Petition : Singapore_Prime_Minister_Lee_Resign_from_Office/
Let me weight in on what cause this petition to arise. PM Lee said that Singapore belongs to everyone staying here in Singapore including Foreigners on work permit passes. It may be a slip of the tongue or an intentional way of pacifying the foreigners who have bore the brunt of anti-foreigner sentiment in Singapore.
I doubt that the speech writers for PM Lee would have made such an insensitive boo-boo in the midst of so much dissatisfaction. So I discount the possibility of it being a slip of tongue, especially since the phrase was crafted with much thought behind it “Singaporeans, new arrivals, people who are on permanent residence here, people who are on employment pass here, (are) all participating in one big Singapore family … So that we feel that this is a place which is special, which belongs to all of us and where we all celebrate one another’s festivals and happy events together.” If that is the case, it is extremely disturbing on what it implies and that the statement was deliberate. It means that so long as you are physically here in Singapore, regardless of what ever contributions, service, family roots, etc, you own a piece of Singapore's land, resources and wealth. Is PM Lee so desperate to welcome any and everyone to Singapore? Are all the talk about nation building and national service just hog-wash?
The petition is unlikely to change anything, but at least it will highlight the displeasure and frustrations of all Singaporeans on such thoughtless remarks from our so-called leader. So I urge all who are unhappy with his statement to sign the petition. The alternative of keeping quiet and letting everything slip-by was the mistake Singaporeans have made for too long a time.
No comments:
Post a Comment