimidation, persuasion not coercion..."
- Lee Kuan Yew, Before Singapore's independence, Malaysian Parliamentary Debates, Dec 18, 1964
Amazing how the speech changes between 1962 and 1964.
"We must encourage those who earn less than $200 per month and cannot afford to nurture and educate many children never to have more than two... We will regret the time lost if we do not now take the first tentative steps towards correcting a trend which can leave our society with a large number of the physically, intellecually and culturally anaemic."
- Lee Kuan Yew in 1967.
How much were his parents earning when he and his siblings were conceived ?
By his standard, he must be a freak of nature - considering that his parents had to struggle all their lives.
This was the foundation stone laid for the poor rate of self-replacement for Singaporeans in the Twenty-First Century - and the need to open the flood gates for the arrival of Foreign Talents.
"If you don't include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society...So what happens? There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation. That's a problem."
- Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 National Day Rally
The level playing field is now admittedly never level for dumb people.
"We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don't do that, the country would be in ruins." - Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, 1986
The Communists in the Soviet Bloc and China call their opponents "Revisionists" - when those who oppose the Communists will call themselves "Nationalists".
In Singapore, LKY conveniently carry a broad brush to paint everyone - whom he sees opposing him with his squinted eyes - as Communists, racial and language chauvinists, religious extremists - when those Singaporeans who dare to stand up against his political views are all "Nationalists".
Ironically, the only Communist in Singapore is the ONE - who has vision of his own relevance into perpetuity while he controls Singapore with an iron Stalinist fist.
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why you people alway like to refer to past quote and talks, do you know that we change as time goes by, bet when you all Uncles were young, you also talk and speak differently with differently views than now. Be more realistic to changes, one must change to suit the environment, otherwise one is history.
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There we cannot alway take a quote from the past to judge the present situation, it is so unfair.
Fear is not the factor, but respect is the word. It is indeed meaningless to fear someone as no one is a tiger or monster, but the respect of power, decision, control, management and bravery etc etc they shown command a little more respect.
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Originally posted by angel7030:
why you people alway like to refer to past quote and talks, do you know that we change as time goes by, bet when you all Uncles were young, you also talk and speak differently with differently views than now. Be more realistic to changes, one must change to suit the environment, otherwise one is history.
Do you seriously believe that you change with time ?If you had listen to your parents when you were younger and excelled in your studies, you would not have been working in a Bar.
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he's meaningless to me...
and to a whole lot of people..
looks like he's not meaningless to you people...
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Originally posted by Atobe:
Do you seriously believe that you change with time ?If you had listen to your parents when you were younger and excelled in your studies, you would not have been working in a Bar.
One talks and believe change with times, we must adapt to changes as per the external enviroment, you cannot be a frog in a well and talks frog words all the time, LKY speeches differ in times due to the political arena changes, he needs to adapt to the condition of that time.Of course every parents wanted their childrens to excel in their studies, but if everyone excel and get straight A or honor, who is going to do the lower jobs, and when all of us excel and struggle to get a high pay jobs, there will be more jobless in the higher end. And it doesn't mean that studies create a better and knowledgeable person, these lot are the one of the highest crime makers, both in white and black crimes. And 8 out of 10 singaporeans who do not have a degree are bosses. Education instill knowledge of fear and risk, thereby restricting these peoples from venturing into entreprenurship whereras peoples with lower education tends to take risk and life more easier..and therefore find success or meaningful in life.
Knowing is good, but it also come with fear
Not knowing is sometime better than knowing.
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Originally posted by angel7030:
There we cannot alway take a quote from the past to judge the present situation, it is so unfair.
Fear is not the factor, but respect is the word. It is indeed meaningless to fear someone as no one is a tiger or monster, but the respect of power, decision, control, management and bravery etc etc they shown command a little more respect.
You must be still drunk to believe that LKY does not believe in the "Fear Factor".It has been a consistent trait in his speeches from 1956 till 2009.
He has consistently use the "Rule of Fear" to push his own agenda in 1956 when he persuaded the Colonial Government to use the ISA to arrest his own PAP members whom he accused as being Communists - even when the British ISD had indicated that his political opponents are NOT Communists.
