Why I participated in the TBT protest, and why I pleaded guilty

[one2unite]

Yes I dun believe everything the blooding fucking PAP tells me. For example GST is to help the poor. Or ERP is not for making a profit.

You are only going on one angle, that is world prices are going up and he has no influence over them. Would you agree the fucking old man could do more to stamp the rising tide? By increasing the GST, ERP charges, PUB utilities, MRT and bus fares, and other public amenities ...he has added oil to the fire!

In 2007 alone, the PAP ministers increased their salary by 85 per cent! What is worse is that the PAP leeches work towards suppressing the pay of our workers even further by flooding the place with foreign cheap labour.

 

[leetahbar]

everyone's entitled to their opinions. why must sdppies like oneunite forces others to accept theirs?

 

[guavatree]

everyone's entitled to their opinions. why must sdppies like oneunite forces others to accept theirs?:

chao ah kwa who the fuck forced you?

did you bash your father today .... LOL

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Ng should have PGed very soon after he was charged, because the circumstances suggest that he appeared to have 'cold feet' even during the TBT event itself, which btw is nothing wrong and understandable, but nevertheless then throws up the inevitable question of consistency and credibility when he elects to wait until the very last moment to PG, after participating in SDP's PR campaign and trying to get the support of the Law Society, Legal community and public at large.

As for those TBT defendants electing to pay the probable fine as opposed to the probable jail term, to me I think that is ok as they have already reasonably pushed the envelope by seeing their cause through the legal process. Jail term is as you say for the hardcore activists.

But I just can't see CSJ making much headway with the Singapore public as it now stands. It is the same old same old ding dong battle of defamation law suits, contempt of court charges and illegal protest charges played out between the PAP government and CSJ and his group with public masses appearing to be generally uninterested.

Btw I wonder what happened to SPF's allegation over CSC allegedly biting a police officer during the TBT arrests?

Dear Porifirio

I suspect that with your inconvieinient line of questioning, you will be soon accused of being a clone of either Melvin Tan or Andrew Loh or be threatened with public humiliation and bullying in no particular order.


Locke

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Porifirio

I believe that he was caught between a rock and a hard place and his personal dilemma is a precursor to the personal dilemma's that all the protestors will face. That is how far is one willing to go in the cause of civil disobedience especially if that cause is not understood or supported by the population at large.

Dr Chee will understandably want as many of his supporters to get arrested and get jailed with him. It makes for better PR, and a better show for the international NGOs he garners his support from. How committed though are the (TBT 18 -2 ) to getting fined or going to jail for the cause ? The nature of civil disobedience is escalation. Thus there will be another protest tomorrow, another arrest and another court case, However in Dr Chee's case I see him increasing as his followers increase the extent of his civll disobedience. We have seen with the TBT 18 -2 the alleged threat of "biting" which I believe to be true and the "locking of arms." which all can see.

This will represent an escalation in legal terms for whatever the TBT 18 or future protestors are willing to bear. The western style disobedience textbook applauds such actions as means of gaining greater publicity for the "cause" . Those that I have seen in the West are errr professional demonstrators who support themselves through welfare and various other means. It is still to be seen with the lack of a welfare state in Singapore whether such a cadre of protestors can be sustained. It also remains to be seen how far down the road the current TBT 18-2 are willing to go and the personal costs each are willing to bear.




Locke

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Yes ratcheting things up to probably try and get a negative reaction from the authorities in public, end game to try and get more sympathetic public reaction and PR, in particular foreign PR.

Btw what is the basis of your belief with regards the alleged "biting" episode?

We have seen with the TBT 18 -2 the alleged threat of "biting" which I believe to be true and the "locking of arms." which all can see.

It also remains to be seen how far down the road the current TBT 18-2 are willing to go and the personal costs each are willing to bear.

Locke

 

[myjohnson]

We have seen with the TBT 18 -2 the alleged threat of "biting" which I believe to be true and the "locking of arms." which all can see.

Bro Locke

If one can understand how easily one can be charged in our system of law, then one must really wonder why the so called 'alleged threat to bite' was never taken to task. All that is needed will be corroborated statements from a few poodles to be submitted to AG chambers and there goes another charge to answer for.

 

[scroobal]

Locke

Here are the key facts for the unitiated looking for bite sized morsels

- abalone
- world consumer day
- tonsilitis
- day care
- oil rig
- phd
- camera flash

anything to add

 

[Ramseth]

Oil rig is good. How come we're paying electricity bills based on oil price of US$155 per barrel when the highest it hit was US$147, and now under US$70? Some rig eh?

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Porifirio

The police have videos of the event, I believe some were filming the arrest of those who chose to lock arms at quite close proximity and should have picked up everything. That said to there is corroboration as well from within those getting arrested.




Locke

 

[Ramseth]

Camera flash is good. Blinded by the light eh?

