Hi everyone! New music.
This song is really haunting, and I like their harmonies. Check out "Black and Blue" by the same band; it's really sexy.
As promised, today will not feature a pissy post. Should I talk politics? Is it a day to talk politics? YES. I think today will be politics, or rather, singaporean politics part #1, since the elections are coming up soon, though the date hasn't been announced yet. It is, however, soon enough for parties to introduce their candidates, and talk about their manifestos. Before I launch into rantrantrant mode, I think you'll need a crash course in local politics. Just briefly, because I still don't fully understand the system myself. #badcitizen
SO. You've probably heard that freedom of speech is extremely limited in singapore, and we live in an authoritarian state under quasi-democratic rule. This is true! To a certain extent. Regarding freedom of speech, singaporeans are quite lucky, compared to other asian countries. Unlike china, we obviously don't have google or youtube blocked. We are perfectly free to air our political views on the internet, without getting prosecuted. This unfortunately excludes crossing the threshold of race and religion; a famous example was in 2005, where local bloggers were charged in court for making racist comments on the internet.
While I don't agree with the government's legal stance on free speech, I appreciate the progress they've made in becoming more permissive in recent years. Arts programming-- theatre, film-- with lgbt themes is not being censored; though of course the publicity for a show does not, (does not feel the need to?) blatantly mention that it contains such themes. I'm also super appreciative of the fact that gay bars and lgbt support groups are permitted to function; though they still operate under much confidentiality.
I've digressed! Yes, we live in an authoritarian state. Yes, we are still under one-party rule (the PAP, People's Action Party) that has been governing singapore since its independence in 1965. The general consensus is that the PAP is rubbish, and this agreement permeates the middle class-- taxi drivers are known to complain about this-- and to a certain extent the highly-educated upper class. "To a certain extent" because some of the older generation of singaporeans still believe in the PAP's capability to govern, as they experienced the racial and gang-related violence that was rife in the 60s, as well as the PAP's firm, decisive action to ameliorate this. Think Rufus Scrimgeour and his popularity due to his pragmatic and swift-acting leadership. The PAP was kind of like that in the late 1960s.
In their favor, they've been very successful in attracting overseas investment, to the extent that the economy prospered in the late 80s and early 90s. The strict law and order imposed, as well as well-maintained infrastructure, helped make us a more ideal place for MNCs to settle down in. On the downside, singaporeans feel that we've been sacrificing too much in favor of economic progress, and this is why some of the hot-button issues at this year's general election are the rising cost of living, and the influx of foreigners.
I think I've set you up enough for today. I'll try to be more organised in tomorrow's post, and discuss about how the voting system works!
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