Here is one more reason why it is so difficult to defeat the People’s Action Party (PAP).
It has systematically undermined close and supportive relationships between people because it fears them. Having destroyed those bonds, it has developed a new, unequal relationship between individuals and the State.
Let me explain.
In the past, people naturally formed social networks within their neighbourhoods. They had friends who gathered for mahjong sessions, dropped by each other’s homes to gossip, shared food, and whose children played together, forming close friendships. These connections were as natural as sunrise and sunset.
Today, however, people rarely develop social networks with their neighbours. They may exchange polite greetings, but their relationships seldom go deeper than that. Instead, individuals now form social networks with the State.
They participate in morning exercises organised by the State, join outings conducted by the People’s Association (PA), attend enrichment programmes at Community Clubs, and chase reward points on the Healthy 365 app or fitness trackers provided by the State.
They take SkillsFuture courses, shop at NTUC Fairprice, rely on government-distributed vouchers, send their children to PAP-run kindergartens and subsequently to State-run schools, and many even work for the State.
This partly explains why so many elderly people are dying alone these days. Their social networks take time to develop, are unique to them, and, once destroyed, are very difficult to replace. The social networks developed by the State are often superficial and contrived, making many elderly people uncomfortable joining them.
The PAP has very cleverly—if not cunningly—broken apart the natural human bonds that create close-knit communities because it fears them. In their place, it has fragmented individuals and fostered relationships with them that it can control and manipulate.
The State should stay out of the private lives of its citizens. Otherwise, we risk becoming a totalitarian society—if we are not already one.
Many people complain about the high cost of living, the lack of work-life balance, and the stress in their lives but refrain from holding the government accountable.
On the contrary, they often insist that the government is doing a good job. This is entirely understandable, given their daily consumption of State propaganda and the strong, personal relationship that Big Brother has cultivated with them.
