The Non-Violence Way to Change in Singapore

Q : The Singapore government always cites security as an excuse to clamp down on activities which threaten them, so what kind of NV tactics can be used to counter this?

A : Non Violent tactics usually look to persuade either the opponent elite that you have a problem with their policies or practices and it also seeks to persuade those who support the opponent elite. So the goal for Non-Violent activists in Singapore would be to dramatize injustice where it is happening. Yes, you must dramatize the injustice because there is a certain amount of passive acceptance in Singapore today of a certain level of injustice. So the goal of the NV movement in Singapore to bring about a creative tension in society by dramatizing that injustice and which leads to a lack of support for the policies of the current ruling elite. And they will respond to that in two ways : either be more repressive or change. These are the only two options they have. And all elites will at one point opt for change if the movement goes on long enough because the repressive policies will become counter productive or too socially costly. When you dramatize a situation, you bring about a challenge to their legitimacy, challenge the way things are and they are left with only two choices : either react repressively or change.