Educate students about politics, says Shanmugam
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By Zakir Hussain
FOR 50 years, the PAP has stayed in power because it has delivered progress to the people, its leaders often point out.
But Law Minister K. Shanmugam feels younger voters can erode its dominant position should the party fail to convince them that Singapore, more than most countries, needs a strong leadership and a political system that allows for effective and speedy decisions to be made.
He gave this warning to his party members in an editorial in the latest People's Action Party bi-monthly magazine, Petir.
Mr Shanmugam appears to have his eye on the clock when he issued his word of caution, saying no political party had stayed in power continuously for more than 70 years.
The way for the PAP to outlive this record, he feels, is to provide greater political education for Singaporeans, in particular, students.
However, he said: 'The education should not trumpet the virtues of any particular system.'
Instead, students should be taught, among other things, how political systems work in different cultures, the impact of geographical and social factors on societies and why city states rise and fall.
'This will make people look carefully at the liberal democratic model and help them decide which aspects best suit Singapore,' he said as he set out how the PAP can communicate better its message that Singapore needs good governance and that only the PAP can deliver it.
His concern comes at a time when a younger generation of better-educated voters feels the political process and system in a democratic state should be based on the Western model of liberal democracy.
Mr Shanmugam and government leaders reject the view, arguing that the best systems are those that fit the society they govern.
'Not every aspect can be transplanted in toto across cultures, without regard to different economic, social and geostrategic situations,' said the Law Minister.
It is a position he has argued vigorously in favour of in the past three months: first to a group of international lawyers meeting here in October, then the Harvard alumni in Singapore last week, and now, PAP members.
Mr Shanmugam, who is also Second Home Affairs Minister, said the PAP's message had resonated with the older generation who experienced the turmoil of Singapore's early years.
'But the collective memory of this is not as strong among newer generations, whose viewpoints will increasingly influence the political process,' he added.
Younger Singaporeans may therefore believe that the Western model of liberal democracy can be adopted without trade-offs, he said.
'Singaporeans are entitled to decide whether they want the trade-offs.
'And if the majority chooses slower development and a lower quality of life, and is willing to accept more tensions within our society in return for changes in the political system, then so be it,' he said.
'But that choice must be an informed one,' he added.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Saturday, 19 December 2009
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What is the genuine motivate of educating students about politics? Is this part of the propaganda?
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It's lky who is too weak to accept any challenges to his reign. That bastard is a bloody despot. His son is a thug who thinks he rules half the world and demand to be treated like God. Screw them both!
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Getting more and more desperate to hold on to power, this PAP. They know the clock is ticking for them. All the signs of weakness coming out now. I think the time is ripe for PAP to go. I'm sick of this party's rule of Singapore.
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Originally posted by ztreyier:
Getting more and more desperate to hold on to power, this PAP. They know the clock is ticking for them. All the signs of weakness coming out now. I think the time is ripe for PAP to go. I'm sick of this party's rule of Singapore.
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pr and non singaporean their children school fees went up - serve those buggers right
ha ha ha
go and suck their ... ...
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Originally posted by John Penn:
pr and non singaporean their children school fees went up - serve those buggers right
ha ha ha
go and suck their ... ...
For show only. Country still full of foreigners. PAP's policy remains unchanged.
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Originally posted by Fantagf:
Mr Shanmugam, who is also Second Home Affairs Minister, said the PAP's message had resonated with the older generation who experienced the turmoil of Singapore's early years.
What are the turmoils of Singapore's early years? Mass political repressions by PAP?
I don't understand.
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Originally posted by ztreyier:
For show only. Country still full of foreigners. PAP's policy remains unchanged.
foreign aliens that want to suck our benefits, etcthose sog
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But watch how we vote too. We vote out the PAP smear gang but vote in a got voice but no brains CSJ and cronies then we know Singapore in deep shit.
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wat bout the money under pap control???they could have lost everything n burnt the evidence making them clean...........then what??acceotable losses???if they lost every lee will pack up n fly off to america or oz or switzerland....leaving an empty n possibly bancrupt spore economy.............not so easy vote in and out!!every single cat,mouse n dog in pap must be examined b4 letting them go if pap losses!
