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Your
Letters
01 Nov
07
Hello
SDP,
I wish to express my sincere admiration for all your
hard work and determination. If only the world had more people
like yourselves who believe in a decent and respectful way of
life, rather than the present regime in Singapore who are only
interested in power, greed, and domination.
They are
unfortunately supported by many western 'free thinking' countries
who conveniently turn a blind eye for their own interests. The
very best of luck in all your endeavours.
EUGENE
SDP's
reply:
Hello, Eugene,
Thank you for writing
us. Encouragement like yours goes a long way in motivating us in
our struggle for a better society. Beyond that, I wonder if you
would like to help us in some tangible way. Getting involved in
our activities and/or contributing
to the cause
are
but two of many ways you can help build a better
Singapore.
Dear SDP,
Currently
Singapore is still doing okay economically. As long as the
majority of Singaporeans can put food on their tables and earn a
living, they will feel no great motivation to change governments
or do any major upheaval to the political scene.
But can
anyone guarantee this will be the case forever?
Without
real democracy in Singapore, if and when it comes to the day that
Singaporeans realize their livelihood is in jeopardy and they can
no longer sustain themselves, will they have the political power
to change governments peacefully?
Without real democracy,
there are no safeguards for Singaporeans.
Already as it
is, the poor are suffering as their wages have outright declined
over the past 10 years and they are not protected by any minimum
wage. Singaporeans are also being displaced by large number of
foreigners, many of whom are merely using Singapore as a stepping
stone.
So while it is true that we are presently better
off than many other countries in terms of standard of living,
there are hidden cracks that lurk beneath our society, which we
must address now. Because you never know when the day would come
when we need to actively use our democratic rights to determine
our own national destiny.
NG E-JAY
SDP's
reply:
Dear Ng E-Jay,
This is what we have
been trying to impress upon Singaporeans all these years. Along
the way, we have been criticised for emphasizing on democratic
ideals and not bread-and-butter issues.
And yet without a
democratic voice, Singaporeans cannot change policies instituted
by the PAP. You've heard of the adage of teaching people how to
fish instead of giving them fish. We must push on.
We
remain hopeful because with the Internet we can reach more
people. People like you have taken an interest in the matter and
that means we have one more voice to change yet more minds. It
takes the commitment of the few to turn the masses around.
In
the meantime, please keep in touch and continue to encourage
those around you.
To whom it may concern,
I
have just seen a video of those who were arrested for exercising
their right for free speech in a democratic country that is
Singapore. The more I analyse the situation, the more
disillusioned I get at the thought of just how backwards the
government really is.
I commend the government for not
supporting Burma's brutal regime, but I do feel that it should
practise what it preaches about democracy.
Anything else would
be hypocrisy.
I am in full support of Singapore's
democratic movement despite me being an Australian citizen,
originally from Malaysia. I understand that Malaysia too has
issues of its own and very much interested in local and
international politics.
The truth is something that is
perceived as something so hard to do, yet is probably the easiest
to accomplish. The trouble is the baggage and accountability that
comes with it.
Those are my views and I hope that the
South East Asian region will one day be united in fostering true
democratic processes.
Please keep up the good work. I hope
to hear good news in the future.
SING CHIEN ONG
Archive
of your letters from 21 Oct 07 here
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