This is Singapore
There’s freedom of speech, and then there’s the illusion of freedom of speech. And the illusion is what we get here in Singapore.
“Yes we want your money giant MNCs who we lured here, we want you to conduct your businesses here in Singapore and generate income and growth for the economy but no we won’t allow you to take a stand with regarding your corporate beliefs and treat you as a foreign company even if you are registered as a local company.”
“The government will not interfere with the social climate of the country with regards to human rights. But we will brick-wall and ignore the population’s protests and build casinos in the country and ignore the fact that we do have a national gambling problem.”
“There is nothing to hide, we are not corrupted officials and everything we do is above board and right. But no we will not give you the transparency you ask for because all you need to do is to take our word for it.”
“We will pay our president SGD$4million per annum to basically be a figurehead where his job is to basically approve bills in parliament that his political party puts in front of him and meet the occasional foreign dignitary while paying our ministers anywhere from SGD$2million and up per annum on top of all the extra benefits they receive being a minister of a country. Why? To prevent corruption and to hire the best of the best. We don’t have faith in our people to want to become politicians because of their love for their country therefore we bribe them away from their high-paying jobs and put them in positions of power. Oh but if you’re not from an Elite School don’t bother applying.”
“Stop taking our words out of context and reporting them wrongly when you don’t understand what we say. Oh wait, we said something stupid. AGAIN. Well let me take down the article and make it disappear from the internet or make the ONE mainstream media company in this country spin a story that explains what I truly meant by my words.”
“Nope. Sorry. No space for refugees fleeing from conflict and dying by the hundreds of thousands in the waters around us. Wait, you’re from China? And you’re here to work? And you’ve brought your countrymen by the thousands? Why let me help you get through immigration faster! Wait, you can’t speak the local language? Psh that doesn’t matter. Please, come in come in and flood the country. We’ve got more than enough space here for all of you.”