01S70

Wow. Some very passionate views about Singapore out there but aren't you guys getting a little too 'anti-Singapore'?

Singapore is not perfect; we've often been described as a nanny state, one in which we have too many rules and regulations governing our political freedom. But is this really so bad? Honestly I don't see what's the big deal about the 5th amendment; look at how its been corrupted and twisted to serve the evil horrible criminals in Law & Order etc. :) As Lippy (2005) mentioned, there are heaps of forums out there for people to talk and vent their frustrations in, so get out there and talk all you want. Want action? Go join the young PA and make your voices heard. It is not only in Singapore that petitions fail to make a difference. Why not try doing things their way instead? As the age-old axiom goes, if you can't beat them, join them.

The print media in Singapore spouts government gibberish which is expected. All newspapers have a slant; the New York Times is liberal leaning and the Economist is liberal as well. Are you going to throw tomatoes at them for representing their news as such? Take what you read with a pinch (or a handful) of salt. Frankly, when u get out of Singapore, you'll miss that you can walk in the streets at night without fear, without worrying that some guy in his car will lean his head out and scream at you Fucking Asian. So much for free speech huh?

Yes, having a perfect government would be nice. But having a meritocratic government isn't so bad. I envy people who can break bonds; at least they have bonds to break anyway. Afterall they've managed to obtain a world-class education and probably will find a great job at some MNC somewhere which pays them 4K a mth (believe me, my housemate earned that in her first SIX months) which basically allows them to pay the government off easily. Remember also that students in America frequently graduate with huge student loans while our students complain because university fees have risen by a couple of percent to a mere couple thousand a year.

Singaporeans feel disenfranchised by the Singaporean system. Is this the voice of the over-privileged? True, exams are stressful and the system is rigidly structured but so what? Its all relative; students elsewhere feel that their systems suck too. It is rare for students here to not hold a job while they study; most students work part-time through school and by school I don't mean Uni. A friend of mine is a brilliant student who, unfortunately, was beaten up last week by a bunch of punks and had temporary amnesia. A day after the incident, he was back in Uni and work without complaint. Tell me, how many Singaporean students can attest to that?

My point is, while I'm not a PAP sycophant, why concentrate on the bad? Slow down, smell the flowers and look on the bright side. I love Singapore not only because I grew up there and my family is there, but because its a nice oasis of regulated calm in the craziness of the world. Yes we do have our crazy rich people who run around taking secondhand textbooks, but we also have crazy rich people stealing donated stuff from Salvos stores. Crazy rich nuts do not only grow in Singapore.

Glass is half full people. Not half empty.