Wishing for a Reunion, Stifling Tropical Island & the Old Braves

The 3-week interpretation work is coming to its end. Yet again, I’ve seen and learned many things. Just as was the case with the NTT engineers, I will miss them and hope to have a “reunion” someday somewhere.

During this period, I went to “Vivo City” for the first time (after its completion) and returned to “Junction 8” in Bishan after so many years.

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Today’s “Today” printed two letters on the one-party system in its “Voices” section. One of them, from a Gerald Glam, says, “If the PAP ever becomes corrupt, there will be absolutely no time for a viable alternative party to suddenly “spring up,” since political organisations take years to build up credibility… [A] corrupt government with a firm control on the levers of power will tend to use that power to entrench itself, stifling any potential opposition from arising…

Another, a Yak Chin Hua, writes that “[the] very preaching in favour of a one-party system contradicts the basic principles and the real beauty of democracy – that such a decision should be left to a politically mature electrate to decide…

Quite true. But, a government will stifle any potential opposition from emerging? It’s not “will.” It’s been this way here for so many years by manipulating the drawing of constituencies, including the introduction of package-deal ones, and forcing serious and ernest but disobedient guys to bankruptcy. Being corrupt or not is not a fundamental issue. At the same time, those elite people seem to deplore a lack of talent. Why? That’s exactly because they, clean or corrupt, are stifling spontenious creativity and different perspectives. This lack of talent, imaginary or real, is their own creation. Nurturing of talent requires a “politically mature” electrate. This is just a “kintaro-ame” nation.

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昨日の夕方、仕事の帰り。「阪急ブレーブス」最後の帽子をかぶった駅からプラザへと向かう男性を発見した。シンガポールに来てまだ間もない頃には、阪急のビジター用ユニフォームを着た人も見た。背番号14。背中に「YAMAGUCHI」とあった。「山口高志」やないかぁ！