had a lively dinner discussion with friend just now so can't sleep now.

Issue was: Are Singaporean really politically apathetic? I know this topic has been discussed to death (see newspaper article) and the usual response is to just shrug our shoulders, say "ya lor" and then "what are we eating for lunch har?" - yet more apathy..

Basically, it was triggered off by my usual jestful predictions of possible government policies and I merrily told my friend that it is altogether possible that in the near future, the govt may just impose this policy requiring all single Singaporeans (over a certain age) to be allocated marriage partners even if they do not choose to marry. This controversial policy will be justified in the name of national defence (i.e. falling birth rates = fewer NS men = national defence in danger!). The question was: Will Singaporeans support it? Even if they do not, can and will they do anything about it? The discussion then naturally gravitated towards other controversial policies that the govt had imposed in the past and the subsequent futile and (perhaps) lukewarm protests from Singaporeans in general. Two of them being the policy that only married couples can buy new public housing and the govt grouping individual constituencies into GRCs for the elections.

As we went on, I couldn't help but be disturbed (and frightened too) to think that we were perhaps really willingly allowing ourselves to be led in a way in which we were no longer rational, freely-expressive subjects but mere objects, predictable, obedient to laws, fearful, content to let "joining the rat race" be our lousy excuse for not engaging in anything vaguely political.

Going to sleep now pondering deeply... ``` `