For 32 years, LKY locked up Chia Thye Poh based on the flimsy accusation that Chia was a Communist that declared an armed revolution to overthrow the legitimately elected government of Singapore.
For 32 years, Chia was regularly given a tour of the changes made in Singapore, and taunted by his guards to sign a document of admission in exchange for his freedom.
After 32 years, Chia was released without even a signed document admitting to the charges that were never formally made in an open court.
For 32 years, Chia's imprisonment was used to showcase what is to be done to anyone who will dare to challenge LKY and his PAP - and this was the methods used in accusing the social activists in the Catholic Church in LKY's Marxist Conspiracy.
In 2003, ‘LKY confront Singapore Airline Pilot Association’ over the airline pay dispute, and in the following year - the chief of the pilot negotiating team had to pull out his entire family from Singapore and migrated to Australia.
If you cannot learn from the past, is there any hope for your own future, or are you still as stubborn as when you were young, never learning from your own and the mistakes made by others ?
Even those from far away has interest themselves in LKY's use of the "Fear Factor" in ruling Singapore - in an extensive research titled -
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Originally posted by angel7030:
One talks and believe change with times, we must adapt to changes as per the external enviroment, you cannot be a frog in a well and talks frog words all the time, LKY speeches differ in times due to the political arena changes, he needs to adapt to the condition of that time.Of course every parents wanted their childrens to excel in their studies, but if everyone excel and get straight A or honor, who is going to do the lower jobs, and when all of us excel and struggle to get a high pay jobs, there will be more jobless in the higher end. And it doesn't mean that studies create a better and knowledgeable person, these lot are the one of the highest crime makers, both in white and black crimes. And 8 out of 10 singaporeans who do not have a degree are bosses. Education instill knowledge of fear and risk, thereby restricting these peoples from venturing into entreprenurship whereras peoples with lower education tends to take risk and life more easier..and therefore find success or meaningful in life.
Knowing is good, but it also come with fear
Not knowing is sometime better than knowing.
Not knowing is sometime better than knowing ?Do you believe that ignorance can be bliss ?
If only the fish know when to keep his big mouth shut - it will not get hooked.
Circumstances may change - only a man who is consistent in his principles is a righteous man.
Does an upright person sell the soul to the devil for the sake of changing circumstances ?
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I FEAR WATCHING GHOST MOVIES............THE ONES WITH LONG FLOWIN HAIR N CLIMB UPSIDE DOWN ON WALLS N CEILING KINDA GHOSTS.,.....
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Originally posted by Atobe:
You must be still drunk to believe that LKY does not believe in the "Fear Factor".It has been a consistent trait in his speeches from 1956 till 2009.
He has consistently use the "Rule of Fear" to push his own agenda in 1956 when he persuaded the Colonial Government to use the ISA to arrest his own PAP members whom he accused as being Communists - even when the British ISD had indicated that his political opponents are NOT Communists.
For 32 years, LKY locked up Chia Thye Poh based on the flimsy accusation that Chia was a Communist that declared an armed revolution to overthrow the legitimately elected government of Singapore.
For 32 years, Chia was regularly given a tour of the changes made in Singapore, and taunted by his guards to sign a document of admission in exchange for his freedom.
After 32 years, Chia was released without even a signed document admitting to the charges that were never formally made in an open court.
For 32 years, Chia's imprisonment was used to showcase what is to be done to anyone who will dare to challenge LKY and his PAP - and this was the methods used in accusing the social activists in the Catholic Church in LKY's Marxist Conspiracy.
In 2003, ‘LKY confront Singapore Airline Pilot Association’ over the airline pay dispute, and in the following year - the chief of the pilot negotiating team had to pull out his entire family from Singapore and migrated to Australia.
If you cannot learn from the past, is there any hope for your own future, or are you still as stubborn as when you were young, never learning from your own and the mistakes made by others ?
