Under The Angsana Tree: "Can we love our Country and fear at the same time?”

Blogger encourages citizens to speak up

“That someone is ‘marked’ by PAP simply because he/she is overly critical is not true”, said blogger Phillip Ang Keng Hong. “I am living proof”, he added.

In a Facebook post early this morning (27 November), Mr Ang – who regularly blogs on ‘likedatasoscanmeh’ – said that Singaporeans no longer have a reason to fear the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and should feel free to speak up about things they are unhappy with.

A few hours later, retired army regular officer Clement Puah shared an image of Mr Ang’s post on his Facebook page, adding that many Singaporeans are still afraid of the PAP and of speaking out.

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Phillip Ang Yesterday at 10:16

My name is Phillip Ang Keng Hong.

I was a RSAF regular and floor trader at the Singapore Exchange.

More than a decade ago, ST Forum/Today Voices published about 30 to 40 of my letters.

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Clement Puah Neo Yesterday at 14:57

Some say the PAP is afraid of their own shadows!

I'll say too many Singaporeans are even more afraid of the shadows of others!

Recently a couple of close friends and family members turned down my invitation to gatherings. It's a recent phenomenon which I suspect came about when the video of me urging members of the SAF to understand what was meant by loyalty to Singapore, went viral!

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Retired army regular officer: “You are not disloyal when you disagree with government policies”

SDP Manifesto launch: Wrong to label Singaporeans as disloyal when they disagree with govt policies

At the launch of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) manifesto – a coffee table book called The Way Forward – on 28 September, retired army regular officer Mr Clement Puah Neo stood up during the Q&A session to comment about how it is wrong to classify Singaporeans as being disloyal for disagreeing with government policies.

Mr Puah Neo said he finds it “incredulous” when ministers in the government consider him disloyal when he objects to some of their policies or when he disagrees with how they govern the country. Mr Puah Neo explained, “I’m a grandfather, I love my grandchildren. If you love your grandchildren, think about it what sort of legacy you want to leave behind.”

Quoting Dr Tan Cheng Bock, he exclaimed, “This fear must go.” In August this year, Dr Tan Cheng Bock spoke at the launch of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) where he said there were still many talented individuals who let their fear stop them from participating in politics.

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Dr Tan Cheng Bock motivates PSP members to work hard

Dr Tan Cheng Bock at Progress Singapore Party

In addition, Dr Tan also encouraged talented individuals to join the party as he wants “quality people to go to Parliament, and meet all the questions and policies that are coming out from the Government”.

But, he revealed that some of these talented individuals still have fear in them, which is stopping them from joining the party.

“So I tell them to use the fear as the reason to come up because you have the moral duty to make sure your children don’t experience the kind of fear you’re experiencing now,” he explained.

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When Singaporeans dare/start to think

Having a good education has little meaning in Little Red Dot. After decades of ‘kia chenghu’, most Singaporeans have lost the ability to think critically.

For example, by any measure, housing is seriously unaffordable in Singapore. A few decades ago, HDB flats could be ‘purchased’ on a single income. Today’s housing prices are so high that ‘owning’ a HDB flat requires dual income.

The right solution therefore requires housing prices to decrease.

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Brad Bowyer urges citizens to use their “democratic rights”

“I’d like my country to evolve by evolution, not revolution"

On Thursday (5 December), political activist Brad Bowyer took to his Facebook to share his thoughts on how the People’s Action Party (PAP) is building more “legal walls to defend itself”.

In his post, Mr Bowyer who is currently a Progress Singapore Party member shared an article that was originally published in the Straits Times (ST) 7 years ago when he was still attached to PAP as a volunteer.

The ST article talked about why he got involved into politics and what he hoped to improve. “It gets to a point where you realise the world you live in is what you make of it. If you’ve got the ability to do something, you have a responsibility to do so.”

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There is no illusion greater than fear

Oh how well we all know Fear

He creeps up on you at the most inconvenient times, making you feel like an imposter. He tells you that you are not good enough, productive enough or talented enough. He tries to convince you to turn around and quit. Well I say enough, is enough.

Being scared simply means that you’re about to do something really brave, something that means a lot to you. There is a well known acronym in Hypnotherapy which is used to explain FEAR.

F – False

E – Evidence

A – Appearing

R – Real

And what this means, is that fears are simply our own unfounded ideas that we hold about ourselves, objects, people and situations. There is no grounding in reality. In fact, they are made up notions rooted in the way we view our world.