The Singapore Daily

“..the militarization of National Day parades renders the parade a ritual of power and hierarchy, dramatizes the state’s monopoly of force, personifies the nation by underscoring values of order, discipline and regimentation, and reassures the populace in the face of anxiety…”
Lawrence Leong

“Independence is not being free from foreign rule and being subject to local tyranny, but making tyranny foreign to the local.”
ed

“Instead of a crescent and stars, I see a whip and dollar bills..”
Sam Ho

“[Singapore's] brain drain crystallizes the fallacy of intertwining economic prosperity with happiness.”
Khairulanwar Zaini

“This is not housing, this is storage.”
Waleed Hanafi

This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break.

National Day 2009
- the kent ridge common: The embodiment of democracy in our National flag and its reality
- Desparatebeep: The Meaning of Patriotism
- Mathia Lee: Meritocracy & 8:22 [Recommended]
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: “Pledge moment unites Singaporeans ” - CNA
- TOC: “Based on justice and equality”
- TOC: “So as to achieve happiness…” [Recommended]
- Temasek Review: NDP and the building of a personality cult around MM Lee
- Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: National Day Parade = a military parade?
- ed’s Blog: Singapore’s Independence - reflections
- Feed Me To The Fish: Putting The Money Where The Mouth Is.
- Gerald Giam’s Blog: We forgot about democracy, justice and equality
- Loh and Behold: Proud to be Singaporean?
- The Star Online: Sense of belonging lacking among the young
- Rachel Zeng’s blog: Our Hope for Singapore
- Sam’s Thoughts: Celebrating National Day: We’re Coming Together, We’re Coming…. !!!!
- The Secret Political Blog: Patriotism is a Bad Word
- Singapore Life and Times: Uncock the bottle
- That Burning Republic-State Doesn’t Sway Placidity: Carving Mythology, Building Nation [Recommended]
- Balderdash: My NDP speech
- AngryAngMo: The Singapore NDP - Why The Hell Would You Do That?
- Singapore Democrats Blog: Women Democrats deliver SDP’s National Day message video [Thanks Seelan]
- choongyong.com: An ideal Singapore and wishes for the Nation
- My sketchbook: The national day pledge and the lemmings
- mrbrown: mrbrown at NDP 2009: The Creative Direction
- Anonymous_X: “Le Kua Simi” : 2009 Singapore National Day 2009 Parody Song by mrbrown & the band, electrician
- Temasek Review: Singapore’s limits: The curse of the GDP
- ErniesUrn: We, the citizens of Singapore…
- The Lycan Times: 44 Years of Nationhood
- Insane Polygons: I Don’t Care For National Day.
- Today In Singapore: A Broken Pledge
- Who Moved My Singapore Cheese: National Day Message 2009
- Temasek Review: Singapore’s limits: An unthinking and unquestioning ‘Confucian’ society [Recommended]
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Issues Singaporeans want PM to address during National Day Rally.
- A Year Without Laksa: Dear Australians (And any other people who don’t know about Singapore!)…
- Dee Kay Dot As Gee: NDP Exco turns a deaf ear on environment hazard warning
- Seelan Palay’s Blog: Our Hope For Singapore @ Speakers Corner
- The Reform Party: The Reform Party National Day Address
- Article 14: 8:22 - The Hypocritical Oath [Recommended]
- Chia Ti Lik’s Blog: American Vision, Leadership & Compassion – Food for Singaporean Thought on 9th August 2009
- mollymeek: Surreal Realism

Road to Perdition Repression Election
- Singapore Social and Political Thoughts: Spin Doc Spinning!
- Today In Singapore: History Revisited
- TOC: The race to engage Singaporeans
- TOC: “Democracy need not involve the presence of an opposition,” says PAP member
- Temasek Review: PAP P65 blog now “open” to all post-65 Singaporeans

Woody Goh’s 10 Challenges
- Readings From A Political Duo-ble: Does Goh knows his international relations 101?
- Today In Singapore: Who Is Goh Chok Tong?
- The Rot Within: Bonding
- Mr Wang Says So: More on the 9th Question

The Search for Lee v4.0
- Chee Wai’s Random Musings: Succession in Singapore and Geo-politics (Burma): Goh Chok Tong’s comments
- Temasek Review: PAP looking for 4th PM: Counting the chicks before they are hatched?

National Service
- Dee Kay Dot As Gee: National Service for new citizen?
- Military Life: NS for adult new citizens not practical (You sure or not?) [Thanks Panzer]
- running legs: NS for adult new citizens not practical, oh really?

GIC, Temasek State Fund Investments
- Temasek Review: Temasek spin doctors at Straits Times tries to salvage battered public image
- My Singapore News: Does Dark Pool violate the fundamental principles of transparency

Recession
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Singapore GDP up, but almost all other indicators down
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Straits Times cherrypicks economic survey findings

High Notes and Minibonbs
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Suing the Wrong Party

ERPains, Trains & Automobiles
- TOC: No cheap fares for the elderly, says Gerard Ee
- Singapore Recalcitrant: SMRT
- Today In Singapore: Shutting The Barn Doors..

Housing
- Ignorance is Curable: Singapore - Becoming a nation of high-rise squash courts [Recommended]
- Mr Wang Says So: The Second Question: Homes For Singaporeans

Healthcare
- The Gigamole Diaries: Stem-Cell challenge for the Singapore Medical Council
- The Gigamole Diaries: Speak up on science issues? Where are our ethicists when you need them?
- The Gigamole Diaries: Ethics in Medicine and Biomedicine - The Singapore Story (Part 1) (Part 2)

H1N1 Swine Flu
- Article 14: TAMIFLU, Pharmaceutical companies and their profits

Strangers in a Strange Land
- Singapore Dino: Ministers side with foreign workers against Singaporeans

Religion
- Illusio: RDS: The remaining issues

Lee vs Chee
- TOC: Politicians cross swords in cyberspace
- Temasek Review: Chee Soon Juan challenges George Yeo to online debate
- Temasek Review: George Yeo replies to Chee: Temasek has done “well”
- Sgpolitics.net: The Agenda

Free Burma
- Jaslyn Go’s Blog: Happy National Day and My Exchanges with George Yeo on Facebook..
- TOC: 8.8.88 Anniversary: Burma – a bloody history
- TOC: Is Burma going to be Southeast Asia’s Iran or North Korea?
- Rachel Zeng’s blog: Press statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Hard Hitting in the Lion City: Singapore ‘Happy’
- Readings From A Political Duo-ble: Comparing international outcries to Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial verdict
- TOC: British PM calls for world-wide ban on arms sale to Burma
- Chemical Generation Singapore: Kick Out Burma

Daily Discourse
- Sgpolitics.net: Time to look past motherhood sentiments and start asking the hard questions
- Sam’s thoughts: Taking on Teen Sex
- Sgpolitics.net: The fine art of cherry picking
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Minimum wage jobs
- the kent ridge common: Possibility of a speaker representing the student body in parliament
- an audience of: “Strange” business going around at HDB flat [Thanks nkh]
- Temasek Review: Bottled Newater, new thinking needed

Life, the universe and everything
- A L V I N O L O G Y: Cosfest 2009 (VIII) – A Very Happy Event
- Empty Vessel: Will the real photographers please stand up?
- I can give you Gatsby: Singapore, I fucking love you! said Lady Gaga.
- TOC: A constant work-in-progress
- Temasek Review: A reflection on the vagaries of human existence
- Hard Hitting in the Lion City: City of Heores/ City of Villains

Infoblogaramous
- Maruah Singapore: Registration for consultation workshop on ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights