Will Death of Zhao ZiYang Spark Off Unrest in China?
The death of former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Zhao Ziyang has sparked off interest in this legendary figure who has been known to introduce liberal political and economic reforms in China.
Born in October 17, 1919, he was 85 when he passed away on the 17 January this year. He held various posts in the People's Republic of China including Premiership in 1980 for 7 years and was General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 87 to 1989. He was deposed in 1989 for the Tiananmen incident.
This large scale protest movement occurred around the time of the death of Hu Yaobang on April 15, 1989, as the country was undergoing economic hardship. Led mainly by students and intellectuals, it was a reaction towards slow reforms. The protesters demanded an end to official corruption and freedoms met with equal resistance from the authorities.
During that time, Zhao ZiYang met up with protesters at the Tiananmen Square and pleaded with them to abandon their vigil. This angered the party which considered him “siding” with the students. They stripped him of his powers; declare martial law and crushed the protesters at Tiananmen heavy handedly.
After the massacre, Zhao was placed under house arrest. He was replaced by Jiang Zemin and spent the remaining 16 years under tight supervision by the government.
His death was kept tight-lipped within the country. Internet condolences of his death through message boards, such as the Strong Nation Forum and the SINA.com were deleted by the moderators. Tiananmen Square and his house were placed under heavy scrutiny for fear of large scale demonstrations, as had been the death of previous leaders such as Zhou Enlai and Hu Yaobang.
Epoch Time interviewed Wang Dan, one of the prominent student leaders at the Tiananmen protest, now, exile in Taiwan, believed that a large scale similar protest is unlikely to happen. Wang however believes that the communist party, like other communist parties worldwide, will not have a “good fate” as it is resistant to reforms.
The same paper also interviewed renowned researcher Mr. Su Shaozhi, currently exile in new Jersey for his involvement during the June 4th incident.
Like Wang Dan, he believes that the CCP, which is dictatorial, will face a backlash when the situation becomes extreme. He believes that the public has to be made aware of the issues so that they will oppose against the autocratic regime.
While it is still unclear if Zhao, viewed as an important political beacon in China, who passed away recently, will spark off a protest movement; his contribution to liberalize China will always be fondly remembered.
Do Singaporeans Want Democracy?
I refer to TODAY articles,” Material issues still matter the most. Survey seeks to track how 'rooted' Singaporeans are” dated Tuesday January 18, 2005; “Strong support for pension system. Poll respondents also favour end to scholarships” dated Monday January 17, 2005; and “PAP tops global poll. S'poreans vote ruling party into 1st place in survey of 40 nations” dated Wednesday January 12, 2005.
All three articles contain survey results of respondents’ opinions on Singapore and our current political system.
On the latest article, which contains telephone surveys done by Feedback Unit on a sample base of 538, they found out that forty per cent of them felt they have little or no influence on national issues and policies.
On the January 17 article, an alarming 92 percent of the respondents (conducted by a NTUC staff and public poll of 370 people) believed that youths should be more involved in politics.
The 500 Singaporeans surveyed by market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) reveals that the current PAP government came out tops in the political party category as compared to similar polls in other countries.
It would be erroneous to do a simple comparison of the results of the surveys; and hope to shed some light on what Singaporeans really think about our political system because of the nature of surveys.
Factors such as timing, methodology, execution strategies and computation methods affect the result of surveys; and indirectly what the newspaper reports.
Nevertheless, if we infer the surveys with some face value, I believe it shows an increasing awareness and demand among Singaporeans for some level of active participation in politics and say in how this country is run.
The feedback unit straw poll of 59 working youth on Singapore's political system can be interpreted as a vague call to institute a more liberal form of democracy:
More than 75 percent of the respondents described the "opening up" of Singapore's political space as "below expectations".
An alarming 70 per cent of the respondents believed that we should develop a two- or multi-party system. Most importantly, they felt that the opposition parties have not been given "a fair chance to establish themselves".
The feedback unit straw poll of working youths; and NTUC result of 92 percent of respondents who wants more youths to participate in politics clearly indicates that the average Singaporean is not as apathetic as we are lead to believe. Note that the research done by TNS does not question if Singaporeans want a greater say in the running of this country. However, it does mention that Singapore is not a democracy.
