Has Singapore a Future?

March 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under: Current Affairs, Dr Wong Wee Nam 

By Dr Wong Wee Nam
18th March 2010

As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.
– Bob Dylan

The young are the builders of tomorrow.

There was a time not very long ago when the young in Singapore were apathetic and too absorbed with material things and caring only about themselves. Indeed, many cared little for Singapore and quite a number, because they had the means, chose to migrate.

Who can blame them? For the last forty years a generation of Singaporeans has grown up in a stifling political climate. They have grown up on a staple diet fed by a controlled media and many aspects of their lives have been dictated by a lot of rules and regulations. They lived as if they were guests in a hotel and felt like children in a childcare centre supervised by a domineering nanny.

Who can blame them for lacking a sense of history?

Having a sense of history can only come from political awareness. For our young Singaporeans to be cohesive and be committed to the nation and to one another there must be space in this country to allow them to develop their political awareness and to imbue in them the spirit of participation in the affairs of the country.

If we want our post-independence generation to make Singapore a better home and increasingly take over responsibility for Singapore, then the political climate must be right. All our young people must be encouraged to think for themselves and to feel the responsibility of making this a better place. Not just the ones specially chosen and anointed to be the future leaders of Singapore.

Should such a state of affairs persist, our young people will continue to be apathetic towards the affairs of our country and Singapore will only become a hotel where its citizens and other immigrants will just stay to make money and hopefully retire elsewhere.

There is no doubt that the young people of Singapore want to be patriotic citizens, not hotel guests. There have said the Pledge in schools for years and the males have done their National Service. Thus they have every right to feel that they belong here. They have every right to want to have a say in the running of the country.

As more and more become educated and better informed through the Internet, these people are no longer easily swayed by one-sided views. Most are intelligent enough to see many sides of an argument and are able to come to their own conclusions.

The new generation no longer just want the right to elect a government; they also want the right to supervise them through discussions and feedback at every stage of the governing process.

This is not a bad thing. It is better than if the young of today are pre-occupied with materialistic things and not caring about Singapore’s survival. This was the situation few years ago and, together with the influx of new immigrants, it was cause for concern.

Not All Is Lost

Luckily for our country not all is lost. At the recent anniversary dinner organised by the Singapore Democratic Party, I met a lot of young people who gave me a glimmer of hope that Singapore still has a future.

The dinner was not the usual sort where boring speeches are made and where senior citizens form the majority. Instead there were plenty of youthful faces like that of Khalis, Priveen, Tian Jing and Jarrod. Some, including Kenneth, have yet to take their ‘O’–Levels.  Goh Meng Seng, the young Secretary-General of the National Solidarity Party, could be considered an “old man” that night.

Tony and Justin from the Reform party were also there. Many years back I had breakfast with two senior administrative officers who they said that Singapore does not have alternative ideas because brilliant scholars who left the service were usually so fed-up with the system that they did not want to provide any alternative ideas. And many chose to migrate. It is, therefore, good to see Tony at the party because he and his wife are obviously not turning their backs on their country.

There was a lot of vibrancy and energy at the dinner party but this is not to say that the organisation of the function had not met with obstacles. Jaslyn Go, a young mother of two and the dynamo behind the anniversary celebration told me getting a place was the most difficult task. A reputable hotel had turned them down when they heard it was for a political party’s anniversary celebration, saying that they were fully-booked. Yet when a call was made later to ask if the place was available for a wedding they said it was.

This reminds of the time I contested the 1997 GE. I had a lawyer friend who was boasting to me how he would contest the elections if only his wife had allowed it. I thought surely a brave man like him would readily act as a commissioner of oath for my candidacy. When I approached him to engage his professional service, he declined citing something like “they” will come after him. For what? For practising his profession?

The spectre of fear is still hovering in 2010 as it was in 1997. It is, therefore, gratifying that there are still young people around who are free from fear.

The young people I met are not a bunch of fun-loving philistines. Neither do they seem to me a group of hot-headed radicals. They are idealists with sound views on social and political issues and their feet are firmly on the ground.

The outlook and the perception of the young may not be the same as that of the previous generation. It should not be. Circumstances are different and changing all the time. As they are the vanguard of the future, more and more must be encouraged to have the independence of judgement, the ability to think for themselves and the freedom to try out new ideas.

A stifling atmosphere will destroy idealism, the individual’s motivations and his hopes for the future and his love for the country. Paternalism, therefore, should no longer have a role in this new age. If we want a vibrant and innovative society, then our young people should not be treated like dependent children.

Fortunately the Internet has now allow the younger generation to circumvent the control of opinion by the government and the main stream media and give them the freedom to express their our opinions and expose them to more informed and balanced views

It is such freedom that has made our youth feel that there is a future and that they have a hand in moulding it.

