A LOVE STORY unilaterally ended -- WHO's The BETRAYER?

HERE's ONE OF THE THE YOUNG&ARTICULATE ONES who wouldn't have progressed to WHERE HE IS NOW had he stayed behind. Like many others,it's the overseas environs that fostered, nurtured their fertile minds, and we should be PROUD of them of their GROWING STATURE.

A greAt Love Story follows, COURTESY of rising writer JOHN LING, all the way from across the se7en seas, NEW ZEALAND:~~~~~~~

This was his most vulnerable moment. He was heartbroken. Grimacing, he wiped away his tears as he spoke on live television: ‘Every time we look back Web Version   Forward   Unsubscribe   This was his most vulnerable moment. He was heartbroken. Grimacing, he wiped away his tears as he spoke on live television: ‘Every time we look back on this moment that we signed this agreement that severed Singapore from Malaysia, it would be a moment of anguish. For me, it would be a moment of anguish because all my life… You see, the whole of my adult life, I have believed in Malaysian Merger and the unity of the two territories. It's a people connected by geography, economics and ties of kinship…’ This was a watershed moment in history. His name was Lee Kuan Yew, and the year was 1965. It was the height of the Cold War. Communism had cast its long shadow over South-East Asia. Ethnic violence was exploding on the streets. Coups and counter-coups were rife. It was against this turbulent backdrop that Singapore had just been expelled from the Malaysian Federation. It had become an independent nation, but its prospects looked bleak. The tiny island had no natural resources. It had no industry. It had no military. All it had was 1.7 million immigrants desperately looking for direction from a young and untested leader. Lee, the first prime minister of an independent Singapore, had precious little time to dwell on his sorrows. He quickly dried his tears, steeled his nerves, then set off to do the impossible. He had a vision, and that vision that was to transform Singapore completely. Whatever it took. At the time, Singapore’s population was a diaspora of ethnicities and religions with very little in common. Mistrust and anger was at an all-time high. Sporadic racial riots had already broken out, and Lee knew he had to stamp out the problem quickly and decisively. So he seized control of all media outlets and banned the use of vernacular dialects. From here on out, English would be the official language, and the country would be strictly secular. There would be no idle talk of race or religion. A national identity would be forcibly enforced. There was only one choice: everyone had to work together or everyone would perish. As he struggled against communists and ultranationalists, Lee came to see himself as a street fighter. And he clearly believed that only a single authoritarian government could bring stability and progress. His political party — the People Action Party — was the only one qualified to hold power. So Lee accepted no challenge; he tolerated no dissent. And he took that philosophy that to its logical extreme: he sued and jailed critics and journalists, breaking up families, destroying them without hesitation. Censorship and crackdowns against ‘sedition’ became the rule of the day. Lee was unrepentant. ‘Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine. I’ve spent a whole lifetime building this, and as long as I’m in charge, nobody is going to knock it down….’ In Lee’s mind, national security was an ever-present concern. At the time, his country had no military. It was surrounded by larger neighbours who were aggressive. Singapore was, quite literally, the skinny kid surrounded by bullies who were flexing their muscles. Lee had good reason to fear the consequences of an invasion. So he made a fateful choice: he would seek out the guidance of another small nation that had confronted and overcome similar threats. It didn’t take long for him to find his candidate. That nation was Israel. Under the cloak of secrecy, Lee invited Israeli Defence Force and Mossad officers to come to Singapore and help him build a military from scratch. This was a highly controversial move: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei were all predominantly Muslim, and they hated Israel with a passion. But Lee was uncowed. He only wanted results. And results was exactly what he got when Singapore held its first military parade, displaying its new tanks to stunned Malaysian observers. Lee unspoken message was a simple one, ‘If you try and push us, we’ll give you a fight like you wouldn’t believe...’ However, military might would count for nothing if Lee didn’t have the economy to sustain it. He was very much aware that Singapore had no industrial base. So he decided to create a new state-owned investment model that would allow him to micromanage and drive the economy forward. Lee was never clearly a socialist or a capitalist. He wasn’t much into purist ideology. He considered himself a pragmatist, and he was concerned only about what worked. He wanted results in the shortest time possible. So, under his stewardship, Singapore quickly trained up a highly skilled workforce of technocrats and labourers, then put them to work in shipping, telecommunications and banking. In a region known for widespread corruption and lack of standards, Lee was a trailblazer. He prioritised efficiency and reliability, cracking down hard on anyone that didn’t match his lofty vision. He justified it by declaring that Singapore’s only natural resource was its people, and nothing was more important than that. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and Singapore today is the most industrialised nation in South-East Asia. It’s the most militarised. It’s the most stable. When you first visit Singapore, the first thing that strikes you is how clean and orderly it is. The buildings are always freshly painted. The MRT trains always arrive on time. The people always follow the rules. I know Singapore well. I have relatives there. I have visited it many times. Its history continues to fascinate me. Lee Kuan Yew may have died in March 2015, but his legacy is clear. He created the world’s only island city-state, one of the most successful capitalist economies in the world. But, oddly enough, it’s something that he did without following the Western model of liberal democracy. His was a harsh and uncompromising brand of government, born out of Cold War necessity and personal heartache. He pushed ahead and forged his nation through pure force of will. And all the contradictions and idiosyncrasies present are a natural outgrowth of his iron personality. When you look at Singapore today, you still see the man. It’s hard to separate both. Tyrant. Despot. Visionary. Saviour. Historians and critics will continue to debate whether the end justifies the means. Personally, as a writer, I’m uncomfortable with the darker aspects of Lee’s rule. Yes, he preserved and improved the lives of millions of Singaporeans. But he did it by crushing human rights and eliminating everyone who didn’t agree with him. As result, Singapore today has few entrepreneurs. Few creative thinkers. It’s dominated largely by technocrats and workers. Those who give orders and those who obey. Nothing much in between. As a creative person with strong political views, it would be difficult for me to live in such a claustrophobic environment. But, still, I can’t help but admire Lee Kuan Yew’s achievements. He made tough choices. He stuck with them. He got things done. Perhaps the last word belongs to Lee himself: 'I have no regrets. I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There's nothing more than I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life.' Best Wishes John Ling    © 2016 John Ling | PO Box 6817, Auckland, New Zealand