Ironically, the survey done by the Feedback Unit, a government - led endeavor, as compared to the one done by TNL, seems to portray more dissatisfaction with the current status quo.
The TNI report states that health services and telecom operators in Singapore ranked tops. On the other hand, the feedback unit found "affordable healthcare" and "cost of living" ranked as lowest in satisfaction among a list of 14 factors. These two factors however ranked high in respondents’ same list of instilling “loyalty and sense of belonging to Singapore“.
The most disturbing piece of information from the feedback unit reveals that half of the sample base do not care which citizenship they hold, as long as they can attain a high standard of living.
This is in line with more than half of the respondents, believing that there are many Singaporeans who stay in Singapore out of a lack of options, or for opportunistic reasons.
These would be the people who are most likely to “jump ship” when a crisis occurs. With only 20% disagreeing with the statement, and the rest (30%) opted to stay neutral, it appears that the immediate task for government and political parties is to retain Singapore talent and inculcate national loyalty.
In conclusion,
1. Despite a proportion of Singaporeans perceiving the PAP government to be doing a fairly decent job, they believe that there is more room for openness.
2. Many of them believe that there is a need for citizens, especially youths to engage in politics and that the playing field must be leveled.
3. Singaporeans want a form of consultative and much more open and liberal democracy despite the current authoritarian climate
4. With as many as 70% of the respondents in the feedback unit youth straw poll expressing a need for a two party or multi-party system; and as many as 92 percent of the NTUC survey believing that youths should be more involved in politics; Opposition parties in Singapore need to bank into the Singaporean’s desire for democracy mindset and win them over.
5. Opposition Parties need to challenge the government not only on bread and butter issues (especially healthcare and rising costs of living), but also prevents brain drain and win over Singaporeans with intangible issues such as “happiness”, and the “Singaporean identity”.
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PAP tops global poll
S'poreans vote ruling party into 1st place in survey of 40 nations
Wednesday • January 12, 2005
SINGAPORE'S ruling People's Action Party has come out tops in the political party category of a global survey by market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS).
Some 35,000 people from over 40 countries were polled in the international survey, which TNS carried out for the first time.
The Corporate Reputation Index reflects the perceptions of people towards their own country, both politically and economically.
Among the thousands polled across the globe, 500 Singaporeans were selected to share their views. They were so satisfied with their government that the country came out tops in the political parties category.
Mr John Smurthwaite, chairman of Taylor Nelson Sofres, said: "Singapore, perhaps, doesn't have the same reputation as being a democratic country in the western sense, like the UK or US. But I think what has happened is people have been very happy with the change in leadership; they are obviously very happy with that."
Said Associate Professor Bilveer Singh of the Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore (NUS): "People are looking for material goods and the Government delivers that. I think the track record is an excellent one in almost every area ...
"At the same time, over the last couple of years, what has changed compared to the earlier generation has been the notion of good governance. People say we have good governance, accountability, no corruption, growing openness, and therefore we are relating with soft authoritarianism."
He added: "The Government has also been exceptional in crisis management, in the way it has dealt with Sars and the tsunami etc. (There is) pride in associating with a successful government — there are many small states that are not successful and people will ditch them."
The TNS survey results also reveal that Singaporeans think very highly of the country's health, telecommunications and postal services.
Health services and telecom operators here clinched the top spots in their respective categories. Mail services were ranked second best in the world, behind Australia.
This is the first time that TNS has carried out such a massive global survey, so there is no comparison for the rankings. But TNS noted that consumer confidence in Singapore only picked up recently, after years of slow economic growth.
The survey also showed that Singapore is the best Asian country to do business in. Globally, it takes the fourth spot, following closely behind the United States, Australia and Ireland. — Channel NewsAsia
Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.
Strong support for pension system
Poll respondents also favour end to scholarships
Monday • January 17, 2005
Lee U-Wen
u-wen@newstoday.com.sg
THE vast majority of Singaporeans want regular monthly pensions for the elderly, while nine in 10 feel more should be done to promote interest in politics among young people.
