Saw this on a facebook page -Boycott ST and ZB.
Lee Kuan Yew solely to blame for Population and Immigration woes
Now, the header may sound like an accusation, a pronouncement of guilt, on one who can be seen through the eyes of history, to have made the biggest blunder, a national calamity that affected not one, not two, but the 3rd, 4th and possibly for generations to come. We are taking about the low birth rate and the current immigration debacle. What causes it? How did we end up with such a mess? How did we get here?
Old Zombie Lee may have us believe that the population policy of the 60s and 70s was a necessary part of our evolution. He mentioned that the world at that time was grappling with rapid expansion, and rapid births - so much so that we do not have enough land to support mankind if the rate of birth was not tapered down. Apart from China, we are well aware that no other country had this concern.
Some may argue that the early leaders do not have hindsight view like we do today and therefore cannot be faulted for making decisions that were seemingly necessary at that time. Well, if this is the case, then all the credit with which we have credited the old man for all the foresight that he had possessed has to be taken back. It must be seen as the most history changing decision that is now haunting the country and for years to come. If he had lived the laurels of the good times through the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, then he hads to face up to the blame of the 2010s and beyond. No way must he be let off for trying to pass off a bad decision as a good and necessary one. That will place the seal of daftness on every Singaporean.
Why is that call to 'Stop at two' such a big governmental blunder? To answer this question, we have to look back at the message that was conveyed at that time, and the political and social climate of that time as well. Singapore was developing itself as an economy that depended on manufacturing. We needed every Singaporean to be on deck, to support the young economy. As much as we had to pay the Singaporean slightly more than a Malaysian, we were not looking any further than our immediate neighbour for our labour supply supplement.
What was most telling in the population control policy was the manner in which the larger family was portrayed as a burden to the family than it was a joy. If you wanted your child to enjoy the fruits of your labour, it was best to be selfish, stop at one or two, so that the children of these small families need not have to stretch and share what they have. Families with more than two children were shown to be suffering and lacking where personal level of life is concern.
The brain washing campaign was so successful that those who did not stop at two were laughed at, derided and sneered upon. Singaporeans were beginning to believe in the government, that their sacrifice would ensure a higher quality of life. Soon, the ones with smaller families were shown to be lapping it up, travelling, buying branded goods and living in bigger flats. Over the next two decades, more and more couples were now going beyond having smaller families. They were delaying marriage altogether. Staying single, especially for the now independent women, who see marriage as a hindrance to a good life. That became the new lifestyle choice. Although the government had expressed concern, it did nothing to seriously address the problem. Many were now believing that the good life promised by the government were beginning to materialized.
From then on, and with each passing year, the message was further drummed into Singaporeans that attaining the 5Cs was something worth dying for. By this time Singaporeans had lost all semblance of an independent mind. They were happy to be fed with whatever the PAP was feeding them. Acquiring the required status in life was highest on each agenda.
Having acquired and fulfilled their dreams, these folks suddenly woke up to see their lives had passed them by. For those who had children, the princelings and princesses they have, became their focus of attention. The spirit of community which were eroded in their parents pursuit of the good life was now lost to self-centeredness. In came kiasism, and kiasuim. Singaporeans continued to cling onto the promises of the PAP government, hoping their children would get a taste of the ripe and glorious fruit they envision the PAP giving them.
Many of us already found out that the promises made by the PAP will never come to pass because it has to first see to its own political survival first. This issue however is not the purpose of this article.
If one is to follow the logic and reasoning by which the Zombie's highly damaging policies of birth control and wealth acquisition, under the disguise of meritocracy; one would see that for generations, our folks have been indoctrinated in the one philosophy, if i may call it that, of ME FIRST. From where you were born to pre-school education, from getting into the express stream to being a graduate with double honours, from getting that first dream job to having an early retirement, these became the new goals. Goals which the PAP knows it cannot fully help to achieve.
Our talented children, after having studied and tasted life abroad discovered they have better chance of fulfilling their retirement goals abroad than at home. We were losing our very own talents. In their place came the foreign legion. The rest of us who stayed behind to help build or homeland were now deemed untalented and incapable of contributing to our continued progress.
This is the situation today, and it all began with the poor foresight of one man. A foresight that was sold with immense success by the state controlled media, to the extent that it became a way of life that is uniquely or own. To reverse the mindset and to change what the Zombie now describes as 'the norms' is going to take a Herculean effort. And this time, it will not happened with the aid of the state media. Singaporeans do not have faith in it any longer. Singaporeans do not have faith in the PAP any longer. Period.
The Alternative View
However when they are 18 they can choose NOT to do NS
