Dr Chee asking Singaporeans to learn from... Foreigners

Dr Chee Soon Juan wrote an article asking Singaporeans to learn from Foreigners. In its most dramatical twist of events, Dr Chee has chosen to be represented by a Canadian lawyer. And now, Dr Chee is asking you and me to learn from Americans who just voted in their first Black President.

Let me now show you how myopic Dr Chee is getting.

“And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn,” the new leader says, “I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.” In Singapore, our government refuses to build lifts that stop on every floor for the elderly because one of its candidate is not voted in.

Can Dr Chee stand out and admit that he did not accept any performance package from the Government? GST rebates? Growth Package? When the PAP government was established in the 1960s, it ensured that every Singaporean would be given opportunities in this island. Meritocracy and multiracialism enabled Singaporeans to achieve their dreams. Ironically, the US had just begun to give voting rights to the Blacks then.

Mr Obama points out that the “true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.” In Singapore, our leader measures his success by the number of billions he accumulates in the reserves.

I thought a doctorate graduate would know how to differentiate between talk and action. The sole superpower - the United States has always been using its weapons in the international arena. US action in Southeast Asia has resulted in massive deaths (Vietnam War, Pol Pot, etc). Let's not forget that the US had conducted espionage activities in Singapore.

In Singapore, our leaders have much success to boast about. For instance, we have the highest number of home ownership, we are clean and green, etc. All this occured even before Dr Chee entered politics.

In America, people come together to argue, to celebrate, and to change. In Singapore, the police arrest you and the judges imprison you.

Has Dr Chee heard of Guantanamo Bay?

While Americans take pride in their vote and protect that right jealously, we in Singapore look nervously over our shoulders and wonder whether our votes can be traced.

The fact is Singapore's election has been globally recognised as fair. As the only political party that did not even garner 25% of the votes in the 2006 elections, we can understand how Dr Chee feels.

Change. It's not just a word, it is the key to survival. Americans know it, the world knows it. But Singaporeans are still too frightened to embrace it and fight for it.

I wonder how Dr Chee defines change. Singapore has changed to become such a vibrant international hotspot.

Yet one thing that hasn't changed is Dr Chee's ignorance.