These were some of the findings of a recent survey conducted by NTUC Income in response to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's call last August for Singaporeans to "make a difference and shape the country together".
The Cooperative polled about 370 people — members of its staff and the public — a week after Mr Lee's inauguration speech. Respondents shared their views on more than 20 national issues in a questionnaire and 42 of them were invited to a session where they discussed the results and offered further suggestions.
NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian said the Cooperative would present the suggestions to government leaders soon.
The respondents were unanimous in their support for monthly pensions for people 80 years of age or older.
Suggested amounts varied from $100 to $500. As civil servant Kit Putt, 26, remarked: "It's a small amount for this group of people who have contributed greatly to our country and who may not have CPF savings." It was recommended that certain conditions be imposed.
"Pensions should only go to those in need, since the money comes from taxpayers. Let's consider criteria such as income level and number of dependents," said Ms Putt.
On the topic of scholarships, seven in 10 respondents wanted them replaced with grants, loans or bursaries. This, they said, would reduce the problem of bond-breaking.
Said Mr William Foo, 33, a public relations consultant: "Providing study loans would make students responsible for repaying them. Yes, there might be less prestige but at least it would give them more job mobility."
He suggested having a probation system for scholars where they would be put on work attachments to assess their suitability for the job upon graduation. In so doing, he said, the sponsoring company would "know more about their scholars" and "ensure a right job fit".
A total of 92 per cent of the respondents felt that younger people should express their political views more openly. This would help groom them to become future leaders.
Youths should be encouraged to write in to news groups, respondents said.
Ms Lynn Ng, a corporate planning executive, said schools should help dispel the mindset that "politics are boring and only the high-flyers should be involved".
Said the 23-year-old: "On the whole, most people of my generation are not interested at all. It's important to prepare for the future as we don't want to have dinosaurs leading our country."
Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.
Material issues still matter the most
Survey seeks to track how 'rooted' Singaporeans are
Tuesday • January 18, 2005
Jasmine Yin
jasmine.yin@newstoday.com.sg
MUCH has been made about developing Singapore's heartware, but recent findings by the Feedback Unit groups reveal that material standards of living are issues still close to Singaporeans' hearts.
In its bid to find out how "rooted" Singaporeans are, the Political Development Feedback Group conducted a telephone survey of 538 people last November.
The good news: 72.6 per cent of the respondents felt strongly that Singapore is the only place where they feel completely at home.
However, about half said it does not matter which country they are a citizen of, as long as they can attain a high standard of living. Only one in five disagreed with the statement, while the rest opted to stay neutral.
More than half of them also agreed that "there are many Singaporeans who stay in Singapore out of a lack of options, or for opportunistic reasons".
In evaluating the factors that affect that sense of loyalty and belonging to Singapore, the respondents ranked "sense of security and safety", "good education system", "affordable healthcare" and "cost of living" as tops.
While they were satisfied with the country's provision for the first two factors, they felt let down by the latter two, ranking them last in the list of 14 factors.
Forty per cent of the respondents felt citizens have little or no influence on national issues and policies. A majority of them, however, trust the Government to look out for their interests and do what is necessary for Singapore.
The mindset towards one's rootedness to Singapore has also taken a significant shift, with almost half agreeing that "in this globalised world, it is not necessary for a person to be resident of Singapore to be emotionally rooted to the country".
Agreeing that Singapore should move away from the "stayer" and "quitter" labels, Feedback Group chairman Viswa Sadasivan said: "The challenge for the Government, and for all of us, is not just to build a comfortable environment materially, but to provide enough emotional anchors to enhance that sense of belonging.
"This sense needs to be deep and quite unshakeable, regardless of whether you reside here or not."
Among its recommendations on how to build "emotional anchors" among other things, the group proposed that the eligibility criteria for overseas voting be liberalised, and successful Singaporeans living overseas be integrated into major events here, such as National Day celebrations.
The feedback group also conducted a separate straw poll among 59 working youth on Singapore's political system.
