Singapore Democrats
Kinokuniya Bookstore has placed another order for Dr Chee Soon Juan’s latest book A Nation Cheated, barely 10 days from its last one. A new batch of books was just delivered over the weekend. The book is also available at Select Books (Tanglin Shopping Centre)
This is despite the complete news blackout by the local mass media on the book. With absolutely no publicity except through this website, A Nation Cheated is selling robustly in bookstores. Online sales have also seen a constant stream with orders coming in through speakup@yoursdp.org.
This is a sign that Singaporeans are increasingly bypassing the state-controlled newspapers for information. The book tackles issues that the Singapore Press Holdings will not address and provides alternative ideas to take Singapore forward.
With the recent financial meltdown in the US and the local economy starting to tank, Singaporeans are beginning to realise that the PAP formula of “growth” has been based on exploitation and the repression.
More important, the cracks are exposing the weakness and vulnerability of the system. Note: In spite of all the PAP hype about the soundness of its policies, Singapore is the first Asian country to go into a recession.
The fact that Singapore’s GDP has managed to remain afloat these past few years is not because we have been innovative or that we have been productive. Our economy grew because the Government decided to make our banking system so secretive and non-transparent that criminals, drug barons, and tax evaders have found this place an ideal place to park their ill-gotten gains.
Another source of growth is from the flood of foreigners into this island. When you have a sudden and explosive increase in the number of residents, the inevitable result is GDP expansion. But you don’t have to be a genius to see that such an economic gimmick is a one-off that very quickly runs into diminishing returns.
And the societal cost of such a policy has yet to be calibrated. Singaporeans should take note Mr George Yeo’s recent revelation that the Government does not have a masterplan to accommodate all the new inhabitants. In the meantime we continue to ignore the severe brain-drain problem where our younger citizens are leaving this country in droves.
All this in a political environment that prohibits citizens from speaking out and makes believe that things here are hunky-dory.
These factors are all examined in A Nation Cheated. The author warns that if Singapore’s politico-economic problems are not addressed soon, Singaporeans will face an increasingly bleak future.
Ironically, the censoring of this book is adding to the problem. Get your copy of A Nation Cheated if you haven’t already and keep yourself informed. Remember, knowledge is power.