Importance of oppositions and alternative views is
perhaps the most powerful message from GE2011. It is a reminder to the PAP: How
far have you moved away from your original objective of government and people’s
action?
Mother’s Day is not just the commercials published in
the media and celebrations at the hotels and restaurants. Have we forgotten the
true love to our mothers so do the PAP to the people?
In the sea of commercials, celebrations, parties, have
we ever thought of what our mothers really want, perhaps just a company: to
stay with them, talk to them, cook for them, play with them etc.
For the PAP, with all the bombardments of inclusiveness,
profits, productivity, innovations, efficiency, competitiveness, and growth,
has the government really cared about people’s life? Has the government considered
what you really want when they push for high growth of economy and population?
So, we end up with a Mother’s Day without love, or true
love. The same is for the PAP’s economic
and social policy. There is no real
bonding between the government and the people.
What they are concerned is money, profit and productivity. And to cover up, they come out with
commercials in the forms of propaganda.
When asked whether you love your mother or not, the answer
usual is yes. But how true is it? When you ask the PAP, whether you care about
the people or not, the answer is also yes. Then you ask yourself whether these
answers are true. Both answers could be
incorrect if you answer it deep from your heart.
What is the true meaning of Mother’s Day?
[Mother's
Day is a celebration honouring mothers and celebrating motherhood,
maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society.
The
modern holiday was first celebrated in the U.S. in 1907, when Anna Jarvis held
a memorial for her mother. She then began a campaign to make "Mother's
Day" a recognized holiday in the US. Although she was successful in 1914,
she was already disappointed with its commercialization by the 1920s. Jarvis'
holiday was adopted by other countries and it's now celebrated all over the
world.
……..
Nine
years after the first official United States Mother's Day, commercialization of
the holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself
became a major opponent of what the holiday had become and spent all her
inheritance and the rest of her life fighting what she saw as an abuse of the
celebration.
(Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day)]
Mother’s Day may have lost the original meaning longer
ago. However, the commercialisation has become so successful and powerful.
Everyone knows about Mother’s Day even though we may not know the true and real
meaning. For the PAP, everything is commercialisation and figure; they too have
lost the true and real meaning of governing. What they are doing now is quite
different from what they wanted to achieve in 1959.
Is commercialisation really that bad? One may argue at
least there is a reminder to remember mothers and their contributions. In addition, it contributes to economic
growth. This is a ‘killing 2 birds’ action. The PAP is buying this argument. If
no new immigrants, no foreign talents, our growth will be affected. If no
productivity improvement, wages cannot be increased. So, some meanings may have
lost but there are monetary gains.
Sometime, it is right. Sometime, it is wrong;
especially when it becomes too commercial and only benefits some (and minority
of) people. No matter what the outside changes,
our mothers have the feeling and need the caring, so do the people - Singaporeans.
There is always a limit that commercial and economic growth can achieve.
And we have gone beyond the limit. GE2011 is just another
reminder we are pushing ourselves beyond our capabilities. Hence, we hear more
alternative views, even those who used to be associated with the PAP.
Always remember: rich praying is valueless comparing to
poor caring. (祭之丰
不如养之薄也).
We can have all the beautiful things, but what are the uses if our mothers have
no opportunity to enjoy them.
Last year GE was happened just before Mother’s Day and
it is a notice to the PAP to care more about the people. Voices from the
oppositions and netizens, alternative views from the academics and pro-PAP
supporters have flourished and voiced their concerns: Not to lose the origin
of serving, remember the duty of the government.
Comments
Post a Comment