Political Commentary, Speech
Singapore: The Inconvenient Truth
Recorded from a speech made on February 22, 2008 at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
Recorded from a speech made on February 22, 2008 at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
It appears the video link is wrong. Instead of the video, there is a white blank square.
February 27th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
sarek_home, There’s nothing wrong with the video link. In all probability, you do not have FlashPlayer installed.
February 28th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Wow. I look forward to your next commentary infused with your unique style of “political fiction”.
March 2nd, 2008 at 5:53 am
I enjoyed that very much – thanks
March 5th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
A colleague of my friend told her once that she had to vote for the PAP. Why? She said her son is going to be registered for the PAP kindergarten. If she do not vote for them, they will know and she will lose her place in the kindergarten. She is an educated working lady. So you can see the fear. And I do not think it is only the minority but the majority has this fear.
March 6th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
My mom made sure we vote for PPP .. because she said.. she will “get it” .. if we donch.. since she worked in the hospital previously. Yes.. an unspoken fear.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Dear Catherine, Thank you for shedding some light into my years of unexplained or shall I say repressed anger about the people up there. I’ve always known you as a novelist but only realised recently how a political voice you are, I’m so out of sync. It feels a little like the Matrix movie for me. An awakening. Nevertheless, I shall now remain fondly attached to your ideas and your up coming events.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Hey Catherine,
Is there any way I can download your video and watch it on my computer? I’m on a unstable internet connection so it’s better for me to download it then watch it.
Thanks for your help.
Regards Jeremy
ps. first book i read of yours is Little Ironies. Thanks for speaking out for greater openness.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Hi Poh Imm, I am from Kulim, St Anne’s Convent, and I don’t know if you can remember me, but I was your classmate. I’d like to talk to you, so give me a call at 63485921.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Bravo, I thoroughly enjoyed your speech which truthfully says it all like it is. I have always enjoyed your writings since I read your article “Isle of Yew” in the Asia Magazine many years ago and I still have that cutting of the unique article. If ever you visit down under, contact me as I have a story indeed for you which would give you an idea for your next book (like the old guy pausing to take his medication)
March 25th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Hi Catherine,
My respected politician J B Jeyaratnam has been saying this ‘fear’ approx. twenty years ago. Nevertheless, I do respect you too.
March 26th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
http://singaporemind.blogspot.com
The PAP is the best govt possible for the citizens of Singapore. In fact the PAP is the product of the people of Singapore, they are what we ask for in a govt. That is the REAL INCONVENIENT TRUTH!!!!
How many Singaporeans are asking for openness? Except for a few liberals in the academia, somebody by the name of Chee another by the name of JBJ, the rest of us are perfectly happy with the status quo. The only power that matters to Singaporeans is buying power – we are happy as long as we have this power. What is the use of an open govt that allow for open criticisms ….will it enable me to buy more stuff from Harvey Norman?
The real inconvenient truth is Singaporeans are not the same as citizens of other countries. We are truly appreciative of our great govt and understand that they work for our interests. They have the answers…the correct answers to our problems and they provide the best and sufficient explanation to get our acceptance.
Our relationship with our govt is excellent. There is no need for openness – openness is a demand from those who want to introduce tension to this relationship … the Chees and the JBJs of our society whose goal is to prove our govt wrong…and the truth is they are the ones who are wrong. …the inconvenient truth is most Singaporeans know we have the unquestionably best govt in the world one that deserves every cent it is paid. …and more!
March 26th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Hi Catherine
sorry was hoping to email you in private as some of us like to invite you to a film screening
hope that you can reply so that I can furnish you more information
best
March 28th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Manual trackback:
“I recently watched Catherine Lim’s speech “Singapore: An Inconvenient Truth†on her blog and was thinking over some of the things she had said. So I decided it would be useful to have a transcript of it to look over, since I prefer reading to listening, and there are some details in it that are worth scrutinizing more closely…”
April 6th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Good insight on this video! It has been added to Singapore Viewer – a site which compiles and categorizes streaming videos on Singapore society and politics.
http://www.singaporeviewer.blogspot.com
April 7th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Hi Catherine
Gerry de Silva would like to get in touch with you. Please contact us soonest! Thanks, Loretta
April 8th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Anyone who could help me to contact Catherine? May I know her email??? thanks!
