BFG

I overheard the results of the casino decision (See Casino Debate?) by the parliament at a coffeeshop. Some elderly men were drinking beer at a table adjacent to mine and I could hear their discussion from their boisterous banter.

Apparently they had made a wager earlier and one of the guys was spot on. Being the most jolly of the lot, he exclaimed that he already knew it was a foregone conclusion when the government announced its plans to consider building a casino.

His friend who lost had thought that the arguments against a casino were stronger and the petition created by FACTS would mean something but was wrong. This event had shattered his trust and he realised it was pointless to give feedback in future. Who knows in time to come a BFG (Boycott Feedback Group) might be formed? In future every time the government asks for feedback, her citizens would just become indifferent to the call.

It is no wonder why many youngsters are shunning politics. By breeding a culture of indifference, our nation's people will inexorably avoid participation in her decisions and even lose their sense of belonging. Citizenship of a nation means more than the place you were born and live in, it entails the responsibility and power to contribute to the progress of the nation. The sense of national pride is severely eroded in many Singaporeans and many have chosen to spread their wings elsewhere. This recent event could have created even more damage.

The government could have been more transparent with the plans and asked for feedback on how the Integrated Resorts (IR) with casinos should be. Asking the right question would have generated better ideas from her people and avoid so much antagonism.