Deadpoet’s Cave

can you say “four legs good, two legs bad”?

must be required reading for singapore journalists. i first read animal farm when i was in secondary one.

i should revisit the book since i increasingly feel that i am living in one.

• Copyright Copywrong
• The library next door
• And so it begins
• awake

this is a sad day for singapore. remember monday 18 april 2005.

i’m livid. and that’s putting things mildly.

lots of people think it’s no big deal.

perhaps, it’s not.

but the reasons, the justifications all ring hollow.

uniquely singapore, they say.

we are unique by offering what other cities offer.

small but vital part of the integrated resort, they say.

why not make it a big part, then? more profits, yes?

10,000 jobs, they say.

for who? the CEOs and management of these two “ventures” inevitably will be a non-Singaporean. so will the army of cleaners and other support staff for the casino, sorry, integrated resort.

good for the economy, they say.

yes, locals who gamble away their hard-earned (and inevitably for some, ill-gotten) cash - lining the pockets of the casinos and the government which taxes them. of course, we have to rely on cold hard facts that a casino is sure to improve the economy. they say statistics lie. please lie to me then. all i’ve seen is conjecture that a casino will help singapore.

it’ll make singapore more vibrant, they say.

the way to make singapore more vibrant is to have a true five-day week, with a forty-hour work week. let the children play. let the adults have time to pursue their interests. let people be free to express themselves. then, you’ll see some vibrancy.

i’m just scratching the surface. the fallacies above are the tip of the iceberg.

our voices have been silenced. maybe we should all gather at sentosa and marina bay one sunday afternoon and just stand there in silence since we’ve already been muted. our silence should ring out louder than our attempts at persuading this consultative, kinder, gentler government to see otherwise. they’ll know why we’re standing there. no need for words. no need for placards.

Talking is cheap people follow like sheep
Even though there is no where to go
How could she tell he deceived her so well
Pity she’ll be the last one to know

Silence is golden, but my eyes still see
Silence is golden, golden, but my eyes still see

Silence is Golden by The Tremeloes

• Different Strokes
• Leadership by example
• Wearing Red
• Why pay more?