Massive Wayang: Singapore National CON-versation

As far as cynics are concerned, the National CON-versation aka National Wayang is proving them right. It’s all a gimmick.

PM Lee has stressed that the pompously termed National Conversation is NOT about sacred cows of which many are entrenched, given the nature of a repressive ruling regime. Clearly he has set the red line.

Initially some quarters must have harbored hopes that at last there’s a glimmer at the end of the tunnel. However, netizens and the coffee shop talk have at the outset dismissed the exercise as propaganda, a smoke screen, a red herring and most apt of all, a massive wayang.

And events have proven the netizens and the coffee shop talk spot on in their assessment. So PM Lee has talked about pre school education, dreams and aspirations, whether the unwed should have kids, attitude towards foreigners.

He also said: Keep on moving: we never arrive, you see. Always on a journey. If you have arrived, you fall off the bicycle. We have to keep on moving and aiming for something which is in front of you, which is worthwhile.

Education Minister Heng related an anecdote of queuing to illustrate the importance of values.

The strange thing is that PM Lee claimed he had had more important things on the national agenda when asked about a by-election in Hougang but he has time to make small talk?

In the end Minister Heng will produce an impressive report and just like the Remaking of Singapore Report in 2003, it will gather dusk and quickly forgotten till the next sequel of Wayang comes along.

All airy-fairy.

Is the plight of the army of elderly poor toiling as cleaners a sacred cow too?