Eh, my school better than your school okay...

SMU has been struggling to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with in the local arena of universities for the last 6 years. One of the many things that I take as a sign of its success is the reaction of the other two universities when SMU burst onto the scene. I find some of them really quite entertaining.

Take Miss Ng’s New Paper article on 19th May 2006 about her SMU exchange experience for example. After gushing on how she was enjoying the perks of life in a city campus, she went on to say that she found the inter-disciplinary discussions in a 3-hour interactive seminar too confusing to follow. Well, I do agree it is hard to have and understand long thought-provoking discussions with views from multiple disciplines after so many years of one-way learning. One really has to get used to it.

She went on to say how she preferred her one to two hour-long lectures to the interactive seminars in SMU. My personal motto on this is “to each his own”. I’ve tried a lecture-based system during my Junior College days and have never failed to fall asleep in every single one. Each of us has our own preferred way of learning. SMU’s unique pedagogy has allowed me to stay awake and be part of the lesson. I heartily believe I owe my current first class honors GPA to it, compared to my failing grades in JC.

Hype or not, SMU has established itself as a force to be reckoned with. It offers a different form of tertiary education and I believe the nation is better for it. Its success does not in any way make the other two universities any less and it is best if everyone understands that.

Article Link

I honestly couldn't be bothered with a retort but JZ asked me to look through his. I found his quite a friendly and politically-correct reply, which got me started on a more fiery one.

Still, there are very few things that will motivate me to start mud-slinging rebuttals in a tabloid newspaper. Less inhibitions about doing on a blog though.

My school ten times better than your school okay.. no my school an infinity plus one times better than your school okay!

Another rant = badly written entry.

I've sunk to being a lower lifeform, I think. My thoughts no longer pricked at intelligent conversation or analysis. These few days have been consigned to levelling up my dwarven hunter on world of warcraft amidst sitting in a mindless stupor in the dump I call my room.

Proud to say, he's level 30 now. 10 more levels and I get a mount.

Right. I like the game but it simply saps away time and thought like a black hole. These few days have been a quagmire of hours of gaming, fruitless dealings on the phone for internship positions.. of which all my applications have been rejected.. and catching few hours of sleep here and there. Here, on my blog.. to my friends.. allow me to rant that despite having a first class honours GPA, solid CCA achievements and a scholarship to boot.. I can't get a position to be some decent department's "do-all-boy". Suck!

Like Kian Wee said, I'm starting to see shadows and spectres behind the rejections.

I think its not what you do.. it's who you know and who your dad is.

Two islands in this sea of wretched living. The first was catching Pensyair Bersepah (i think thats what they're called.. closest translation i can come up with would be.. mess of poets?) during Gema Temasek a week ago. Spoken word and poetry with percussion, guitar, flute. Honestly, it was both a highlight and a mistake to have them during Gema Temasek, which was malay sketch and dance put up by malay temasek junior college students. The poetry made the jc theatre piece wrapped around the pensyair bersepah performance seem pale and weak in comparison. But amazing effort for theatre at JC level. I can't imagine the SAJC malay kids my year attempting even a quarter of it.

But oh, spoken word. The beauty of stepping up onto a stage and simply saying it as it is.. inspiring. Inspired.

The other island was going to teater ekamantra's piece last night. Mentah 3: Barisan Puteri Puteri.

After a year of watching student theatre productions, I was amazed at the calibre of the performers. Not the best but impressive nonetheless. The show was in 3 pieces and the first two had feminist undertones. It was a good piece of luck to have bumped into Fezhah at the coffeeshop situtated opposite substation. She wrote the second piece and invited me to the show. The second piece struck quite a chord with me.. it's title was "the story of Sita as told by she". It struck a particular chord because it featured 3 different women in a similar scenario and one being Sita of the Ramayana. Having done Wayang Ramayana last year, I immediately recognized the scenes and the message. I only found the "undergraduate girl" part of the play a little detached from the rest. I felt that was Fezhah trying to communicate herself through the play but somehow it didn't seem to flow with the rest.

I'm all praises for Mentah 3. Good thing too that Yumi was spontaneous enough to agree to come along to watch. We hung out at Timbre with Syed and Sofia for abit after that. Friday night was fun.

Oh. Saturday morning was interesting too. 5 hours after I got home on Friday night, I was on my way to school to be a tarian (malay dance) dancer for this video that was being prepared for this year's convocation. Quite an experience to come down with more than half my brain still shut down.. learn dance steps and then execute them almost immediately around umbrella-wielding students in a field. Surreal, I know. Need to get that video.

And need to get a real life. No one owes me one. I'm going to get out and do something meaningful.. and not going to let internship rejections and the fact that I got kicked out of a band by a friend that I thought I was close to get me down.

You just watch.

Equality, fairness and justice are not expensive commodities.

It is 430 in the morning and I was intending to move away from blogging about politics for a bit but I am motivated to reply to a particularly long comment.

First of all, nobody is complaining against the fact that Singapore is doing quite prosperously. We need to thank everyone who had a part in it. The ruling party and its leader, the people of Singapore who built the country, the British, the Dutch Economist that advised the government on how to build the country from 3rd world to 1st, etc. We are all very grateful.