April 13th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Reply to Lucky Tan:
Do you want us/or 35% of Singaporeans to take your comment with an “OPEN-heart”?
April 18th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
well said, its the truth that we just hate to admit or say it outright. =)
April 20th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Yes, Lucky Tan is right and I agree with him/her.
The real in-CON-venient Tooth is the 66.6% of Singaporeans who have again and again voted for the PAP to have the power over their lives. This is the real Tooth that is causing the toothache in the jaw and soon to make the mouth unable to eat any food and the rest of the body to go hungry, unless a good dentist can come along and uproot this particular Tooth.
We simply do not know how lucky Singaporeans are to have such a powerful 1st world govt to rule over them for so long!
Lucky Lee.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Hope the government and the opposition able to work together hand-in-hand to look into the so call social problem of the widening income gap of the poor getting poorer, the rich getting richer and the middle class getting nowhere??
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Reply to Lucky Lee
Lucky doesn’t apply exclusively to Singaporean alone. Lucky do also apply to peoples of the First World Economic and military might to another countries. ie Switzerland. I remember many, many years ago, MM has been saying to Singaporean that Singapore would try to achieve “Swiss standard of living”. I would like to add-on is “how lucky is the Swiss also”.
It would be even luckier for you not to have any form of election and opposition in “democratic-Singaopre” also. So there won’t be any decay-tooth and broken-tooth.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Another reply to Lucky Lee
You mentioned “We simply do not know how lucky Singaporeans are to have such a powerful 1st world govt to rule over them for so long!
Only Emperor, King and Dictator rule over someones. In a democratic society, it is the elected-government work for the people and the country.
Oh, my dear King Lucky Lee, have mercy on me pls.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
EXTRA, EXTRA, EXTRA
My idol Mr Robert Kiyosaki has been saying ‘world recession in 15 – 25 years later’ several years ago. This piece of news is nothing new to me. Someone ‘big’ is borrowing his idea recently (i cannot be too open to name that someone cause it involved someone ‘really-big’.)
April 24th, 2008 at 8:54 am
http://catherinelim.sg/2008/04/23/the-mas-selamat-scandal-its-impact-on-the-government-people-relationship/
The Mas Selamat Scandal: Its Impact On The Government-People Relationship
by Catherine Lim
A serious disconnect between the government and the peple has arisen: while the government is still operating from the old perceptual paradigm carried over from a simpler, more innocent era, the people are developing a new one in keeping with the times. They are increasingly aware of new expectations and needs in their roles as citizens in a democratic society, and will no longer respond uncritically to the government’s usual exhortations of ‘Turst us’, ‘Also trust those we have picked to work for us,’ ‘Don’t forget what we have achieved,’ ‘Look at things in perspective’, ‘Let’s move on to more important, bread-and-butter matters,’ etc.
=======================================================
Why was the above posted deleted?
April 28th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
So many have voted for the opposition for years and years and nothing has happened to them. Those who’re still “fearful’” should have their brains scanned.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Dear Dr. Lim,
I’m a Singaporean Ivy-League student (non-scholar) and let me say how very touched I am by what you do! Kudos to you for literally taking a stand. There was a time when I had to analyse your book ‘ Or else the lightning God’ in Secondary 2 and didn’t view you in a very flattering light, but now I’m truly a fan.
What you say is very, very true about the Post-LKY scenario and seriously, I’m not at all impressed by the caliber of Singaporean politicians.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Dear Dr. Lim,
I’m a Singaporean Ivy-League student (non-scholar) and let me say how very touched I am by what you do! Kudos to you for literally taking a stand. There was a time when I had to analyse your book ‘ Or else the lightning God’ in Secondary 2 and didn’t view you in a very flattering light, but now I’m truly a fan.
