Who Moved My Singapore Cheese

I've noticed in recent months that the mainstream media really have started to report in a very reactive manner.. They are always reacting to news which have already been published in alternative media...especially those from The Online Citizen and Temasek Review; I feel that this is the result of the continuous mass migration of readers to alternative media and no longer placing their trust in the mainstream media, hence "forcing their hands"...

Now that even our "mainstream" politician PM Lee is changing his stance and tact to the same ones as those of our opposition parties at the recent "Perspectives Forum", saying stuff previously unheard of in the PAP camp like - “Our own population is growing slowly, and we cannot indefinitely expand our workforce by importing more and more workers from abroad.” - I can finally sense the earth beneath Singapore's political scene shifting.

Damn...I have been saying this to my friends nearly 2 years ago when I first heard of PAP's intention to ramp population up to 6.5 million in our country.. Singapore cannot think she is Canada. Immigrating our way to GDP growth targets is such a juvenile and simple-minded strategy that I cannot for the life of me understand how it is possible these scholarly politicians could have not realized. I've also said to my friends before...hey, look, the Japanese and Germans will always be renowned for their automobiles, the Swiss for their watches (and recently Ricola sweets =P ), the Finnish for Nokia phones and Swedish for Ericsson phones and Volvo and Saab cars...heck even the Belgians for their chocolates - but what do we have? You might say, hey, look we were just a fishing village 50 yrs ago ok? Well I have news for you. Of the four "Asian dragons", the South Koreans now have Hyundai and Kia brands, the Taiwanese have successfully moved on from Original-Equipment-Manufacturing (OEM) days to becoming Own-Design-Manufacturers (ODM) and even more recently Own-Brand-Manufacturers (OBM) now..that's where we get brands like ASUS laptops, HTC phones...as for Hongkong, it is difficult to compare because of their peculiar proximity to China serving as its hinterland.

There are many more things Singapore could have established itself as, if there were better ideas coming out of our leadership. Ideas are free. But because the political scene has been stifled, and many industries are often semi-nationalized through Government-linked Corporates, we have sat on our bloody laurels themed after low-cost manufacturing and low-tax banking industry for waaay too long. What did we do when low-cost textile manufacturers shifted away to Shenzen in the late 80s and early 90s? We went to pursue low-cost manufacturing in other product areas...
It doesn't take a scholar to devise such simplistic economical cures. All it takes is some political competition for better ideas to start flowing...

What could we have been without PAP hovering over the nation as the one and only almighty power? We could be still a fishing village no doubt, but maybe today Singapore would be known the world over for being the best at high-tech fish-farming for example. We need to stop with the "le-long! le-long! cheap! cheap!" economic mindset of the past 50 years and play catch up with the rest of the world now. We need to start thinking more socialistic for the good of the poorer citizens and we need to start thinking more happiness and less dollars and cents. We need to have less speculation, more real growth, less social unfairness, less media policing, more critical thinking in school. We need to re-do so many things around here! It is long overdue and I am glad now any Singaporean with a brain and an internet-connection can have a voice to be heard!~

TALKING ABOUT A REVOLUTION - TRACY CHAPMAN



Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Don't you know they're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper

While they're standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion

Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper

Poor people are gonna rise up
And get their share
Poor people are gonna rise up
And take what's theirs

Don't you know you better run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run
Oh I said you better run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run

Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution
Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no

While they're standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion

Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper

And finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution
Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no