Despite the Government's pledge to be more inclusive and consultative and its call on Singaporeans to participate more, more than three in four respondents described the "opening up" of Singapore's political space as "below expectations".
About 70 per cent of the respondents expressed their preference for a two- or multi-party system and felt that the opposition parties have not been given "a fair chance to establish themselves".
The Political Development Feedback Group, together with the Physical Development Group which released their report yesterday, will present their findings at the Feedback Unit's Annual Conference of Feedback Groups on Jan 29.
Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.
How to get youths interested in politics - a reply to TODAY
I am writing in response to the article, “Strong support for pension system
Poll respondents also favour end to scholarships” dated January 17, 2005.
I am surprised that the conducted NTUC poll shows a strong nine out of 10 respondents who feels that there is a need for youths to be interested in politics despite the popular impression that Singaporeans are living in a state of political apathy.
I agree with one of the respondents who feel that schools should encourage students to engage in politics such that they are not viewed as “boring and only for high flyers”.
However, to get youths interested in politics, there is a need to change their perception of what it is.
Youths must feel that engaging in politics can make a real difference. At the very least, current laws that restricts our various freedom of speech, assembly and association has to be modified so that they are aware of the safe space that is available for them to maneuver.
When they offer dissenting and unpopular views, the authorities should refrain from employing a “top down heavy handed” approach because it will only strengthen their impression of a tightly state controlled Singapore.
To create an open and liberal society, our political education should be based on sound fundamentals of justice, democracy and human rights.
As such political education in schools must be taught non partisan; and that the above mentioned principles be inculcated into the curriculum. Evolving models of open and liberal democracies in the world such as India, Taiwan, Sweden and America will make lively case studies.
Political education should be reinforced outside of classrooms and the media can play a part by broadcasting uncensored talk shows on general affairs featuring vigorous discussions and talks with different political parties, NGOs, and youths, in turn, creating more intellectual debate.
Ultimately, the purpose of having politics education should be one of national involvement.
As Dwight D. Eisenhower, an ex U.S. president has said, “Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and fruitful in our national heritage.”
===
Strong support for pension system
Poll respondents also favour end to scholarships
Monday • January 17, 2005
Lee U-Wen
u-wen@newstoday.com.sg
THE vast majority of Singaporeans want regular monthly pensions for the elderly, while nine in 10 feel more should be done to promote interest in politics among young people.
These were some of the findings of a recent survey conducted by NTUC Income in response to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's call last August for Singaporeans to "make a difference and shape the country together".
The Cooperative polled about 370 people — members of its staff and the public — a week after Mr Lee's inauguration speech. Respondents shared their views on more than 20 national issues in a questionnaire and 42 of them were invited to a session where they discussed the results and offered further suggestions.
NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian said the Cooperative would present the suggestions to government leaders soon.
The respondents were unanimous in their support for monthly pensions for people 80 years of age or older.
Suggested amounts varied from $100 to $500. As civil servant Kit Putt, 26, remarked: "It's a small amount for this group of people who have contributed greatly to our country and who may not have CPF savings." It was recommended that certain conditions be imposed.
"Pensions should only go to those in need, since the money comes from taxpayers. Let's consider criteria such as income level and number of dependents," said Ms Putt.
On the topic of scholarships, seven in 10 respondents wanted them replaced with grants, loans or bursaries. This, they said, would reduce the problem of bond-breaking.
Said Mr William Foo, 33, a public relations consultant: "Providing study loans would make students responsible for repaying them. Yes, there might be less prestige but at least it would give them more job mobility."
He suggested having a probation system for scholars where they would be put on work attachments to assess their suitability for the job upon graduation. In so doing, he said, the sponsoring company would "know more about their scholars" and "ensure a right job fit".
A total of 92 per cent of the respondents felt that younger people should express their political views more openly. This would help groom them to become future leaders.
Youths should be encouraged to write in to news groups, respondents said.
Ms Lynn Ng, a corporate planning executive, said schools should help dispel the mindset that "politics are boring and only the high-flyers should be involved".
Said the 23-year-old: "On the whole, most people of my generation are not interested at all. It's important to prepare for the future as we don't want to have dinosaurs leading our country."
Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.