But the issue here is that it is a hierarchy of needs. The first layer would be basic sustenance, the stuff we need to survive from day to day. The second would probably be the stuff we're enjoying in Singapore, relative prosperity.. low crime, clean streets. These needs have been met by the PAP and the way it runs the country. We are grateful. The next layer of needs would then extend to the kind of values that we would like to have in our society. A sense of fair-play. A just society.. a free judiciary. A country where the citizen feels that he has a voice and a say. It is not only the young that asks for this and I dont believe that asking for such is wrong. I believe that these people are justified in their disquiet over the "dangle of 100 million dollars in upgrading" to buy their votes or the various other tactics that the PAP has pulled during the elections, whatever they are.

We talk about how the government has brought Singapore to its present state and how we do not show our gratitude by complaining and pointing out what the PAP is doing wrong. It is wrong not to show our gratitude and so we must. However, we should also be allowed to speak our mind up on things we dont agree with. Done constructively, it is reasonable to insist on this right.

So you say we're not thinking about the bigger picture (as in the many things we take for granted) when we speak our mind up on what we're unhappy with. The fact is, we can have our prosperity as well as a sense of fair play and justice. It is not an either-or. We are not in the hostile political environment of the 1960s where people in politics had their lives openly threatened. It is not completely docile but you cannot disagree that is not as hostile as it was before. Soften up a bit then. I don't think the hatchet needs to be taken out at every possible opportunity.

The real question is do the ends justify the means? Is high GDP growth reasonable justification for politically motivated character assassination? Singapore's history, what Singapore is, what the government has done.. does it justify covering up what it has not done.. and justify what it does wrong.. and justify shutting an eye to what is obviously the wrong thing to do?

Surely all the good things we enjoy as citizens of this country does not justify acts like the detainment of Mr Chia Thye Poh for 23 years without trial.

The other question, and no one can really conclusively provide an answer, is yes the government is good.. but can it be better? Can we ask whether the country could be better run if it was not in the hands of the PAP? The answer would most probably be that there are few who could have done or could do a better job than the PAP in running Singapore today. But it is wrong to say that nobody else would or could have come around and led Singapore to where it is today if MM Lee didn't.

I am grateful for the relatively clean and efficient government we have in Singapore compared to the rest of the world. I am grateful for the infrastructure, the low-crime rate, the cleanliness, the affordable education rate and the peace that all Singaporeans enjoy everyday. All Singaporeans except for those currently being detained or in some form or other feeling the brunt of the hatchet.

Your vote is secret.

I wanted to blog about the many election tactics the PAP has dealt out that just doesn't sit well with the image of a first-class government.

But I realized that there really isn't any point. It got me started on thinking whether these tactics were justified. The PAP had to do whatever it had to do to stay in power, for the good of the country. The ends justify the means. In a broader perspective, perhaps it does. We need to prevent the oppostion from stepping in and destroying the PAP's good works. For the good of the country, we need to do whatever it takes to prevent that.

This is assuming that the members of the opposition are all utterly incapable and are all bent on their own selfish agendas. I'll leave it to you to decide whether this assumption is true.

Walking away from the 2006 general elections, I was most impressed with the Workers' Party manifesto (even in comparison with PAP's). I was most appalled when the Prime Minister said that having 10, 20, 30 opposition members in parliament meant that he had to devote his time and energy to "fix" them (which he got his secretary to apologize on his behalf for the use of this word if it offended). He then said that he meant he needed to argue policies back and forth with them.. and questioned Singaporeans if that was what we wanted.

Yes. That IS what we want.

I was most disgusted with the buying of votes through offering lift-upgrading worth up to 100 million dollars of taxpayers money. However, I am sure that the government realizes that the growing young population is educated and will probably not be bought over by lift-upgrading. Hopefully.

I am quite surprised at the number of Singaporeans that actually cared about politics. So many came to rallies, discussed on blogs, turned up to support their parties. And at least a decent number of my young friends were stirred by the elections. More than I expected but of course very much less than what it should be. Quite a number of my friends asked me about how my vote went. I didn't vote. I am in the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, we had a walkover. It really shouldn't only matter to you when you need to cast a vote. This is our country. It is supposed to be a democratic one. The service required to build this country comes not solely from the men in white. It also does not come from the critic that stands aloof from the contest. It comes from the men who joins the battle and bear their part.

15 minutes that meant quite a bit to her.

I went to school today and spoke to the malay cleaner auntie. She cleans the School of Information Systems, is over 65 and lives by herself in a one-room-one-hall HDB apartment in Toa Payoh. I say apartment like it implies something grand.

Like I said she lives alone and so when she gets the rare listening ear, she pours out. I like listening to her, she reminds me a bit of my late grandmother. She talked to me about the trouble she has taking the MRT. She didn't have much of an education and can only really speak and read Malay, barely any English. There simply isn't a way for the old uneducated to get around all the obstacles that an MRT trip presents; the EZ-link system, platform jumping and train direction to get to where they want to go. She has only taken the MRT twice in her life and both accompanied. She never dares to go by herself.

