Informed citizenry
From SgWiki
Informed citizenry: The big question seemingly unimportant and often taboo among a sector of the population is this,
- "Politics is only for the politicians" , namely the PAP and the opposition. Consequently Singaporeans are by far the most "uninformed citizenry" in contrast with the number of percentage of university degrees holders in any western or democratic state or Country. Ignorance is a "state of bliss" that we have lived and we all trusted the Garmen to do their jobs. Yet the state of bliss is coming to be a kind of addiction. Eventually it meant the death of self-realization of personal identity and the total lack of a national spirit.
Ask a Singaporean "what is a Singaporean" most people cannot tell. It meant no difference until someone goes outside Singapore, then maybe the spirit of identifying with the Country and their people become awaken. Ask a soldier of Singapore, "will you die for Singapore, when there is a war?" Typical response: I hope to migrate and avoid this fate.
· The place of a truly informed citizenry would have given a national spirit a real booster better than any program or national day display on August the 9th. I remembered when I taught good citizenry class to those national service young men in the Vigilante Corps in the 60s, they (those young men) thought it was government propaganda, (has the situation among our NS changed?. I wonder!) yet I myself knew it was important to incalculated a spirit which definitely is far more valuable than the arms of weapons of war we spent on. Our protection and prevention for our heritage and our people must be the morale and spirit among our soldiers. Our trust in the modern weaponry is definitely a misguided trust, and money does not win wars!
· In contrast, those volunteers fighting the war are winning in many places. Just as the communists in old China won the war on this alone, though the rulers (Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek) had the arms, money and support of the world's greatest power, America. The facts of history repeat itself in Vietnam and many more places elsewhere even to our times: it is the spirit and moral identity of the people with the pride to serve their Country that can conquer all obstacles! Can we afford to have no check or balance or a viable opposition in our national political arena? The day we have no opposition, it will be the death of our Country and our national spirit. Even the common man in the street recognise that! The enemy can come and just walk over and take over Singapore when our young soldiers have no fighting spirit, and no loyaty nor a pride in “our Singapore”! I rather have an informed citizenry anytime than billions in the GIC: Alien talk 13:53, 10 November 2006 (EST)