 

[tiulehloumoh]

"Why I participated in the TBT protest, and why I pleaded guilty "


Cos your back side itch and you need to papee to assed it

 

[one2unite]

But I just can't see CSJ making much headway with the Singapore public as it now stands. It is the same old same old ding dong battle of defamation law suits, contempt of court charges and illegal protest charges played out between the PAP government and CSJ and his group with public masses appearing to be generally uninterested.

This is exactly what the PAP's 154th mouthpiece has been saying all along. This despicable mouthpiece calling itself the national media should first look itself hard in the mirror.

The dictatorial regime controls everything, including the judiciary, the police, the electoral process and the mainstream media, so much so that an incompetent digit calls itself the PM just because it's the offspring of the dictator.

In this kind of stifling environment where fear and intimidation reins supreme, there is absolutely no way of knowing what the masses really want or desire.

 

[myjohnson]

Truly, the service journalists have rendered to LKY and their contribution to the independence and political development of Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s, are immeasurable. LKY relied on the service of journalists to realize his political objectives. But just like the political activists who were sidelined and pushed aside after his political power was consolidated, the journalists, too, were eventually discarded. They were mainly used for his personal political propaganda. This is also what happened to the journalist Alex Josey.

excerpt from "The Long Nightmare: My 17 Years As A Political Prisoner." pg. 150-151 author, Said Zahari.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Going by CSJ's recent eulogy to JBJ, which btw I found quite moving, I guess that is what keeps him going in this crusade, together with western NGO support and the hope in the power of the net and connecting with S'porean generations x,y, z and beyond. Ironically CSJ probably would love the PAP government to detain him under ISA or get physically assaulted ala Anwar's black eye in 98' but I do not see such stupidity from the PAPs (not that they do not act stupid at times).

Which then again makes me wonder: "Are Singaporeans worth the matyrdom CSJ has thus far chosen based on present ground realities"?

. CSJ's intention however is consistent and clear - martyrdom in the eyes of western NGO's. In his mind , he probably see that as the best approach. I suspect that martyrdom is also the end goal rather than what it can achieve down the road.

.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

I observed abit of the "lock arms' approach in the clips on the net however I did not see any alleged "biting". As for those arrested, I recall CSC coming out straight away with a public denial on such allegations. That is why I raised the query. Oh well we shall all know soon enough because the relevant charge should be preferred against CSC or else CSC may well have a case to sue SPF for libel.

Dear Porifirio

The police have videos of the event, I believe some were filming the arrest of those who chose to lock arms at quite close proximity and should have picked up everything. That said to there is corroboration as well from within those getting arrested.




Locke

 

[myjohnson]

How is it going to serve the anti establishment's agenda and the overall interest of Singaporeons both deserving or undeserving to shoot CSJ down? Who can take his place?
Things we discerned, heard, suspect, we keep to ourselves, to be kept in reserve till the need arises. That much I've learned from Sun Tze's Art Of War.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

My comments are not based on the mainstream media or even the alternative media. They are based from talking to Singaporeans themselves from all walks of life: taxi drivers, tissue aunties, civil servants, shenton way types etc. Generally I got the impression that they were not interested by both sides, PAP government and CSJ/SDP. They appeared to see this as a political wayang game between the 2 sides without seeing much benefit for the public at large. However some did have sympathy for CSJ and his family, similar to JBJ, although they did not think what he ws doing was practical and worthwhile.

This is exactly what the PAP's 154th mouthpiece has been saying all along. This despicable mouthpiece calling itself the national media should first look itself hard in the mirror.

The dictatorial regime controls everything, including the judiciary, the police, the electoral process and the mainstream media, so much so that an incompetent digit calls itself the PM just because it's the offspring of the dictator.

In this kind of stifling environment where fear and intimidation reins supreme, there is absolutely no way of knowing what the masses really want or desire.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

I suspect Alex may well have been a spy.

excerpt from "The Long Nightmare: My 17 Years As A Political Prisoner." pg. 150-151 author, Said Zahari.

Truly, the service journalists have rendered to LKY and their contribution to the independence and political development of Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s, are immeasurable. LKY relied on the service of journalists to realize his political objectives. But just like the political activists who were sidelined and pushed aside after his political power was consolidated, the journalists, too, were eventually discarded. They were mainly used for his personal political propaganda. This is also what happened to the journalist Alex Josey.

 

[one2unite]

My comments are not based on the mainstream media or even the alternative media. They are based from talking to Singaporeans themselves from all walks of life: taxi drivers, tissue aunties, civil servants, shenton way types etc. Generally I got the impression that they were not interested by both sides, PAP government and CSJ/SDP. They appeared to see this as a political wayang game between the 2 sides without seeing much benefit for the public at large. However some did have sympathy for CSJ and his family, similar to JBJ, although they did not think what he ws doing was practical and worthwhile.

My point is why do we need to rely on anecdotal evidence to form such a conclusion of either for or against the PAP?

Don't you think we in Singapore need a free and pluralistic media to understand and analyse views of diverse nature?

Is it not a shame to have a regime that insists on maintaining its feudalistic control over the masses through, among others, the mainstream media?