Everything Also Complain

From ‘Beware of rojak government if PAP loses power, Swee Say warns’, 2 May 2011, article by Teo Cheng Wee in ST

Cabinet Minister Lim Swee Say yesterday warned that Singapore could get a ‘rojak government with rojak policies’ if the people vote in the Opposition on Saturday.

…’Everybody will just put in their idea…Your future will become a big bowl of rojak…On the one hand, the opposition wants us to move towards the First World, but on the other, they want to push us towards Third World Africa.’

The history of the rojak analogy is a mixed bag itself, used both derisively and affectionately depending on the occasion.  You could use it to describe our multicultural diversity and how a bunch of humble ingredients blended together with sweet black sauce would create a symphony of flavours that is this uniquely Singaporean dish (Describing it as a ‘vegetable salad’ to foreigners is doing gross injustice). Otherwise, it has often derogatory implications of chaos and disarray, whether it’s the organisation of Parliament or the contents of a woman’s handbag (Wah, your handbag inside like rojak, everything also have man!). In fact, the bad analogy was employed by PAP co-founder Toh Chin Chye way back in 1958 (see cartoon below, Untitled, 15 Nov 1958, ST), and again 10 years ago (see 1 Nov 2001 Today letter below)which leads one to suspect that the PAP has been keeping a secret manual of recycled catchphrases and analogies to befuddle the public all this while. We used to think there’s nothing wrong with rojak, and trust the ruling party to insult the pride and joy of hawkers and perennial tourist favourite by filing  it under the head-scratching  ‘Unruly and all over the place’ category.

It’s strange then, how a government that lauds diversity as a key selling point of this country is willing to apply it to race, religion, foreign workers and age but not ideas. I mean what do you expect, Mr Lim Swee Say? By allowing more foreigners in and doing nothing to curb the declining birth rate of Singaporeans, our future has already become a big bowl of rojak, so one would expect rojak policies and rojak government eventually, whether you like it or not.  Because a rojak government can only come from its rojak people, to serve a rojak population. On a side note, I’m not a Hougang resident, but last I checked they had a shopping mall with nice restaurants, running tap water, and the people had clean clothes and were free of cholera, so anyone who would, for the past 10 years, label the town a slum might be the sort who would also compare 5-room HDB flat accommodation to living in a dirty shoebox.

So, if the Opposition is rojak, then the PAP would be something along the lines of a Mcsalad. It’s manufactured from the same source and always tastes the same, with all its ingredients  predetermined and formulated to boring precision whichever outlet you go (Unlike rojak where you can choose to have tau pok and you tiao only, no tau gay). It pretends to be good for you despite being high in calories, and would be utterly tasteless if not for a generous dollop of fat-laden, artery-clogging salad dressing. It’s deliberately cold and appetizing so that you’ll remain hungry and order an unhealthy serving of burger, fries and coke thereafter. You could bundle it with an apple pie and green tea and call it a ‘Healthy Happy Meal’. But more importantly, you could have a complete meal at a kopitiam for the ridiculous price you pay for it.

The fresh taste of freedom

Filed under: 1950s, 2011, Campaigns/Elections, Environment, Hawkers, Local food, Politicians, Public works Tagged: | Campaigns/Elections, environment, ge, lim swee sway, local food, Politicians, rojak