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| "The whole ground can be against me, but if I know it is right, I'll do it. That's the business of a leader." |
Lee Kuan Yew's election rallies at Fullerton Square were legendary. He and his audience braved downpours during the rallies, when he would speak, off the cuff, for hours, spelling out his hopes, fears and dreams for the country. ("LKY - The Man And His Ideas", Han Fook Kwang et al)
The son said yesterday's rally was an improvement over last election's, in that shelter from the sun was provided. Yesterday's gathering of supporters may not brave the sun for him. At the 2006 rally, the highlight of his speech was about buying supporters' votes and fixing the opposition. How times have changed.
PM Lee claimed that "what keeps PAP MPs on their toes is the risk of losing voter support". Yet he chose to defend the government's move to allow Integrated Resorts with casinos into Singapore. Go figure.Conceding what Singaporeans knew all along, and protested vigorously against in vain, he admitted more IRs mean more risk of problem gambling, and more foreign workers mean congestion. He also rattled off the litany of boo-boos, listing Mas Selamat escape, Orchard Road flooding, housing shortages, transport congestion, and blaming all it on wrong predictions. "We do not always get things completely right ... but overall, the PAP government has been more right than wrong, otherwise we would not be here today," he said. Well, the people will be deciding whether they were in fact more wrong than right, and whether they will still be there after 7 May. After factoring in all the fear mongering and gerrymandering thrown into the facade of a democracy.
Lee conceded that the average standard of the opposition has gone up, and said this is good since the PAP has to work harder. Which is exactly what the opposition is expounding in their rally speeches, slap the bleddy driver every time he tries to doze off. Complacency is no longer an option.
In conclusion Lee urged people to take a vow to "make tomorrow better than today". Oh they will be doing that alright, Mr Lee, but the dawn may be quite different from what you have envisaged.
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| "Nobody''s perfect." |
Posts
Tatler,
ReplyDeleteI thought you would have done something like a "taxonomy of an apology" though, considering that was the key word picked up.
In civilised society, when an official makes an apology, the story doesnt end there.
ReplyDeleteThe consequences of an apology are follow up action. Sometimes the follow up action is so severe. VuiKong the drug smuggler said sorry, but even that is no cure. The follow up action is he will pay with his life. No amount of sorry will help, the follow up action is severe in his case.
If Mr Lee apologises that he has made mistakes in government, let me count the ways that he has to make good, (of course i am not insinuating that he should hang) before i vote PAP.
1. He appears to apologise on behalf of the remarks MM made. Follow up : SACK the MM. the MM is merely a consultant to the prime minister of Singapore. In any business set up if a consultant is found lacking or giving trouble, same is removed forthwith. PM cannot do it because he has to honour his father out of filial piety? Then it surely proves the concept of nepotism if he cannot sack a poor performing troublemaking consultant.
2. He appears to say sorry for the building of casinos. Action: Shut down the casinos, or else don't even bother to say sorry.
3. He appears to say sorry for the Mas Selamat fiasco. Action: SACK his cousin Wong Kan Seng the boaster-cock who to this day still maintains that people love him for the 20 years of "right" things done and cannot be faulted for one wrong thing done.
Two more points:
a, i will definitely vote for PAP if PM would say sorry for the WRONG POLICY of bolstering up stupid idiots like Goh Chok Tong who keep bolstering up dummies like TPL and Chan CS telling voters they are next generation LEADERS of SINGAPORE. This has to stop. We are Singapore we pride ourselves on the basis of meritocracy and we will not have TPL or Chan go in by the back door just because for some unexplained reason they find favour with PAP.
b. I will definitely vote for PAP if PM would dismantle all the extra fat in governent, SM's, MMs up to President, and futhermore take a pay cut and declare the failed policy of high-pay-high-calibre. And of course stop the crazy 26% pay rise for the prata man.
That is what SORRY means.
It will bring me to vote PAP, if the Prime Minister's SORRY is accompanied by the above follow up actions.
zero
Do you really believe when a politician says sorry?
ReplyDeleteIn the corporate world, the CEO or any executives who have made such significant mistakes will be sacked or asked to resigned for new ones to remedy the bad situation created.
In politics, after the sorry politician returns to power, is there a guarantee that he will change and reverse what he has done wrong? History tells you there is NONE.
If the current policies are bad, who is to guarantee that the next policy will be good? That is why change is needed to at least give a possibility or hope for a better next policy.
Look at the PAP GE2011 manifesto. Do you find the detailed concrete strategy or action plan convincing and possible for implementation?
Daft Singaporeans need to ask all these questions before 7 May.
I will vote for PAP if and only if PAP after returning to power promises to:
ReplyDelete1. Revert the Constitution to its original and revise/strengthen it with consultation of the people and approved by a referendum. Make it a mandate that any constitutional amendment requires referendum.
2. Remove all GRC, NMP, NCMP to level the playing ground for all Singaporeans who are interesting to participate in politics.
3. Truely privatise all GLCs and terminate any link between the privatised GLCs and the government.
4. Make courts, civil services (including CPIB), NTUC and PA totally independent of the government.
5. Materialise the executive power of elected president and open the candidature to any able Singaporeans to contest for the position.
6. Abolish ISA, OSA and other ill laws and replace them with appropriate more equitable and justice laws.
7. Hold ministers accountable for all the mistakes done and review all the policies that people have great concern.
8. Rework a reasonable and equitable salary for president, ministers and politician.
9. Reduce the number of MPs, mayors, and ministers position to have a lean and effective administration.
There is NO NEED to blame anyone now nor THE NEED to apologize though RECANT AND REPENT are still very much due.
ReplyDeleteAll that Singaporeans need is to bring in NEW BROOMS to do spring cleaning of the CABINET which of course will soon get dusty and dirty again.
So, each time brooms get dirtied and worn out, change them.
patriot
Me likes to add that when the CABINET becomes dirty and not useful, change the Cabinet as well.
ReplyDeletepatriot