Even those from far away has interest themselves in LKY's use of the "Fear Factor" in ruling Singapore - in an extensive research titled -
Fear is in the eye of the beholden, if you fear him, what can i said, but i dun fear him, i respect him for what he done.Everyone struggle in life, some for the sake of a bowl of rice, some for money, some for power and some for love. And in such struggle, people tends to do the uptmost to protect their power and uphold their influences, in the line of politics, everywhere you go, there sure to have power struggles, that is why peoples said politics is the dirtiest, so if MR Chia or Siong or whoever wants to be in politics, they must prepare themselve for the dirtiest jobs, there is no hero or champion in politics, but there will be a who dare win power struggle. And all these is especially so when the struggle is at it infant stage. It is a dirty game.
You can see it happening everywhere, mynmar, malaysia, thailand, korea, japan, etc etc..in the end whoever is in power wins the race, and dun tell me that after all his works and struggling in obtaining his power and status as MM today, he is going to give it out to opposition on a silver plate?? Please lah, be more understand about the world. It is not so simple and stop harbouring those revengeful past, if you got brain, got the right attitude, get the respect, got money and influence, put it on the table and challenge the PAP, but prepare to go to jail if you fail, but the prize of wining is better than kenna toto.
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I LIKE THE GUY WITH THE IRON BLACK GAS MASK ........WHO CUT SLASH N KILL 10 SOLDIERS AT ONE GO...........ALSO LIKE THE ONE CALLED DEATH WITH THE WINGS WITH MANY EYES.......
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Originally posted by Atobe:
Not knowing is sometime better than knowing ?Do you believe that ignorance can be bliss ?
If only the fish know when to keep his big mouth shut - it will not get hooked.
Circumstances may change - only a man who is consistent in his principles is a righteous man.
Does an upright person sell the soul to the devil for the sake of changing circumstances ?
do u know that everyone of us like to go back to our childhood days, why?? because naiveness and blur blur make you feel so free and enjoy life, a child do not understand danger and careless about what is happening. So free and easy.
yesterday, i just celebrate a gal friend of mine 21st birthday, mine coming soon, as we celebrated and congradulate her for getting the key to freedom, my mind wonder is it freedom or suffering?
The line between me at 20 and her at 21yo is simply put it, if she kill someone, she goes hanging, for me, i just go to reform centre and jail.
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ALSO LIKE THE COOL LOOKING BOXES IN HELLBOY 2............DARKWOOD WITH THOSE GOLDEN LOCKS......WHY U ALL GOT NOTHING TO DO ON SUNDAY???NO MORE GOOD MOVIES ON SHOW OR DVD TOO EXPENSIVE?
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I dun think it is really about the aura of LKY and the politics of fear, but rather it is the Manufacturing of Consent that the media in Singapore has imposed on us. The manufacturing of Consent is that the government imposes a way of thought on the media, which then sends messages in terms of broadcasts to us citizens to make us believe the media.
The Free Media is then manipulated by the government to legitimise the things they do.
In Singapore, especially, where the only legal print corp is Mediacorp, all our info is derived from there(local only). Thus we are being fed information to change the way we think. It is something like propoganda, only that this is done to "legitimise" it in a humane way...
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Originally posted by TERMINATOR20000:
ALSO LIKE THE COOL LOOKING BOXES IN HELLBOY 2............DARKWOOD WITH THOSE GOLDEN LOCKS......WHY U ALL GOT NOTHING TO DO ON SUNDAY???NO MORE GOOD MOVIES ON SHOW OR DVD TOO EXPENSIVE?
SHut up!! switch to silent mode -
ONLY SEX WILL SHUT ME UP!
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I propose mod change title of this thread to...
Politics and the Manufacturing of Consent in Singapore
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Originally posted by Fryderyk HPH:
I dun think it is really about the aura of LKY and the politics of fear, but rather it is the Manufacturing of Consent that the media in Singapore has imposed on us. The manufacturing of Consent is that the government imposes a way of thought on the media, which then sends messages in terms of broadcasts to us citizens to make us believe the media.
The Free Media is then manipulated by the government to legitimise the things they do.
