So by now the internet and local media is abuzz with the latest National Day Rally by PM Lee Hsien Loong. The state press in its usual oh-so-North Korea style has nothing but plaudits and heavily laden praise for his speech, while the local netizens have been nothing but scornful and cynical.
Personally, my reaction (after reading the bullet points on the PMO website) was more "meh" than anything else. Uneventful as my Sunday was, I didn't wish to further bore myself by watching crap. And the next day's headlines totally justified it.
Let's see, "$9000 to be given to NSmen" reads like a good soundbite, until you realise that most of it will be locked up in CPF i.e. going back to the government anyway. Yeah sure, tell us it's for housing and crap when all along prices have been elevated beyond any reasonable levels. It's like selling rice at an over-inflated premium and then giving you a 10% voucher for it.
What else? Oh yeah, a feeble acknowledgement of how public transport is so over-crowded and how they're going to spend BILLIONS fixing the problem?! Sure, jack up transport costs and then tell us you're looking into adding trains and extending platforms. Thing is, after all these are done, how much MORE are we going to be charged, AGAIN?
One line made me snigger though. He said that if you were not able to get into the first train, be rest assured that you should be able to board the next one. What happened to that joke of a SMRT CEO saying crap like "People can board the trains, it's whether they want to" ? Did the camera pan to her reddened face in the audience? Did she even get an e-invite in the first place? ROFL.
Usual drivel on how foreign talent is here to stay and create more jobs. What's really laughable were the examples he chose to employ. The bus captain who touched lives and sparked off the flood (yeah guess what I'm gonna rant on next :P ) of sentimental letters made me laugh. Maudlin as it sounded, it really begged the question of "Is that it? Bring on the foreigners because we're going to get better bus service!" The way he talked about it, you would have thought the decades of local bus captains prior were all a sullen lot.
I could go on picking his speech apart but let me sum it up. It held N-O-T-H-I-N-G of interest to me as an ordinary citizen. No mention or acknowledgement was given towards the very real fears and dreams of Singaporeans. Nothing substantial about managing the cost of living or base wages. Not a peep about how the government realizes how certain policies may have NOT worked and are looking to address them. Not even a blush on the Orchard Road floods debacle nor an apology the very-real on the ground anti sentiment towards the recently concluded YOG. Forget about the lapse in security in the Mas Selamat or MRT vandalism cases too please. Housing costs have risen at such an astronomical rate it's laughable how young couples are able to afford one, much less consider having babies, so now we finally get a "We're looking into it" a little too late. Seriously, the list could go on and on. Instead we were treated to a rambling monologue more focused on patting himself and his gerry-rigged Cabinet on the back.
I doubt anyone was naive enough to think that our PM would have the guts or gumption to actually step up and say, "We need an open discourse. We know many of you are feeling unhappy and worried. There are bread and butter issues that bother us all. We also need a debate on the death penalty; so many developed countries have signed a moratorium on this. We also need to work towards recognising minorities in our society, racial, sexual and the disadvantaged." Was anyone actually hopeful that for once, our Prime Minister would say something that resonates? Yeah right, keep on dreaming Singapore.
While Singapore may be a great place to do business, it is a lousy place to call home. Because home is where you choose to make a stand and fight for if the need calls for it. Right now, this "country" is more like a hotel. It's run with a 5-star efficiency, with the best amenities and facilities you may ask for. Based on your means, you may live in a deluxe, suite or penthouse unit. The moment something goes wrong, you make a complaint to the management and hope they listen. You don't really have a say in how things are run or managed. Speak out and don't be surprised if security comes knocking on your door. If you don't like it and have the means, check out and book into another I may rave about the good times I have in a hotel, but when it's on fire or worse, attacked by terrorists, hell if I'm going to do anything else other than grab my own stuff and run. Put out the flames and help out? That's what the management is for, man.
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