Running Out Of Patience

There is a remarkable scene in the Margaret Thatcher movie, "The Iron Lady", when Meryl Streep dresses down Anthony Head (as Lord President Geoffrey Howe) for shoddy work. Other members grumbled, "I wouldn’t have spoken to my gamekeeper like that."

The Iron Lady in action

While some may venture that the expulsion of Yaw Shin Leong is rather harsh treatment, few will excuse him for absenting himself from the Tuesday night council meeting and an opportunity to come clean before his party leaders. It's one thing to seal his lips in front of the blood thirsty mainstream media, trying to chalk up brownie points for the pro-alien people, it's another to let down those who placed good faith in him. The anguish is plain in Low Thia Khiang's affirmation that the people's interest comes first before his party's priorities, "We require our MPs to be responsible people. Although it is a difficult decision... we'll have to make it so that the Workers' Party and its MPs can stand tall and hold their heads up to take the PAP government to account."

The surprising development to this twist of events is that the Prime Minister is apparently caught flat footed. Instead of relishing to seize the day and reclaim the renegade ward, he seems hesitant to go into battle. "On whether and when to hold a by-election in Hougang, I will consider the matter carefully." Hardly the demeanor of a take charge general in command. "Under the law, there is no fixed time within which I must call a by-election," he added, as if the people has infinite patience to await an elected representative to voice their needs in parliament.

Perhaps his plate is still full, what with the SMRT unresolved headaches, CPIB probes, and people like Foo Mee Har publicly threatening to "take steps to protect my rights if it becomes necessary to do so." Lawyer Chia Boon Teck expands on latter's pugnative stance, which mirror's the recent reaction of K Shanmugam, "If anybody wants to talk publicly about somebody else, especially a public personality, then you better be careful... If what you are hinting at is based on rumours and gossip, then you are exposing yourself to legal suits." There was no legal action in Yaw's case (the expulsion is in line with party Constitution, and legal recourse is remote) , but look how rumours and gossip can bring one down. Be afraid, be very afraid.