In Singapore, especially, where the only legal print corp is Mediacorp, all our info is derived from their(local only). Thus we are being fed information to change the way we think. It is something like propoganda, only that this is done to "legitimise" it in a humane way...
If the govt has the power to manipulate the media, is it wrong?? China is ready to ban Goggle for their porn site, ABC is warn by US govt not to show fatal accident sport, etc etc.. In fact, we should admire the power they had to control the media rather than condeming them. If opposition is the ruling party, in no doubt, they will also control the media, and if the editor refuse, he better be prepare to go to jail. -
Originally posted by TERMINATOR20000:
ONLY SEX WILL SHUT ME UP!
Damn, who took my remote control!!! Maid!! -
Originally posted by angel7030:
If the govt has the power to manipulate the media, is it wrong?? China is ready to ban Goggle for their porn site, ABC is warn by US govt not to show fatal accident sport, etc etc.. In fact, we should admire the power they had to control the media rather than condeming them. If opposition is the ruling party, in no doubt, they will also control the media, and if the editor refuse, he better be prepare to go to jail.It is obviously not wrong for the govt to manipulate the media. In fact, it has to. They need to broadcast key points to the people and perhaps censor them from stuff the government deems extremely sensitive.
However, the point I am trying to state is, there is no "OBVIOUS" politics of fear nowadays in Singapore especially with LKY not that fit as before. Now the government realises that fear will not work with the modern-age Singaporean, and has thus turned to new ways of influencing people to their cause.
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HAIYA ANGEL!!!U ONLY 20 N U WANT TO KILL SOMEONE N GO UP LORRY!INSIDE LORRY GORT OTHE MORE FEARSOME GAL GANGSTERS,,,THEY MIGHT TEAR AWAY YOUR UNDERWEAR N TURN U INTO PRATA AND THEN WE HAVE FEMALE WRESTLING IN BACK OF LORRY.....THINK LORRY WILL MOVE AND SHAKE MORE VIOLENTLY THAN NORMAL.JUST DONT DAMAGE EACH OTHERS BREASTS AND FACE.
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Originally posted by TERMINATOR20000:
HAIYA ANGEL!!!U ONLY 20 N U WANT TO KILL SOMEONE N GO UP LORRY!INSIDE LORRY GORT OTHE MORE FEARSOME GAL GANGSTERS,,,THEY MIGHT TEAR AWAY YOUR UNDERWEAR N TURN U INTO PRATA AND THEN WE HAVE FEMALE WRESTLING IN BACK OF LORRY.....THINK LORRY WILL MOVE AND SHAKE MORE VIOLENTLY THAN NORMAL.JUST DONT DAMAGE EACH OTHERS BREASTS AND FACE.
Eh eh eh... You all wanna have bitch fight and spam this kinda post, dun do here...
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DO GALS PULL HAIR WHEN THEY FIGHT??AND WHY?
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Originally posted by angel7030:
do u know that everyone of us like to go back to our childhood days, why?? because naiveness and blur blur make you feel so free and enjoy life, a child do not understand danger and careless about what is happening. So free and easy.
The "naiveness" and "blur blur"-ness of a child is to be admired for its innocence.
Is the life of a child more free and enjoyable when life as a child is controlled all the time due to the naiveness to all the surrounding dangers ?
Is it not more free and enjoyable now that as young adults - we are more aware to the dangers of being careless with the time and independence available ?
Sentimentality is different from awareness of history.
yesterday, i just celebrate a gal friend of mine 21st birthday, mine coming soon, as we celebrated and congradulate her for getting the key to freedom, my mind wonder is it freedom or suffering?
Such pessimism is unusual from someone who claims to be challenged, talented, and pro-active in facing issues.
The line between me at 20 and her at 21yo is simply put it, if she kill someone, she goes hanging, for me, i just go to reform centre and jail.
Is there a divide between 20 and 21 ?
There is such a thing as statutory protection given to those 16years and below.
Is there any difference in the law for those 20 and 21 ?
Even Uncle Chia Thye Poh when he was arrested at age 24 years - and the 20 odd J.I. members - were all sent to reform school.
Are you so anxious to join them ?