The Cowboy Road Ahead

Tan Jee Say had claimed he was challenged by the PAP candidate because of a misunderstanding in the English language. PM Lee may face similar issue with his latest exhortation in Petir about becoming "more consultative and inclusive" - something he promised way back in 2004 when he ascended the throne. Trained at Cambridge where Queen's English was spoken, he may have to re-phrase that in the light of papa's call for the American variant. Especially when he has yet to deliver on his Boat Quay rhetoric.

PM Lee said, "Fundamentally, we need to get Singaporeans to see the PAP for what it is and what it has always been - their champion, acting on their behalf, working with them and for them." That sentence alone should make you dash for the Oxford or American Heritage Dictionary to check how he defines "we", "their" and "them". Recall the soldier who expanded on Patton's "blood and guts" reputation - our blood, his guts. The guy has to be more specific, and more transparent.

After the apocalyptic May 7 event, nothing much has changed. They are still championing the newcomers, to the extent that curry nearly became an endangered food. They may have tweaked the numbers, latest "politically digestible" number being 60,000, but the drawbridge has not been raised to stem the foreign tide. Of the many electoral promises, Khaw Boon Wan was the rare maverick who actually did something to address the housing prices. But notice the man has suddenly zipped up. Is it so bad to fight for the lot of sidelined Singaporeans?

Presumably the announced plan for MICA to spearhead Government's new media efforts is aimed at getting "Singaporeans to see the PAP for what it is and what it has always been." However the dichotomy of what the social media sees and what the mainstream media reports is just too great. How did netizens learn about the interesting revelation that the Minister for Muslim Affairs is married to a Puerto Rican? Or that his wife converted to Islam "to satisfy the conservative standards of Singapore"? Man, what a supreme sacrifice, surely deserving of a National Day Award. But no, The Straits Times did not mention a single word about the magnanimous contribution towards racial and religious harmony.

The internet may be a cowboy town, but even the sheriff gets shot if he is slow on the draw. That way, the guy wearing the badge is truly deserving of the town folks' respect and not lacking in moral integrity. From what we read, Wyatt Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) took on three guys at O.K. Corral, without need of gerrymandering or GRCs. Wyatt would never "shy away from being possible future sacrificial lambs by standing in Aljunied," the mark of real men as defined by Zainul Abidin Rasheed. Even before they ride into the wild, wild west, a nervous Baey Yam Keng is already asking the public to give Government space to make mistakes in using social media. He knows cowboys get scalped by Indians.