Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Hardest Truth Of All

Friend John was in his 30s when he saw a doctor about a common cold. The kindly physician noted the date of birth in the records and suggested it was perhaps time to consider settling down. By the time the kids hit university and the big bills start rolling in, he would be in his retirement years. John took the wake-up call to heart and got hitched soon after, to a lovely bride 6 years his junior - the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome was another harsh reality of life.

So why was the dispensation of "grandfatherly" advice to PhD candidate Joan Sim greeted with such opprobrium? As the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) rightly pointed out, the implication marriage and motherhood are more important than education and work belittles the choices and contributions of women who march to a different drum beat. That and the nefarious attitude which has perpetuated sexual stereotyping for generations, then and now. It was definitely a sexist Lee who was quoted saying in 1994, that "attractive and intelligent young ladies should go to finishing colleges" so that they will be "marvellous helpers of their husbands careers". And let aesthetically challenged daughters (Dr Lee Wei Ling's own descriptive) take over key appointments, like the office of Dr Simon Shorvon who fell out of favour? There must be a mad rush going on in Singapore, women holding high office dashing to the mirrors, demanding an honest answer, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" And hoping for an ugly response which promises top jobs and financial bonanzas. The Brothers Grimm must be rolling in their graves. This has to be social engineering gone mad.

The video record of Joan's query went like this, “I understand that for economic and demographic reasons, Singapore has allowed a high number of foreign immigrants within a short time period. So, my question is, what can we do to promote a sense of belonging and foster social cohesiveness in the next decade?" Lee Kuan Yew chose to parry the legitimate question and "disagree with that we must have a sense of cohesiveness, and we must assimilate the new migrants" by turning the tables on her personal prerogative of life goals. Don't blame the foreigners, Singaporeans did it to themselves. They were daft to listen to Government policy, fed Kool-Aid by the PA guided grassroots leaders, and stopped at two for the sake for the nation. Even a grandfather from hell would not do this to their own kin.

6 comments:

  1. Immigration would have happened regardless of the fertility rate. Hard truth is, immigrants are economic digits without voting rights, and thus dispensable by business interests without political repercussions.

    Reality turns out quite differently. When immigrant survival instincts kick in, unwary citizens gets displaced. Out goes social cohesion and quality of life. Political ramifications aplenty.

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  2. The same mantra they have on "Keep the Oppositions, but don't let them in". "Keep the SG voters, but don't let them win" ..that's the new normal.
    They keep distracting people from the real issues at hand. Catch a few unknown ex-civil servants & ex-ST engineering executives for CPIB charges, and sprout enough of the "reinvention" words - viola, you have light recipe for "reinvent" and "reform". These poor small-fry must be wondering"why me">?!!" while the real big fries get away.

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  3. If Joan Sim remains unmarried.
    She will still have 2 "children" to look after when she turns 40 years old.

    The 2 children will be her elderly parents.

    If Joan Sim chooses to marry and have one child.
    Then Joan Sim will have 3 children to look after when she turns 40 years old.

    Together with child's tuition;
    elderly parents' medical records, medication and appointments;
    managing the maid;
    being retrenched and replaced by foreign talent;
    and etc.
    Joan Sim will be very busy.

    With little social services being provided by the PAP government, Joan Sim is smart to remain single.

    If we want to increase Singapore's fertility rate, vote wisely again in GE 2016.

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  4. http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2940901

    LKY if he could do it his high way, would have give all the "kiasi" family men in Singapore two votes..and screw the young voters who are simply, in his own words, not politically aware and wise at all. Ditto for the singles..

    “We would have a better system if we gave every man over the age of 40 who has a family two votes because he’s likely to be more careful, voting also for his children.”

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  5. I used to think the term "Sick man of Asia" was referring to a country.

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  6. hmmmm...i wonder in the coming future with that birth rate and such...where the hell are they going to get enuf local/singaporean citizen males to defend singapore...what's the farking point of having so many goddamn officers when there is not enuf boots to command and get the job done with the boots on the ground..

    Knowing how screwed up singapore so called intellectual policy makers are....they will probably declare that now women citizens should be enrolled into NS...

    Who knows...they mught even decide to outsource the defence of singapore to peanut paid monkeys or even low life cockroaches...

    Reallys NUTS i say if this comes about in the end.

    No real wisdom at all.

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