Bloggers charged with making racist remarks in Singapore

Wow, so the online cyberspace is being controlled as part of media space too. It's really kinda scary that Singapore cracked down on the blogs and used the sedition act on the parties involved.

Two bloggers charged under Sedition Act over racist remarks, Channelnewsasia
Net closes in on blogs of hate, MediaCorp Press
Two Singapore men charged with seditious remarks aimed at Malay community, The China Post
2 bloggers charged with making racist remarks in Singapore, People's Daily Online


In some way, this is not surprising, since this is a country where free speech is not necessarily free, the government places very huge emphasis on multi-cultural harmony and will do nearly everything in its power to crack down on any that disturbs the peace.

But in many ways, I wonder how this government control is being effective. On the surface, everything looks to be fine. People from different cultures are courteous to one another, etc. But below the surface, it's not all fine. I wrote this in my earlier posts, during my time in the US, Singaporeans are among the most racist people I know. Worse than Chinese, Japanese and sometimes even Koreans and the Americans. If you think that the white American persecute the Black people, Singaporeans or most Asians will not even look in their direction. Why? Why is there this underlying racism that rivals that of well known racist countries?

My belief, and this is just my belief, that the heavy control that the government places have a hand to play in this. This is not to lay all the responsibilities on them. Other reasons are already there, like being a small, successful country in which success got into its head and the difference in the performance of different racial groups. But when you have all these reasons, the solution is not to create a network of control that prevents people from making racist comments, punishing those who cross the line. Such a stance will only serve to bury the innate racism even further into the psyche of Singaporeans. People make racist jokes as small outburst of racism without a thought, but this is merely a little steam from an blocked up active volcano. All the outlets are blocked and the buildup pressure will eventually lead to a huge explosion like that of Mount St. Helens.

I realised a lot of what the government does is merely symbolic, like bringing together the different races for celebrations and so on. It's a good step, but it's often just for show on the surface. Merely seeing things done on TV by the government does not mean that the population necessarily feels the same way. The "gahmen" will always be the "gahmen", different from the people. Another point is that when you show everything as saavy and groovy, (meaning that everything is going smoothly), people become complacent. People no longer address the underlying reasons or think about why they themselves might be racist. Few, if anyone, goes about their lives thinking about WHY they look at someone from another race differently. But many, if not all, think bad thoughts about another race.

Tell me, what are you thinking about when you see a bunch of poor Indians, Malays, Chinese or anyone different from you sitting and talking by the roadside? Whatever you're thinking, you aren't questioning why you are thinking that way. You just think your bad thoughts. That is racism in its core. You think of them being lazy, being wasteful, a disruption to the peace, and you attribute it to them being from a certain race. This way of thought is inherent because of people are naturally xenophobic. But it festers the soul, eats at the heart of human compassion. Will anyone ever think the other way, that instead of them being the "low class ones", that you yourself are putting yourself on a higher pedestal than you should be? Few people think about how lucky they are, especially when you are comparing yourself to someone from another race.

I do not claim to have solutions. If I actually DO have solutions to racism, I'll probably be somewhere close to having the divinity of God. But I believe that conflicts make people grow and understand better. Everything has been so smooth sailing in Singapore that few wonder about anything anymore. Like friendships, only when there are occasional conflicts, do people know where the other person stand and adjust themselves to meet these new dimensions that they have learnt about the person. Without conflicts, everyone is working only in their comfort zones and no one grows. Similarly with different races, slight, moderated conflicts bring about greater understanding. I don't mean the government understanding more about the issues, but a general understanding among the population. As long as the arms of the ruling leaders are, they are not the population. They do not always reflect the general sentiments of the people. So my belief is that small conflicts will actually further the cause of educating people and making people less racist.

I would love to live in a world where there is no racism. Where everyone views everyone the same way, that we are all humans, and not according to background, to skin color, or to the color of their eyes. I would love to be a person who is not racist at all, to see past the outsdie and into the human soul. I have a long long way to go, and so does the nation. Until then, maybe we can all make small efforts to look at the person living across your street, who is different from you, in a friendlier manner.