From: nobody@neva.org (Neva Remailer)
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 02:32:38 +0800
To: cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Singapore & Freedom
Message-ID: <199712081823.MAA10229@dfw-ix13.ix.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain




harish.pillay@brokat.com wrote
>
..much deleted text...
>
>So, yes, the govt does at times choke the entrepreneurship drive
>of the local population, but there are industries where the
>coexistence of private initiative and govt-linked companies have
>been possible and viable.
 
Please advise what industries and the companies involved.


>Let's analyze the premise of an educational system. ....
>It has been a fine balance between a fully liberal system and
>one that generates worker units for the most part of the last
>30-35 years. ...  It will take 5-10 years before an increasingly
>liberal system is in place - an increasing thinking population
>that is part of the global information flow that will
>characterize the next centuries economies.

This last sentence appears to have been taken right out the PAP
policy manual, and it is a good policy statement.  Educational
systems are generally engineered by society to help prepare the
students for life in that society.  In western societies the
educational system is engineered by a number of different groups
in that society in what is thought to be in the best interest of
the society.  Who is doing the planning in Singapore and for what
ends?  I believe you will find Elder Statesman Lee has a major
involvement at this time.  If you look you will find an
accelerated push to generate a more technical population. 
Children in Singapore start school at 5 years of age, after 5
years of schooling, what is the daily homework load for a 10 year
old student??  Three to 5 hours per day?  If this figure is not
correct please advise the correct figure.  What percentage of
parents feel compelled to hire tutors to enhance their child's
education or just so they get good grades?  Is 60% too low?? 
What type of bonuses do school principals receive, is it based on
the overall grade-point average of the students in their school? 
Why the big push?  Who is the primary beneficiary of this push? 
Is this being done for the benefit of the worker units or the
collective good of the controllers of the political group in
power?

Harry and his buddies have done a fantastic job with Singapore
Inc. over the last 40 years.  Harry had a great vision and
splendid execution of that vision.  Problem now is that he is
rather long in the tooth and his people have changed.  Instead of
loosening up and allowing more democratic freedoms Harry and the
boys are finding excuses to state that Singaporeans must work
harder and expect less in the way of freedoms.  Harry has stated
many times that one of the biggest problems with western style
democracies is that the voters can defeat a perfectly good
government and install a bunch of goofs who spoil everything. 
True enough, we sometimes vote goofs into power, but at least we
have the choice.  Harry and the PAP have destroyed every bit of
political opposition or made the opposition unpalatable to the
voters.

>Pray tell me how the SG govt has brought BB into reality? ...

Singapore is surrounded by the Muslim hordes who covet their
wealth and it has no internal security apparatus?  In the 50s
Singapore literally had a den of spies.  The regional den of
spies is now Bangkok.  Why do ya figure they all moved their
operations?? The Singaporeans politely asked them to leave?  Have
you ever had any dealings with your nation's security apparatus? 
If you did you would notice something strange.  You just got
picked up for something that happened last week but these people
know about your whole life.  They know how many hours you spend
at the office, when you are out of the country, who you socialize
with, and any vices you may have.  Maybe they really don't do the
Big Brother thing, they probably just have a crystal ball and got
lucky with a few guesses and bluffed the rest.  If you believe
this last statement I have a real deal for you on some excellent
used cars.

When the Singapore government announced their intent to connect
every household to the Internet they asked every citizen to
become an informant and watch their neighbors (neighbours) for
subversive activity and report any such activity to the
authorities.  Now, if you connect to those 100 restricted porn
sites and saved copies of all you viewed on your computer and the
authorities discovered that porn what would be your fate? Or are
you immune to this threat?

>Interesting that you hide behind an anomymous name...

I notice your government does not like anonymous dissent either.
The standard procedure in Singapore in dealing with trouble
makers is to dig up their records, school, National Service,
employment, and whatever else they can get and then tear the poor
souls apart.  Harry has participated in this tactic many times.

Just so it will not bother you, I admit I am a low-life.  Dropped
out of school, fired from every job, do drugs, abuse alcohol,
guns, no church, beat my kids, beat my wife, beat my dog, and I
hang-out in second-rate strip-joints with bikers who deal drugs
and loanshark.  Plus I collect welfare.....

I use anonymous mail for many reasons.  The reason here should be
pretty obvious.


SingMonger