In Other Words

Essay about Singaporean apathy

"Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they're conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict." (Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member during 1956 speaking to David Marshall)

From the essay An analysis of political apathy in Singapore using game theory as supplied by Jeff Lim

The essay itself is quite interesting with its ideas (though it has horrible grammar and its writer could do with a dictionary, as he misuses a number of words), but I do not have enough time to comment on it fully today. That’s probably a good thing, I think I’ll let it sit in my mind for a while, more on the topic of Singaporean apathy on a later date.

posted by Symbol @ 13.8.04