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Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
But watch how we vote too. We vote out the PAP smear gang but vote in a got voice but no brains CSJ and cronies then we know Singapore in deep shit.
Don't think CSJ got any chance. He's just a mole.
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Don't forget the human rights abuses under LKY.
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Originally posted by Chew Bakar:
He's just a mole.
He was sent in by PAP to destroy opposition.
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aiyah, first say sg citizens are politically apathetic, boh chap about politics and now govt wants to educate students about politics also want to kpkb.......make up your minds leh.......
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Originally posted by Bentsb05:
govt wants to educate students about politics also want to kpkb
But their real goal is to indoctrinate young people to vote for PAP and counter online criticism of PAP. Young people surf net see critics of PAP, so now back in school must counter the critics, so start "education" campaign.
It's all just a show with the end goal of securing their power.
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Originally posted by ztreyier:
But their real goal is to indoctrinate young people to vote for PAP and counter online criticism of PAP. Young people surf net see critics of PAP, so now back in school must counter the critics, so start "education" camapaign.
It's all just a show with the end goal of securing their power.
if the real goal is to indoctrinate pple to love pap and secure their power, then dont have to adopt democracy system liao....might as well go the way of the communists and stifle the voice and aspirations of the nation...like that the pap will hang on to power all along without the need for us to vote and we sing the pap march song from kindergarten and be totally absorbed into its propaganda.....it is the our distinguished education system that has put us ahead in many fields (but only alas to be restricted by its small populace) and make us marketable in world economy and attractive to many other foreign students to come here to realise their full potential.....
most of us are politically apathetic is because we are victims of our own progress in this short impressive history of our country..looking back,.... and which most of us cant deny.
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Originally posted by Bentsb05:
.might as well go the way of the communists and stifle the voice and aspirations ofthe nation
Must wayang for others to see. We are not that much different from a one party state.
it is the our distinguished education system that has put us ahead in many fields (but only alas to be restricted by its small populace) and make us marketable in world economy and attractive to many other foreign students to come here to realise their full potential.....
I don't agree.
most of us are politically apathetic is because we are victims of our own progress
Sounds like rubbish thesis to me. Apathetic is due to mass propaganda and repression.
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You also seem like a product of their propaganda system to me.
I am not a product of the PAP state propaganda system.
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Originally posted by Chew Bakar:
Don't think CSJ got any chance. He's just a mole.
No worries here.
CSJ is a bankrupt..
and bankrupts cannot stand for elections..
So, vote with confidence in the coming GE..
Any party will do... except one.
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Originally posted by Lionnosy:
No worries here.
CSJ is a bankrupt..
and bankrupts cannot stand for elections..
So, vote with confidence in the coming GE..
Any party will do... except one.
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Originally posted by Lionnosy:
CSJ is a bankrupt..
and bankrupts cannot stand for elections..
Good move by PAP to destroy opponents.
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Not just politics, but the younger people, including those in their lower 20s are also very culturally clueless.
You have all these younger people being anti-this or anti-that without truly understanding what is it they are against or what is it they say they stand for.
The younger people today may be better educated, better fed, physically healthier, but they sadly have not become better people.
Have the older Singaporeans really been such bad role models?
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Originally posted by ztreyier:
Good move by PAP to destroy opponents.
Yeah..Like cutting off his own nose..
.. just to spite another.
Ha ha.. serves the Old Man right.
He certainly deserves it..
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Originally posted by SomebodyInSG:
The younger people today may be better educated, better fed, physically healthier, but they sadly have not become better people.
It is the fault of LKY and his bizarre policies.
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I support Shanmuggans move to educated students about politcs, right after PAP is voted out.
Well hopefully Shamuggan's still around. Then we can hold his words accountable and teach students about politcs. But if he changes he's stand, then we know he puts party politcs first instead of it;s people and students.
In any case, I would never trust them at all. They're just out to indoctrine more young kids.
VOTE PAP OUT!