What you say is very, very true about the Post-LKY scenario and seriously, I’m not at all impressed by the caliber of Singaporean politicians
May 9th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I congratulate Miss.Lim for her doggedly determination to carry on highlighting the weakness or otherwise of the governance of Singapore. I have always followed her arguments with an impartial mind.I remain as always impressed. The young singaporeans should take up her call to challenge, monitor and question the power that be so as to ensure they remain vigilant and relevant and not allow them to get away with their apparent sense of smugness if not complacency as evidence by the dreaded Mas Selamat saga.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Dear Catherine, Thank you so much for being so honest about the state of mind of Singaporeans regarding its politics.
I would just like to respond to your point on Singaporeans not being loyal to the country but rather to the good life. While I do agree that perhaps most are ‘mercenaries’, sometimes one would want to leave the country for other reasons. I myself am one such person and a few friends of mine had shared similar views. The problem is this: Singapore, in its bid be the best, was always (at least during my childhood) a conformist and an unforgiving society and this created a lot of unhappiness in us kids. For e.g. you would have to be good at the PRESCRIBED academics to be well loved the teachers and parents, if you suck at at math but are good at art, well too bad, this society just doesn’t want such ‘weirdos’. I personally suffered greatly under this kind of mindset and thus when I went overseas to a western country to study, I felt more welcomed because the people there tend to accept you for who you are. One could really express him/herself with style without having to fear branding by others (even though the other party may not like it).
So if thats the case, why wouldn’t people, who are not able to fit into the Singapore mainstream, want to migrate? I believe this contributes greatly to why Singapore has one of the highest Emigration rates in the world. It is the making of the top ppl. Too bad…
June 16th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Many people will agreed with your comments on the political culture of S’pore. My personnal opinion, there are three areas that affect the out-come of Singapore future political arenas.
1)S’porean lack the perseverance in pursuit for a democratic society. As you said, it is materialistic versus idealistic.
2) Mindset of the present group of political wannabes and grassroot that has been deeply cultivated. Mainly , the Yes Man and the Tripod.
3)The lack of opening up to diverse group of intellectual individual, unless you are part of them(the PAP),is mainly due to, like you mentioned the PAP has successfully instilled “fear” among S’porean.
Does the novel “The Dark River” by John Twelve Hawk ring a bell to the situation in Singapore?
anyway, Thanks for the bravely. We need that!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Dear Ms Lim,
I admire your resolve to open people’s eyes. From a proponent of one medium to a master of another, I wish you every success.
http://web.mac.com/wowtheworld/iWeb/Site/Blog/A2E10C78-A9A4-4483-B6DF-874DCCC817BA.html
Pochoir2008
October 14th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I recon we can complain all we want. But let us ask ourselves, as singaporeans, how is our lifestyle? Are our needs taken care of? Do we feel safe to walk alone at night? Do we feel that the current leaders will see these difficult times through? I used to complain alot about our country, how undemocratic it is, how regulated we are..etc…etc…. Now that I am older, I am sorry, but I do agree that this is a GREAT place to live in and the PAP did a Wonderful job. YOu can say we should have the same liberal standards as 1st world countries, but I would like to point out to you that the United States is/was a 1st world country. Look at what liberalisation got them and subsequently all of us into? Kids running around with guns killing each other, selfish rich bankers who caused this glogal crisis who only wants to make a quick buck and has no one to control them, the poor with no homes, jobs and future. I think if you compare in that context, our government is so much better. What does liberasation mean to you if one day your child gets killed and you don’t see a future in sight as the government you elected can’t do a good job. Of course, you can compare with the SWISS. Come on people, even among 1st world countries such success cases is far and few. I am sure it took some time for them to perfect it. Given the short history of Singapore, I think we are not doing too bad. As a nation, we complain and complain, when traiffs go up we comlain, (nevermind during the time when the traiff charge was lower than the market price of oil), when ERP goes up, we say the government stuck money….. we can find 1001 ways/things to complain about. Since there are so many complaints, then what are the alternative solutions? Any wise, practical ideas anyone???? If none, the real inconivent truth is that we are just a spoilt generation of complainers.