Let's Protest!

Read an interesting article in the Straits Times that got me thinking. The article is basically about whether it would be a good idea to let people hold demonstrations and strikes in the streets to lobby for the things that they want. The writer suggests that a vocal minority in Singapore seems like they would love to have other Singaporeans experience major traffic problems, disrupted supplies, not being able to earn a living just so that there could be protests and demonstrations in Singapore, in line with liberal democratic ideals of freedom of expression.

I wonder how I will react to people protesting on the streets, especially if I’m in a rush and they are in my way. I think that if that were to ever happen, I would probably hope to be driving a monster truck, and I would run over the protesters and blaming it on their stupidity for standing in the middle of the streets, blocking my path. I would claim that they were infringing on my right to freedom of passage and my right to not have to suffer their idiocy.

I’m sure a lot of people would accuse me of being a ‘typical’ Singaporean who would rather put material and creature comforts over the supposed higher ideals that separates us humans from mere beasts. Well… I’d like to see how these people would respond when their dad or mom (or any loved ones) requires emergency medical attention and you can’t get to a hospital because some assholes are protesting in the streets for the right to bring their toy dogs onto a bus. I wonder whether these people would still be singing the same tune as they sit in the car, watching their loved ones die in front of them, knowing full well that their loved ones can be saved if not for those idiots protesting in the streets.

It thus begs the question, why should I be inconvenienced just because a group of people want to try to change something in society, especially if I don’t give 2 hoots about what it was that they want to change?

Of course, there might be that perhaps someday, I might be in that position where I want to change something in society and would thus hope to have the ability to protest and demonstrate. Then I think the task at hand is to find avenues where anyone can affect a change in society without inconveniencing others.

I am reminded of a something that I heard happened recently. There is this play that is going to be staged soon. The playwright cum producer submitted the play to MDA for approval. Somehow, some members of public found out about this play and were really offended by the title of this play as they felt that the title was derogatory to a certain race in Singapore. Now what was MDA supposed to do? If they honor the playwright’s right to keep the title of the show, they run the risk of this group which objected to the title whipping up irrational racial fervor which would potentially be destabilizing. Or should they tell the playwright to either change the title of his play or not stage the play at all? MDA did the latter.

My point therefore is that sometimes society can be split over certain issues. Sometimes this split can be so great as to throw a country into civil war (remember America?) Who then is to decide which group’s views should be taken? The group that can garner the most people to march through the streets and campaign the loudest? Do we put it up to referendum and decide from there? We must remember that it was a democratic process that put Hitler in power.

The reality is such that people are bastards and we NEED to surrender certain powers to a group of individuals, trusting in them that they would make the right decisions and controlling certain of our excesses.

Of course, we have to have pre-empt the possibility that this group of individuals become abuse their powers. Which in that case is why we should have in place systems for dialogue, for discussions, for audits, etc. And if indeed all else fails, and when and only when this group of people given the responsibility to lead abuse their power, then we shouldn't be asking for the right to protest.

We should just do it.