SDP's National Day message viewership explodes

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Sunday, 08 August 2010

Singapore Democrats

The Singapore Democrats' National Day (ND) video message this year has received an unprecedented rate of viewership. In less than three days since it was first posted on this website, the number of views has exploded to nearly 4,000 - a record for the SDP's videos.

The ND video released last year where our Women Democrats delivered the party's address is one of the highest watched SDP videos and, yet, has only about 7,000 views in a period of one year.

Entitled "The Young Ones" this year's ND message talks about the aspirations of young Singaporeans and the society they will inherit when they grow up. The few that are featured in this video represent a generation of Singaporeans who have been exposed to the Internet and want to know beyond what the PAP Government tells them.

The Singapore Democrats have had scores of students visiting us online and many more in our office often expressing their skepticism about what they read and hear in the newspapers, on television and even in their textbooks. This video conveys to the rest of society what we have been hearing from young Singaporeans all this time.

Gone are the years when the Government could label activists as Marxist conspirators or that PAP equals good and Barisan Sosialis bad. Students nowadays have alternative sources of information and they want to read them.

And when they hear that the Said Zahari-Lim Hock Siew videos are banned or when Mr Alan Shadrake's book is not allowed to be sold in bookstores or when the National Library (of all places) bars Mr Vincent Cheng from speaking, they ask why.

When they see how editors censored the cross-examination of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew by Dr Chee Soon Juan during the defamation suit hearing in 2008, they develop a high level of suspicion of the media here.

It is the nature of human beings to want to be told the truth and the young ones in Singapore are no different. The question is, what kind of society will they inherit? Will they have to lose everything in a state where trust between the rulers and the ruled have completely broken down?

More important, how will this Government continue to execute censorship and hope to get away with it? With the Internet expanding, the dissonance between official diktat and online dissent will intensify.

This year's ND message from the Singapore Democrats is a forerunner of things to come. Perhaps, this is why it is receiving such unprecedented attention.

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Comments (4)

Mon 09 Aug 2010 1:12 PM | Political_law

Sure or not? I thought most of the viewers to this site are SDP members themselves.

Mon 09 Aug 2010 2:35 PM | Seelan Palay

Political_law, if you open the video in YouTube you will see the viewcount which is currently over 5000: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlQIEoxLQSw

Mon 09 Aug 2010 10:58 PM | g_e - The hands-down winning Nat'l Day message!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

LHL National Day HIDDEN Message 2010

My fellow Singaporeans,

Our economy has rebounded strongly from last year's recession [** but you will not benefit from it **]. GDP grew 17.9% Y-on-Y in the first half of this year [** so I am looking forward to an increase to my already-world's-highest salary, which is pegged to the GDP **]. Many jobs have been created [** for my foreign pets and unemployment is low for these pets **]. Our workers can look forward to better wages [** but only through doing **] more overtime and higher bonuses [in their dreams] this year.

Growth is likely to moderate in the second half [** but not my salary, which will still remain the world's highest **]. Still, MTI forecasts growth for the year to be between 13 and 15% [** which is good for my pegged-to-GDP salary. Have I boasted about that already? Forgive me for the repetition. Too excited. Ha! **] This exceptional performance is the fruit of Singaporeans' united response during the crisis [** a fruit which I will eat alone and not share with you **]. This enabled us to take full advantage of improved global conditions [** whatever that means lah. **]

But let us not get carried away [** - you must continue to work cheaper, better, and faster **]. Risks remain in the world economy, especially in Europe and the US [** but there shall be no risk to my salary, which, by the way, is much higher than what leaders of Europe and US get **]. The global financial system is not fully mended. Singapore is small and open, [** so open that there is no meaningful immigration control to speak of **]. If the world economy turns bad, we [** - oops, i mean you - **] will be buffeted. We need to stay vigilant and watch the developments worldwide [** so that we can make timely investments in near-bankrupt banks and financial institution "for the long term" **].

We cannot expect to repeat this year's sterling performance year after year, but we can continue to grow our economy with sustained effort [** by importing 100,000 foreign pets to boost the GDP figures **]. We must invest in our people[** a good example of which is my recent $10,000,000 investment in our foreign pets in the form of a Community Integration Fund - **] upgrade our infrastructure [** via chasing locals out of their HDB homes under the guise of SERS and then renting out these very same flats to our foreign pets **] and improve our productivity [** by urging you to work cheaper, better, and faster for lesser salary **]. Then we can take full advantage of opportunities in a booming Asia and prosper [** but none of the prosperity will filter down to you **].

............

That is the face that Singapore must show the world during the Youth Olympic Games, [** otherwise my PAP government will lose face **]. Our cityscape will certainly wow the visitors. They will see the signature skyline at Marina Bay and our new downtown; the high quality public housing like The Pinnacle, where I am now; and the beautiful urban spaces and natural greenery all over the island. [** But all these are not important, because… **]

More importantly, we must impress with the spirit of our people [** otherwise an empty stadium will embarrass my PAP government. **] At this first YOG, let us show the world what Singapore can do [** which means how we can give free tickets to mobilise our pupils to attend. **] Our athletes have been training hard. Our volunteers, 20,000 strong, stand ready to welcome our guests [** but these numbers are not enough to fill the stadium, which is why I am pleading for you to show more interest! Please! Tolong! Tolong! **] Thousands of participants and guests will be arriving soon. I hope all Singaporeans will work together to put up a good show, and make the games memorable for all our visitors [** and most importantly, to not make PAP lose face. **]

On our 45th National Day, let us celebrate our achievements as one united people [** yeah, that highfalutin "one united people" idea in our pledge penned by an over-idealistic minister **]. We can be proud of what we have attained [** - our GINI coefficient, our population density, etc - **] but we must keep learning from others [** such as India and China which compete on labour cost and not on knowledge, **] improve in every area and strive hard to achieve our future goals, [** chief of which is 6.5 million people on a small island. **] Tomorrow's Singapore must be better than today's [** with smaller HDB flats, more crowded trains and no retirement age **].

I wish all Singaporeans a Happy National Day.
Posted by young-pap at 8.8.10

Hahaha, I think he's saying, "Up yours, LHL, LKY and the FAP! I no longer believe in you."

Read the full post here: http://young-pap.blogspot.com/2010/08/national-day-hidden-message-2010.html

Thu 12 Aug 2010 7:06 AM | Robox

7336 views and counting!

Cogratulations to Kenneth, Azrie, Ian, An Lyn and Leela. And Ms Chee, of course.

And here's to Kiddie Power.