Sunday, November 19
11/19/2006 08:05:00 PM
Sadly, we have no ideas
How many times have you heard these remarks?
"We can't do that."
"Your idea is stupid. Don't waste our time."
"It does not make any sense."
"We already know that. Don't reinvent the wheel."
Ever since 1959, the PAP has one way or the other employed the tactic of rooting out the creativity juices of Singaporeans or denying Singaporeans the opportunity to really voice out their opinions. This has subtly created a sense of fear among the populace of speaking up against the administration and its policies.
Why fear? Fear is paralysing.The fear of being judged, looking stupid, being wrong or feeling like a failure can take away all your creativity energy and conviction.
The PAP feel threatened by new ideas. They tend to promote an environment in which Singaporeans do their jobs and nothing more. This atomsphere hinders creativity and induces fear in Singaporeans, thereby hampering the chances of the opposition to grow and diversify.
What is stopping Singaporeans to voice out?
1. No sense of personal responsibility - I don't feel responsible/ rooted to the future of Singapore
2. Fear - If I contribute new ideas, people might think I am a troublemaker.
3. The usual soultions - PAP has always delivered what it promises, thus I should adopt a conventional approach in solving problems.
4. Narrow-minded peer acceptance - The people around me are not open to new/ wild ideas.
5. Red tape - I don't bring up my ideas because my ideas would violate the PAP's policies and procedures.
6. Bipolar thinking - I look at 2 alternatives. I thrive in terms of an 'either-or' solution.
What I think the PAP should do.
The PAP should lighten up and give Singaporeans the green light to do the same. It does not follow that just because the issue discussed is important, everyone needs to be serious and obeyed the rules. A little bit of humour and flexibility goes a long way.
The PAP leadership should adopt the corporate mantra from the highest echleon to the lowest in tha party: "I am open minded. I have good ideas. I am a creative problem solver. I want to break boundaries."
They should change their established ways of thinking and allow flashes of inspiration to come. Like any new skill and effort, becoming more creative takes time and effort. The same applies for creating a politically conscious population.
This is what I would suggest to the PAP.
1. Liberalise the mainstream media. Allow ideas and opposing viewpoints to flourish.
2. Allow schools to form political clubs and associations where the interests of the school populace is fought and national issues debated. Political organisations should be allowed entry into educational institutions.
3. Lower Voting age to 18. (Singapore is one of the only few countries where the legal voting age is fixed at 21)
4. Membership age to join any political party should be lowered to 15.
Political consciousness and awareness and eventually politcal creativity is not just the domain of a talented few. It can be fostered and revived. You just need to start working on it right now.
But the fundamental obstacle is this: Singapore still lacked a just and magnanimous ruling party. Elitism more than anything else I suppose.
"We can't do that."
"Your idea is stupid. Don't waste our time."
"It does not make any sense."
"We already know that. Don't reinvent the wheel."
Ever since 1959, the PAP has one way or the other employed the tactic of rooting out the creativity juices of Singaporeans or denying Singaporeans the opportunity to really voice out their opinions. This has subtly created a sense of fear among the populace of speaking up against the administration and its policies.
Why fear? Fear is paralysing.The fear of being judged, looking stupid, being wrong or feeling like a failure can take away all your creativity energy and conviction.
The PAP feel threatened by new ideas. They tend to promote an environment in which Singaporeans do their jobs and nothing more. This atomsphere hinders creativity and induces fear in Singaporeans, thereby hampering the chances of the opposition to grow and diversify.
What is stopping Singaporeans to voice out?
1. No sense of personal responsibility - I don't feel responsible/ rooted to the future of Singapore
2. Fear - If I contribute new ideas, people might think I am a troublemaker.
3. The usual soultions - PAP has always delivered what it promises, thus I should adopt a conventional approach in solving problems.
4. Narrow-minded peer acceptance - The people around me are not open to new/ wild ideas.
5. Red tape - I don't bring up my ideas because my ideas would violate the PAP's policies and procedures.
6. Bipolar thinking - I look at 2 alternatives. I thrive in terms of an 'either-or' solution.
The PAP should lighten up and give Singaporeans the green light to do the same. It does not follow that just because the issue discussed is important, everyone needs to be serious and obeyed the rules. A little bit of humour and flexibility goes a long way.
The PAP leadership should adopt the corporate mantra from the highest echleon to the lowest in tha party: "I am open minded. I have good ideas. I am a creative problem solver. I want to break boundaries."
They should change their established ways of thinking and allow flashes of inspiration to come. Like any new skill and effort, becoming more creative takes time and effort. The same applies for creating a politically conscious population.
This is what I would suggest to the PAP.
1. Liberalise the mainstream media. Allow ideas and opposing viewpoints to flourish.
2. Allow schools to form political clubs and associations where the interests of the school populace is fought and national issues debated. Political organisations should be allowed entry into educational institutions.
3. Lower Voting age to 18. (Singapore is one of the only few countries where the legal voting age is fixed at 21)
4. Membership age to join any political party should be lowered to 15.
Political consciousness and awareness and eventually politcal creativity is not just the domain of a talented few. It can be fostered and revived. You just need to start working on it right now.
But the fundamental obstacle is this: Singapore still lacked a just and magnanimous ruling party. Elitism more than anything else I suppose.
Comments:
If the voting age gets reduced to 18, the 5-yearly progress package would need to include them too. Maybe in a form of hip hop lessons coupons. Because hip hop is what the teens of Singapore is all about.
The teens in Singapore, as perceived by the PAP is sadly not all about hip hop.
Hip Hop = p65. What an absolute joke. This kinda exposed the generation gap b/w the leaders in the ruling party today and the populace.
Any form of pregress package or Singapore shares should not be treated as an election carrot which the ruling party is so so fond of doing and associating it with.
Rather it should be given as an opportunity to increase participation in our economic and social politic, thereby rooting Singaporeans to Singapore. (We, the PAP, recognised your effort in building up our economy and national reserves.)
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Hip Hop = p65. What an absolute joke. This kinda exposed the generation gap b/w the leaders in the ruling party today and the populace.
Any form of pregress package or Singapore shares should not be treated as an election carrot which the ruling party is so so fond of doing and associating it with.
Rather it should be given as an opportunity to increase participation in our economic and social politic, thereby rooting Singaporeans to Singapore. (We, the PAP, recognised your effort in building up our economy and national reserves.)
# posted by 
: 11/20/2006 01:10:00 PM
: 11/20/2006 01:10:00 PM