Dear The Real Singapore,
I refer to article: "16 YEAR OLD S'POREAN: WE SHOULD BE APPRECIATIVE OF THE PAP AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING"
I’m Ariffin and I’m 16 too. I read your article and I would like to share my views on it.
Now, before anything else I would like to remind all readers of TRS of a quote (above picture).
Yes, Terence. There was a time where not only did I not know what I know today. There was a time where I used to see things the way you do too. I was once in your shoes.
Just two years ago in Secondary 2, I believed that serving NS was a great honour. I also believed that being gay was wrong and I used to mock them. Above all, I also believed that I knew a lot and I had developed a dangerous level of ignorance of the things that surround me.
But down the road, I began transcending my ego and I realized that there are many things that I do not know. I realize that many of my opinions were not my own opinions, but the opinions of my textbooks, my teachers, my religious leaders, the newspapers, television and society as a whole. To say that I began seeing things in a different light would be an understatement. Rather, I began seeing the big picture. It isn’t a pretty one. Once you began to scratch the tip of the iceburg, you’ll understand why many people like to say that ignorance is bliss. But I prefer the truth as although it does hurt, it will set you free.
I am very happy that a fellow 16 year old is starting to think about things that actually matter in life. It’s good to be politically conscious, my friend. Although I do not agree with some of your views, it’s good that you’re concerned about these matters. But I am afraid to say, with your opinions and views; you’re a perfect product of our current education system.
Firstly, I would like to talk about you saying that most of us do not appreciate the PAP. You see Terrence, we do appreciate the PAP. Some of their leaders have done good things in the past, but even they are not appreciated. Let me ask you this, I know you have heard many things that Mr Lee Kuan Yew has done right, but tell me how much you know about what Mr Lee has not done right. I’m not focusing on his failures but rather I am asking you to think about how well the textbooks, print and basically all of mainstream media potray him without ever highlighting his failures. Yes, you talk about the PWP which is brought about by the low birth rates in Singapore. Do you know who was the man behind the ‘Stop At Two’ Policy? Also, how many of PAP’s ideas were actually Lee’s? He may be the one executing or announcing it, but it may be the brainchild of Goh Keng Swee or Rajaratanam who aren’t as glorified as Mr Lee is. I challenge you to watch the banned documentary ‘One Nation Under Lee’ on YouTube to open your eyes to the other side of Mr Lee and the PAP.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t appreciate the PAP. I am saying that you should be aware of both sides of the coin before jumping the gun. About being spoon-fed by the government, did you know that the poor of Singapore are not only getting poorer but also growing in number each passing day? Some 105,000 households in Singapore - that's one in 10 family homes, or 387,000 people - earn an average monthly income of $1,323 and some 114,000 individual residents earn less than $805 a month, according to government data. That's despite the country's average per capita income of $52,305 a year, one of the highest in the world. Not to mention the million dollar salaries that our ministers spoon feed themselves with a silver spoon.
Well you talk about appreciating all that PAP had done for us. Do you have the slightest clue what people like Chia Thye Poh, Deva Nair, Ong Teng Cheong, JB Jeyaratanem and Chee Soon Juan have done for us? Chances are that you wouldn’t. Because we never hear of these guys in our textbooks despite the enormous sacrifices they have made for our little red dot.
Secondly, I would like to alert you of a fact. You say that Messiah’s antics are instilling fear into the hearts of Singaporeans.
Let’s see, in the 2011 General Elections 60.1% of the people voted for the PAP. You say that majority of the people do not appreciate the PAP. If what you are saying is true, this means that although most Singaporeans are against the PAP they still continue to vote for the PAP.
Who is the one instilling fear into the hearts of Singaporeans now?
“If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent” – Lee Kuan Yew, 2011
The word repent is something that I expect to see in a Bible. The last place I would expect to see the word repent would be from the mouth of a democratic leader.
While we’re on the subject of the bible, I would like to direct your attention to your views on gay marriage. I am pretty sure Jesus told us to love everbody unconditionally. I do not study the bible but what if the LGBT community
Was a way for Jesus to test us if we really do love unconditionally?
I love What If questions..
What If I was wrong
What If everything I know was a lie
You see, the key to seeking truth is to question everything we know. Even God. We must never stop being curious and thinking critically. Many people are resistant to change, but many people do not realize that in this age of information, it is ok to change your opinion with new information?
You know, Thaliand has a crazy and wacky side but when I went there on a holiday last year, I was pleasantly surprised at the general attitude of people there.They were warm, friendly and generally stress-free, it was the opposite of what I see In Singapore. Yes, they may not be as educated as we are, but man they sure are happier.
And I do not believe that having a degree means that you’re educated. I believe that there is a huge difference between education and schooling, many can’t tell the difference between the two. Anyway that’s another story, I don’t wanna make this post much longer than it already is. I have written an article on education a month ago, it’s here.http://therealsingapore.com/content/16-year-old-singaporean-sharing-trs-how-he-feels-about-sg-education-system
On a parting note, I would like to say that I this world. There are many things we do not know. It is important to keep an open mind and also to form your own opinions. Your opinions on NS, PAP and Anonymous may have been influenced by Main Stream Media. I encourage you to do your own research and seek your answers.
We’re both 16 and we haven’t been through NS yet, so it is best we shouldn’t judge. And also, we must never stop educating ourselves and never stop considering the possibility that we might be wrong.
Terrence, I can only show you the door.. but you’ve to be the one that walks through it. As I mentioned in my article, I hope to awaken as many people as possible to the truth. I hope I can do the same for you.
If you truly are 16, our generation will be the future of this nation. I hope to see a future generation of Singaporeans who can not only think critically but who also have hearts of Gold.
Arrifin Sha
Junior TRS writer
Written by pipspiper
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