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DESIDERATA: 

After going their separate ways, one of the couple grew and grew, and is today STANDING TALL AMONG THE DEVELOPED NATIONS.

The Significant Other  on the other hand regressed and digressed, seemingly stuck in a QUAGMIRE of the guardians' OWN MAKING. The once proud nation with potentially Advanced Country status within its horizons is now languishing, stuck with a Third World Mentality.  With its guardians greedy&clueless, instead of growing the country's unique potential, it is  instead sliding towards THE ABYSS, now descending into becoming what one devoted to DSAnwarIbrahim & PKR CAUSE politician ( BATU MP what's his name lah? ) has described as "THE ASIAN ZIMBABWE', a reluctant moniker I have to agree with.

More to follow: Desi meanwhile says CHOW!.......adjournin' for long BF-cum-Lunch-cum-Hi T.......Hey, it's Fridae, a Childe born today is FULL OF LOVE to GIFT!:) Desi is a GoOD receiver...

Desiderat2: I spent entire 3hours wit' a BUMmer from across the political divide Yesterday -- spent TWO earlier SHORT HOURS waiting as he had a delayed appt in KL -- and IF you believe me, we felt like fRiends between us more than with MOST OF OUR POLITICAL "comrades" MAINLY BECAUSE V V R first BLoggers, then political activist as we need to know some "inside" information.
You are partly right if you allege WE ARE WORKING HAND-in-GLOVE -- hey, in the name of National Interests OK! -- YL, Desi

Sharing his latest WISDOMmy/BOSOMmy -- we talked lots of Marilyn Monroe, Cybil Shepherd and Jessica Lange, also roguish Blake Shelton2, envy him for his duet with ....See 3rd YouTube Video above -- -- quotes for Lunchtime dessert!:), from http://anotherbrickinwall.blogspot.my/ ~~~

Thursday, June 02, 2016

Of explaining, last words and last laugh, finally inner peace

A friend sent the above quote.

It made us think and ponder. It is not something new and we have said the exact words without realising that it was said earlier by Paule Coelbe. Most likely, we heard it from someone else.

There is a twist to the above quotation.

Fanatics, those filled with prejudice and those that tend to presume things tend to be so. But those really with the right attitude to "agree to disagree" are those that are:

Usually, we hear what that needs to hear but we will stick to a position based on a certain premise. The Arabic word is Itiqamah. It is based on a certain guiding moral principle or public interest.  

So far, we have been mostly right. Sometimes we could be wrong ...

Off course, they will be those that laugh off at flaws and mistakes. But then again, sometimes it is too early to conclude it as flaws and mistakes. They may have laughed it off too early.

You see, someone said:

And, the last best laugh could be the longest:

But then, why do we need to laugh and spew insult. Sometimes those thinking they are laughing last:

Talking about last, many especially woman in arguing with the man partner tend to:

... without realising that:

The more intelligent, rational thinking and knowledgeable tend to:

If there is really the need ...

Enough of explaining to the those that do not want to hear. It is fulfilling the ego to the be the one to laugh last and say the last word but it is far beyond us already. 

At the end, what matter is inner peace. Peace with oneself, others and God. Given the circumstances, strongly believe the path taken remain the right one. The wrong is still wrong and the right is still right. We are at peace.

Those righteous ones out there, are you so sure? Are you at peace with yourself?

The Malays have a saying ... tepuk dada tanya selera. May your true conscience be your guide. You must be sure of yourself before you can have a conscience.

at 6/02/2016 12:22:00 PM