fascist america in ten easy steps.

in summary:

1. invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy

2. create a prison system outside the rule of law

3. maintain a body of spies/thugs/mercenaries to terrify the population

4. set up an internal surveillance system

5. harass citizen’s groups

6. engage in arbitrary detention and release

7. target key individuals, threatening civil servants, artists and academics with job loss if they don’t toe the line

8. control the press

9. dissent equals treason

10. suspend the rule of law

whilst the article is discussing the state of America, what flashed through my mind while reading it was how much it applied to singapore as well.

just a few examples.

dissent equals treason. obviously, since if you’re not with them you’re against them. i mean, no one in their right mind could ever possibly think that the PAP is wrong, and if you do, then you must be a traitor. because PAP is singapore, and if you’re not in complete support of the PAP, then ergo you are not in complete support of singapore, and consequentially, must be annihilated, humiliated, exiled, jailed, etc. because there cannot be more than one way of doing things, and the PAP way is the only way. capisce?

our terrifying internal and external enemy? internally –> terrorists, racial/religious riots, economic slowdown/crash, non-PAP government. externally –> just about every neighbouring country that singapore has the (mis)fortune of sharing the seabed/airspace/waterpipes with.

control of the press? enough said.

harass citizens’ groups, and threatening key individuals. well. to fully explore this would require a week-long exposition, and there’s enough out there to google. let’s just say that it’s clear these things happen in singapore, and no one could dare deny it. if in doubt, please remove the wool over your eyes and take a look around the real world. i bet THE MAN himself would probably gleefully admit it to the public, and probably say something like ‘of course we do, how else do you think we have been able to stay in power for so long?'’

so, is singapore a fascist state? or about to be a fascist state?

i would say that it might have been, but currently it isn’t and it probably won’t descend into a fascist state in the near future. i think, deficient as it is, there is still some substance (however lip-service only it may be) to the democratic processes in singapore. on the other hand, it is obvious that there is still a very long way to go before singapore enjoys the open and civil society that it ought to be aiming for.

it’s already got the skeleton of a democracy in place, now all it needs is the fleshing out of the body.