Another National Day came and gone, and amidst all the hoopla to give an entire population a psychological feel good boost, how many actually had that upper bump feeling from the amount of money spent for National Day ?
If the following article from the blog - Insane Polygon (*1) - is representative amongst all those who disappeared from Singapore for a long weekend National Day holiday - there will be hope for a new tomorrow:
I Don’t Care For National Day.
National Day came and went with barely a blip on my radar.
I don’t celebrate National Day.
I don’t put up flags, I don’t watch the parade and I don’t listen to any of that manufactured bullshit songs like Count On Me Singapore, Stand Up for Singapore nonsense. The only thing I celebrate is that I don’t have to turn up for work that day. In fact, that morning when I went to the gym for my workout, I seemed to be the only one attired in full black workout gear while everybody else seemingly wore red or white. Not that I had intentionally wore black, just that when I looked around, I realized I was the only one in black in a sea of red and white. Freudian slip perhaps.
Honestly I see no reason to celebrate.
Celebrate what?
Celebrate that one political party has hijacked my country, its institutions and everything it stands for? Celebrate that Singapore the nation has become PAP the political party which in turn has become the government which in turn has become the civil service. The lines are so blurred that I don’t even know where one starts and the other ends.
Singapore, PAP, NTUC, People’s Association, HDB, SAF, SIA, ST GIC, CPF and everything in between seems to be nothing more than extensions of one monolithic entity that seeks to control every aspect of our lives and wants nothing more than to make living batteries out of us and turn this country into a mega corporation.
Celebrate that? Seriously?
Everywhere I turn my head there are posters and banners with all sort of feel good sound good exhortations to celebrate National Day. Ministers and MPs smiling down benevolently at us while pictures of citizens are conveniently Photoshopped beside them as if to say we are all one people, one nation.
National Day, PAP Day- what difference does it make? Those posters and banners put up by the town councils and grassroots organizations seems identical to those election banners and posters put up by the PAP during election. Who the fuck really knows the difference?
The only thing I know is that between the political leaders and us- its one Corporation, two people. They make millions while we try to eke out a living. We stay together while they move ahead indeed. One people one nation is for suckers who still buy that bullshit. Its very telling that among that challenges spelled out by Goh Chok Tong, narrowing the worst income gap among all developed nations is not one of them.
Count on me Singapore?
If Singapore counts on me than can I count of Singapore in return? Can I count on Singapore to bail me out when I am poor and jobless? Can I count on Singapore to treat me when I am sick and penniless? Can I count on Singapore to provide me with a social safety net? Can I count on Singapore when I am old and alone? Can I count on Singapore if I suffer permanent injury in the course of NS?
It used to be said at least you can count of your CPF when you’ve reach retirement. Now who the fuck knows. They went ahead and changed the law so that if the CPF fund becomes insolvent, they can actually not pay you your money which they took away without asking for your permission. So as a Singaporean, who can I really count on except myself.
Stand up for Singapore?
Did Singapore stand up for those who lost their life savings because banks sold unsafe financial products? Did Singapore stand up for those who got conned by paper mills selling degrees of dubious origins? Did Singapore stand up for those lost their lives performing their duty as male citizens. Amid the sound and fury of the National Day parade, was there a moment of silence for those fallen NSMen? Did Singapore stand up for those people who can’t stand up for themselves. Did Singapore stand up to the transport companies that increases their fares year after year in good or bad times?
I think at some point during the celebrations, everyone was supposed to stand up and recite the Singapore Pledge together. Do these people even know what they are reciting or are they just going through the motions? Do you even know the true meaning of the pledge?
I for one did not recite the pledge for in reciting it would be the tacit support of a gross hypocrisy. To build a democratic country? When one thinks of democracy, singapore is just about as far away from that as you can get.
The truth is there is nothing in the world I want more than to celebrate National Day, to proudly stand and declare myself Singaporean.
But I can’t. I can’t celebrate National Day while Singapore remains a nation in captivity and its people stripped of their rights and civil liberties. I can’t celebrate National Day until Singapore is returned to its rightful owners- the people of Singapore.
If some fucker came into your house and stole all your stuff, you sure as hell don’t celebrate that.
AYE
PIE
By the way, the speeches made by the million dollars men are not written by the million dollars men... they are written by the kay-kias to be delivered by the million dollars men.
No need to write speeches, no need to be accountable for mistakes and poor performance and no need to be responsible for poor hiring (of more million dollars ministers) decisions! That's one easy million dollars job!
Originally posted by sinkingpore:By the way, the speeches made by the million dollars men are not written by the million dollars men... they are written by the kay-kias to be delivered by the million dollars men.
No need to write speeches, no need to be accountable for mistakes and poor performance and no need to be responsible for poor hiring (of more million dollars ministers) decisions! That's one easy million dollars job!
Economy not doing well, conveniently push all blame to US. When economy is doing well,they claim credit.
Easy job.