The Playing Fields of Aphorisms and Witticisms and Temporal Abnormalities
1) I have lots of toys in my political playing field, including toy guns, Barbie dolls, and phallic light sabres. Others have real guns, human marionettes and bullet-proof metal jackets.
I love it because my water pistols cause the metal jackets to rust.
I'm lovin' it!
2)(a) "Why should the Government do that? It is the business of any government in the world to make it difficult for the opposition, just as it is the business of any opposition to make it difficult for the government. In politics, there is no such thing as a level playing field."
Anthony Oei, "No such thing as a level playing field in politics" (Letter to The Straits Times, January 14 2006).
(b) "It really shouldn't come as a surprise that, on the one hand, I claim that something is fair and equal while, on the other hand, I also justify any high-handed tactic to uneven a playing field" (The Real Molly Meek, January 15 2006).
(c) "The ground is always level; but some people get to wear nine-inch high-heel shoes and trample on the naked toes of others'" (My, myself and Molly, 2006).
3) (a) "Suppose Dr Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore Democratic Party wins the forthcoming general election and forms the government; do you think he will make it easy for the opposition in the next election?"
Anthony Oei, "No such thing as a level playing field in politics" (Letter to The Straits Times, January 14 2006).
(b) Suppose Dr. Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore Democratic Party wins (a seat) in the forthcoming general elections, his party won't form the government.
(c) "If you claim to be democratic, then you ought to follow the principles of democratic elections and create an uneven field within the limits of these principles" (The Unborn Molly Meek III, January 2046).
4) (a) "General elections are not a vaudeville, where the more performers there are, the merrier the show. It is serious business. The type of candidates we elect can make the difference between prosperity and ruination."
Anthony Oei, "No such thing as a level playing field in politics" (Letter to The Straits Times, January 14 2006).
(b) Although (or perhaps because) the statement in 4(a) is incongruous to its context, it does sound sensible.
(c) "Indeed, the people's choices at the ballot box is serious business. For the past 40 years or so, people have voted and have borne the consequences (whether or not these are desirable) of their votes, one of which might seem to be their continuing to have the right to vote while not always having the chance to do so" (Mr. Molly Meek, April 2006).
5) (a) "[T]hose who want to topple the Government must do so on their own merits. That means they must be people of calibre who can convince the electorate that they can build a better Singapore. That was how the People's Action Party (PAP) won its first general election in May 1959 and formed the government."
Anthony Oei, "No such thing as a level playing field in politics" (Letter to The Straits Times, January 14 2006).
(b) "Success is determined by how effectively you disseminate your historical narrative" (The semi-real Molly Meek, 8 August 1958).
6) (a) "Our grandfathers will tell us that it was extremely rough then. Apart from fighting the mighty British, the PAP had other strong contenders to deal with, including the communists who wanted to create a communist Singapore, and the communalists bent on causing racial disunity. Those were days of thunder."
Anthony Oei, "No such thing as a level playing field in politics" (Letter to The Straits Times, January 14 2006).
(b) "Success is when you narrate a historical epic and make yourself the protagonist. Preferrably, you should behead all the James Joyces in the world or at least make them the loudest storytellers of your epic" (Molly the Meek, 31 April 2006).
7)(a) "The PAP won the day because it had outstanding, serious-minded and committed men and women. They produced a credible manifesto and a comprehensive socio-economic development programme which no other contenders could match. These appealed to the masses struggling for economic survival. The PAP is still in power today because it has continued to deliver the goods."
Anthony Oei, "No such thing as a level playing field in politics" (Letter to The Straits Times, January 14 2006).
(b) A old cliché goes, "Seeing is believing." The postmodernist laments, "Believing is everything so much so that disbelief would be (mis)construed as a sin" (Molly Meek, 2006). Continue to believe.
8) (a) "The present opposition parties are weak, to say the least. They don't have the candidates or the agenda that would appeal to the people. They may win a few more seats in the forthcoming general election, but that would be about all."
Anthony Oei, "No such thing as a level playing field in politics" (Letter to The Straits Times, January 14 2006).
(b) We live in an age in which the desiring self has died; implanted in zombies are synthetic desire that are conditioned reflexes.
9) (a) "Don't blame the Group Representation Constituencies and all that for the lack of contest and the opposition's failure to win general elections time and again."
(b)
(c) The blaming game, though a popular hobby, is a grossly overrated game. Most players don't even know how to play it.
10) (a) "In my opinion, the PAP can be toppled only when it fails to deliver the goods, and there are people qualified to take over. At the moment, the crystal ball shows a blank."
Anthony Oei, "No such thing as a level playing field in politics" (Letter to The Straits Times, January 14 2006).
(b) "But, Anthony, why do you have the idea of toppling the PAP? It's not healthy to have such thoughts" (Molly, January 15 2006).
posted by Molly Meek @ 9:59 AM (Perm Link)
7 Comments:
Nice one there.
Thanks, Greenie.
It's (not) incredible an article so flawed in logic gets proudly published in the Straits Times like it's God's word.
He equivocates winning within the bounds of procedural justice with winning through deciding and arbitrarily controlling and manipulating the rules of the competition to one's advantage.
In a morbid way, it can be kinda fun dissecting and deciphering propoganda huh=).
The PAP enjoys such an excess of credibility in Singapore that there is really no need for anyone to speak up for it.
Yet when one does, it begs the question of why he feels the need to do it. Moral conviction? Possibly. Patriotism? Very likely.
But how about vested interests?
This will send any Singaporean huffing and puffing and threatening a lawsuit, but don't you think anyone who favors the PAP so ardently IN PULBIC may be playing for gain?
In Singapore, you get every advantage by belonging to the right side - and trying ways to edge closer to it. But get on the left, and there's everything to lose.
luddite: yes, it's very fun indeed. Unfortunately, even fun has a shelf life and after it expires, you have a hangover.
anonymous: That's why we should make sure we stay on the right side!
Well, I don't know how credible is the opinion of a man who uses a crystal ball. If he had used tea leaves or animal bones instead, then you'd know that he means business.
Mr. Oei states his case with a bias that is terrible and terrifying. He advocates the continued incumbency of the PAP by insinuating that past credit and glories are all one ever needs to certify quality; noting current merits by only proclaiming the lack of abject failure.
His defense of the political strategies of the PAP are likewise horrifying; apparently "the business of any government in the world to make it difficult for the opposition (and vice versa)" when the job of the politicians should be to prove that they're the best people for the job. The arrogance that Mr. Oei displays in claiming that PAP should be allowed to approach political service as little more than a game of power reflects a complacency and distressing lack of respect for the duties and responsibilites of political service.
The worst thing, of course, is that Mr. Oei, like most people on a winning side, that enough people will agree with him; indeed, perhaps even praise him for his loyalty and conviction, enough for him to not have a conscience and continue to believe that might is right.
Errata:
The worst thing, of course, is that Mr. Oei, like most people on a winning side, (KNOWS) that enough people will agree with him; indeed, perhaps even praise him for his loyalty and conviction, enough for him to not have a conscience and continue to believe that might is right.
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