There are too many stories out there, many of them bias in their own way. For me, I believe that Thaksin is the villian. Perhaps he has given money to the poor and helped them in one way or another, but it wasn't his own money. It was money from the Thai people, money which was not his, money which he pocketed. Perhaps he had good intentions, but it sustained his luxury lifestyle and kept him in power. But sooner or later, he's going to suck Thailand dry. And when he is prosecuted, he made use of these people who were deeply grateful to him, to try to get back into power.
It's a joke when he said he does not support violence and that these people were not fighting for him. If it wasn't for him, what are they fighting for? Democracy? But he was not even elected democratically, and people didn't care then. Perhaps he does not support violence per se, but if it can get him what he wants, it might be a means to his ends. It's saddening that the poor and old becomes pawns, and sacrificed in his political game.
Maybe I'm wrong. But who knows what is right? I am not a religious person, yet I pray for this to end and for peace to be restored, for things to get better.
I know that there are people who laugh at Singapore's democracy and there are people who do not believe that Singapore is a democratic country. But seriously, does it really matter? Freedom comes at a price. If the price is prosperity and peace, I would prefer less freedom. So what if we can't eat gum? Think of the money we save from cleaning those things up, how it grows when invested over the years. I think most Singaporeans are happy with the way things are and are too occupied with things like planning the next holiday to bother about which politician is really in power. We complain when things are inefficient all the time, but are mostly contented to let the politicians do their jobs. No way will we spend our time rioting or going on strikes!
I only started to really appreciate Singapore's efficiency, peace and prosperity after I spent the year overseas. Nothing can beat Singapore's efficiency, you can get almost everything done in record time. Did you know that registering for a new business took 3 days in Singapore compared to the worldwide average of 35 days? I took for granted many of the conveniences I enjoyed back home.
Seriously, Singaporeans should learn to appreciate and cherish what we have instead of complaining so much.
It's scary how we try to educate the children and make them go for all kinds of classes just to stay ahead. But perhaps, without that, Singapore would not be where we are now.
If you ask me, democracy is overrated. Politics, strikes and riots are a waste of time and resources. Go do something more productive, something which results in good consequences.
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