It is such freedom that will help prepare our young people to anticipate and meet the rapid changes in this modern world.

It is a pity, however, that the electoral system at the moment discourages the young from standing for election. Many young people from the opposition parties are discouraged from standing because of the hefty deposit that they need to put up. On the other hand, the young people from the PAP need a coat-tail to hang on. Because of this, Singapore is probably the only country in the world where many Members of Parliament have yet to fight an election by themselves.

This is a pity because the rough and tumble of an electoral contest would be able to show up the good leaders from those who are unable to stand on their own feet.

If any electoral reform is needed, it is to allow the future candidates to contend with one another for the right to represent the people. It is only in a one-to-one contest that the voters will be able to scrutinise the candidates offered to them and separate the wheat from the chaff. It is such a contest that will throw up strong leaders that will guide Singapore through the turbulent seas that lie ahead. It is only through the shouts and noises of an election that the voices of the common people can be heard.

President Roosevelt once said, “To conserve worthy institutions, one must adapt to changing times.”

Is Singapore worth conserving? From the youths that I met at the party, they seem to think so.

Yes, the times are a-changing.

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Comments

8 Comments on Has Singapore a Future?

  1. The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 19 Mar 2010 on Fri, 19th Mar 2010 11:11 am

    2. [...] Countdown to Elections – Sgpolitics.net: Has Singapore a Future? [...]

  2. hahaha on Fri, 19th Mar 2010 5:44 pm

    3. Our leaders seem to think we can continued to be ruled the way it was done 40 yrs ago.
    LKY is like a black & white TV. He can broadcast for sure, but pple will never see the true colours of the images.
    For those who are blind, keep voting the PAP.

  3. ahkong on Fri, 19th Mar 2010 6:55 pm

    4. Singapore future is a make belief world…… what the PM says good the rest of the parliament will say good too….wayang wayang lah…..

  4. Wai Leong on Fri, 19th Mar 2010 9:03 pm

    5. 1. The election deposit is not the main reason young people do not stand for election. In the scheme of things, the amount is really small compared to the cost of a real campaign, ie a campaign where one has a real shot at being elected.

    2. Electoral contests do not throw up good leaders. Contests basically go to those who can market themselves well and are glib of mouth.

  5. No future on Sat, 20th Mar 2010 9:47 am

    6. Yes. Singapore is 2 hotel, it is good for tourists to come and then go, not for stay and living here. Because it is not a country, it’s an attraction place and not suitable for living. It’s not a home. Not suitable to stay long. Singapore will die off eventually, with this kind of govt who are inhuman and money greedy. I am sure singapore will deteriorate if we don’t change the govt. They are hopeless and refuse to change. They are from the best to worst. Not the other way round. Sad. Really very sad.

  6. The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Weekly Roundup: Week 12 on Sat, 20th Mar 2010 1:05 pm

    7. [...] Countdown to Elections – TOC: Time for someone new to drive Singapore – The Kent Ridge Common: Does the alternative media have anything to fear? – Majulah!: New rulings for political chatters online. – Singabloodypore: PAP nervous about New Media, introduces “guidelines” – The Temasek Review: No need for Minister Lui Tuck Yew to teach netizens how to “self-regulate” themselves – Mindblogging Stuff: Heaven & Hell (political version) – TOC: TOC Editorial: Cooling-off day may lead to heated confusion [Recommended] – Seelan Palay’s Blog: Why bloggers must disregard cooling off day – The Temasek Review: Comparison of LIVE parliamentary debates of 5 countries and the “wayang” in the Singapore Parliament – Sgpolitics.net: Has Singapore a Future? [...]

  7. Oni on Sat, 20th Mar 2010 3:33 pm

    8. I think another problem is the amount of freedom that leaders of opposition parties give to their own young members too. Political parties in Singapore seem to be “stuck in the past” in terms of approach and image. As an outsider, I feel that only the SDP is up to date in that department.

  8. DavidSeeLeongKit on Sat, 20th Mar 2010 6:08 pm

    9. I am a 62-year old native-born S’porean (among first batches to have completed full-time National Service).

    > A Personal Regret:
    It has taken me so long ( around age 40) to “see through” the many “cunningly-clever” political ploys played by the PAP to entrench itself in Singapore Politics AT ALL COSTS — even to the long-term detriment of Singapore (the Nation) and Singaporeans (the People).

    > My Greatest Consolation:
    More Singaporeans (both young and old) are now able to “see through” the PAP for what it really is — an IMPOTENT, INEPT & INCOMPETENT Government, that is so ARROGANT and so OUT-OF-TOUCH with the People.

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