Skip to main content

‘Sustainable Cognitive Dissonance’: The US is a developed country but Singapore is not. Remaining developing is a sustainable strategy to financially contribute less. ???

 ‘Sustainable Cognitive Dissonance’: 

The US is a developed country but Singapore is not.

Remaining developing is a sustainable strategy to financially contribute less. ???


We have F35s.  We have expensive air force training bases in the US.  Our income per capita is higher than that of the US and many developed countries.  

And yet, we want to remain a developing state.  Perhaps, we want to contribute less financially.  Not only that, we have developed a sustainable strategy to remain poor.  The US has no objection as long as we continue to buy expensive weapons and spend money there.  A country can remain poor or pretend to be poor as far as they make contributions to the US. 

This unusual sustainable cognitive dissonance is not only applicable to the Paris Agreement of climate change.  It is also the practice of the government towards Singaporeans.  When you want them to spend more to help the poor, the disadvantaged people, they will warn you ‘not to leave debts to future generations’.

When you complain about cost of living, housing prices, rentals, medical expenses etc,  the government will say it is affordable. If you further your complaint, they will define you as politically opportunistic, populistic.   

We see so much bad news about the US and too much good news about Singapore,  we are really in a stage of cognitive dissonance.  What is the meaning of developed or developing country? Who is playing the game of populistic politics?  



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sub-standard PAP and the Singapore education system

I make a 'policy shift' when I hear the debate of right politics, constructive politics and sub-standard opposition. My original aim is to discuss about “Su Dongbo, Zhang Juzheng and Singapore education system”. The discussion will end with a sub-standard PAP, in particular from the assessment of the quality of PAP potential candidates. Another policy shift is to discuss it like a play, a drama and make it more entertainment rather than a sub-standard political discussion. Act 1 Gangster’s demand Imagine a sense in the Hong Kong's gangster movie (or a godfather movie), the gangsters' master is shouting at his poor opponent and demand him to give a price for his wrong act. The poor guy without any resources can only offer his body or his service to work for the master. Back in his own chamber, the master is still not satisfied and continues to shout 'don't play, play, you think you are hero, you think you are tiger, or superstar or acting ...

EBRC objectives: Stop “Out of Aljunied”, Stop SDP Breakthrough and “Negative-Asset” Ministers.

First of all, we have to congratulate the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee for creating more competitions, especially, multi-cornered competitions in the East. When making changes, EBRC aims to achieve 3 goals: To prevent “Out of Aljunied” for Workers’ Party.  This is the most important objective. To prevent Singapore Democratic Party making any breakthrough in the North and Central.   To look for a solution to retire “negative-asset” ministers or reduce PAP damages. From the reported claims from different political parties, we will expect multi-cornered contests not only in single constituencies but also in group representative constituencies. The PAP hopes to have a repeat of 2011 Presidential Election. Then Tony Tan won the Presidency when he got only 35% of the votes, a narrow win.However, a win is still a win. He did in even in the very last minute, after recounts of votes.    How to achieve multi-cornered contests? By i...

Is Prism Project Another Central Planning of the PAP?

There are 3 scenarios under the Prism Project#1 of Institute of Public Policy.  However, it looks more like the central scenario planning of the People’s Action Party. From the instructional menu of Prism Project Primer #2, participants were guided to a situation in 2022 and they have to imagine, within the Primer framework, to come out with 3 possible scenarios in Jun-Aug 2012.  2022. What a coincidence! Not long ago, PM Lee declared that he would like to hold the prime minister post for another 10 years. The other coincidence is the similarity between the 3 scenarios and the candidates of PE2011. How competitive and sustainable are the 3 scenarios to the people of Singapore and to the PAP?   Will the scenarios produce competitive and sustainable Singapore, Singaporeans or the PAP?  Perhaps, as what the Chinese say: planning cannot always catch up with changes.   And planning sometimes turns out the wrong, bad and unexpected results, espec...