2 things to blog about. Taiwan election and the Mindef search on 3 robbers in Tekong.
320 will be the day taiwanese go into ballot box and vote for the 2nd time, our own president. the act of us, being able to vote for our own leader is a sign of a fullblown democracy and one that many of us are proud of. or are we? i have serious doubts when it comes to the maturity of the taiwanese population politically and the development of the political arena in taiwan.
i saw this video when i was back in RI. a history class showing us some rallies that was held during Hitler's reign in Nazi germany. the participation, the passion and the absolute fervor that was being displayed during those rallies were astonishing. it really sends a chill down my spin coz these people, voted in a leader thru democratic means, this leader, gave them job, gave them welfare and make them so nationalistic about themselves, their country, that they end up committing such crimes. one can probably blame everything to hitler, on how he was able to manipulate the people n all tat. but the people itself cannot claim to be totally guiltfree oso. the fact that they were so easily manipulated and gullible cannot be use to say that it is not their fault?
switch the focus back to present. and we look at the political scene in taiwan. 228 we witness something really spectacular. 313 we saw something in tat capacity again. it was unbelievable. how ppl get mobilised under some political slogan. how everyone was just so into it and obsessed about it. i ask, is this an act of a matured democracy? an act of a developed political scene? i doubt so. yeah sure, we see demonstration everywhere in places like US and EU countries. people speaking out their agenda n such. but here, we saw a campaign that has its focus on ethnicity difference? wtf, ethnicity? it is a ethnicity difference that is crafted out and split apart by politicians out to divide n segregated. to see taiwanese being divided and segregated politically by "ethnic" line is very heartaching. i remember the days when things were so much simplier. i could play and chat with neighbour kids that were of "different" ethnic. yet suddenly, all the hatred towards, all the suspicions of and all the crimes that "mainland-taiwanese" commited surfaced. suddenly everyone remembered. the best way to forgive n forget someone, something is by setting aside a day to "commenmorate" the occasion?!??! i say that is bullshit. i am not suggesting that we should bury the crimes commited in the past. but then i also question the wisdom of digging up such thing and wat good will it achieve for the public. i am not tokking about the politicians, i am tokking abt the public. a divided population on an island facing threats from a big enemy a strait away? dun bother to try to convince me that is a wise decision. while watching those video clips on the 228 event, i can't help but see so much similarities between that video and those nazi rallies i saw... most of those interviewed in the video mentioned that they are here to show their pride for the country and want to tell mainland to buzz off and such... yet you could see the camera deliberatedly avoiding other political slogans that were present... slogans tat were political, nth nationalistic about them and yet, things saw by those that attended the event. it sickens me. there is a reason why ppl say politics is dirty. and i cannot deny that even though i am a political science student. the more i learn. the more i study. the more i see, i really feel very disheartened. this is my country. my homeland. and yet, the people on that island behaves in a way that i really can't say i am very proud of. probably sound egoistic to some, but can't help but have this feeling of "everyone is drunk, onli i am concious n sober" maybe that is the advantage of me not being on the island all these while. i saw things from outside. i gathered info from outside. probably can be excused of not "sharing the pain" with those tat actually lived on the island. but i doubt if those rich politicians with their big fat cars and bank account could either if you wanna follow tat logic.
which brings me to something personal. see, i am all interested about politics. i really wanna go back and do something for the country. but then i look at the place, the people and the situation. and i question how and wat the hell am i suppose to do? yeah sure, all the passion, all that enthusiasm and all that FIRE man!! but seriously to jump into a basket full of rotten apple and try to fix things and expect yourself not to get dirty?! how i wish tat would be possible. but i guess i dun have THAT much passion to have such wishful thinking of tat happening. even then, there is really no clear political lines draw. yeah we have a blue, we hav a green. so? who is left who is right? what do they really stand for on issues? everything is just messed up with no clear focus. it is like one party try to do something, then the other party will try to counter it n such... political stand switch everytime, all the time just so that one party is opposing the other. to me, tat is just weird and screwd up. and you call this a matured political scene? hohoho... i dun think so...
anywaez... i need to quickly wrap things up b4 going back to my work... yesh... the manhunt for those damn robbers in tekong. i think this is gonna be interesting. NSAF train so much on tat piece of land. so i am really waiting to see how effective those army men really are. catching them at your own backyard, if you gonna have difficulties, then i feel really sad for singapore... MUAHAHAH... take care folks
p.s. bought next yr's football season ticket n actively looking for off campus housing for fall 2004
posted by David at 3/19/2004 01:16:00 AM