She told me she always stick to buses but it seems her senior citizen concessionary really only seems to kick in at night.

"Mana orang tua nak keluar malam malam?" or "How many old people go out during the night?" she pointed out, saying that whoever was in charge of deciding that was smart. Of course they were smart, she followed, or else how to be part of the Government? That phrase was quite thought-provoking.

She did take the MRT yesterday. She went out with a friend to Geylang. She never really goes out, she says, and it was nice just spending time eating and drinking outside rather than always going home after work. There was a huge "pasar malam" or night market in Geylang Serai. At least the Government give us something.. better than nothing, she says.

She then told me she received a letter from the government. I figured that it was the Progress Package letter as she knew she was expecting some kind of money from the Government. A bonus she said that the government is giving to the people who are working like her who usually don't get bonuses. Problem was, she said to me in Malay, the letter was in English and Mandarin and so she couldn't read it.

But I am sure she would have read the PAP booklet detailing the background of the MPs in her area (if it was contested) because it comes in 4 languages.

The problem was also compounded by the fact that none of her neighbours were English-educated Malays. All her neighbours were mainly old, uneducated Chinese. There was an indian family that couldn't communicate to her in Malay. She lives pretty much alone in that place but I'm sure the mix of races is good for racial integration.

She went down to the Community Centre. It's a long walk but she trekked all the way there to try and get some of the kids there to read the letter for her. They read it and helped her get the Progress Package cheque.

It was also that same community centre, she told me, where she had gotten her special medical scheme card. It appears that senior citizens can apply for a discount on medical expenses. She took out her wallet (wrapped and tied in a plastic bag) and showed me her card. I noted there was no money in the wallet. The card, available through an application at the community centre, seems to be some kind of medical care scheme provided by the Central CDC. She wished she knew about it earlier, she said, but its okay.. at least she has some discount when she goes to see the doctor next month. 30-40 dollars rather than the usual 70 dollars. I think her salary is barely a few hundred dollars.

I would never had known her plight if I didn't take those 15 minutes to listen to her. I didn't expect to hear a senior citizen to be so marginalized in today's society. I blindly expected that all these people will somehow be taken care of by the government with the flawless track record. At least now I know better.

Elections.. what is it about?

What is an election?

An election is the process by which the people of a democratic country choose their constituency leaders. These leaders will manage the constituency (or the area you're living in), represent your needs when necessary as well as be a member of parliament.

Parliament is the law-making body in the country. What this means is that the policies and laws that govern Singapore and Singaporeans are passed and made by this body. The members of the parliament are all elected in (except NMPs).

The ruling party (the party to which the majority of the members belong to) in the parliament then becomes the government. A prime minister is appointed from this ruling party and he elects his cabinet of ministers (e.g. Defence Minister) from his party of elected ministers.

Through this process of democracy, all leaders would have had the mandate to lead the people.

What is a democracy?

1. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
2. A political or social unit that has such a government.
3. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
4. Majority rule.
5. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

The right to choose who rules leads you is vested in the people. The people exercises this right to choose.

So is it democracy if the people are ignorant or are too afraid to exercise this right? I'm not too sure.

I used to think Singaporeans were ignorant. Some are.. but I have realized that most are not. Most were afraid. I honestly believed the PAP would know if you voted against them. I remember growing up wishing that nothing would happen to my parents if they had chose to vote opposition.

But then Minister Mentor Lee said on national television, the PAP does not know your vote. How can we tell? Come off it, you mean to say you're afraid?

So, boss.. means nothing to be afraid of ah? So can exercise vote is it? Can choose opposition? Can support opposition? Nothing will happen to me if I go opposition rally?

Okay!



The recent Worker's Party Rally at Hougang

I think the floodgates have been opened. Singaporeans recognize the benefits of having substantial opposition in the house of Parliament. I hope and predict that this would happen. Why?

a. The fear of retribution when one votes against the PAP has been pushed aside by the MM himself. If something does happen, Singaporeans have mandate to complain in force.

b. Opposition has stepped up. Look at Worker's Party manifesto compared to PAP's

c. PM Lee Hsien Loong isn't SM Goh Chok Tong. The SM was able to connect to the people more, I believe. Also, no matter what the MM says about the PM being an individual mind, the fact remains that the PM is the son of the MM. The PM has a lot to win over.

d. We really need the presence of opposition to check and balance the government. At this point in time, we don't want to wait for a scholar to come up and do it.. anyone decent will do.

e. Singaporeans are affected more by the lack of a political playing field than the fact that their lift hasn't been stopping at their floor for the last 5 years. The buying of votes through offering this is more of an insult than an incentive. It is about what's just now, the lower hierarchy needs have been met. If we were all starving and PAP offered food, there wouldn't be an issue.

So what does this mean? Bring down the PAP? Hardly. The crux of the matter is about democracy. The political power lies with the people but this will only be true if we choose to exercise it. If we do not feel that we have in ourselves this right to choose our leaders then at least we should stop kidding ourselves that we are in democratic country. For that would mean we would be lying to ourselves.

Are you going to be exercising your vote?