Thursday, October 18, 2012

Fact Checks

Have to admit it, the U.S. presidential election debate is so educational. Especially the "Fact Check" parts that talking heads indulge in immediately after the event. Whether you subscribe to the analysis or not, it still beats the lame official version of "factually yours" hands down.

The Amy Cheong affair was rehashed at a National University of Singapore forum on the Government's engagement of the public after last year's General Election.

The Claim:
That Ms Cheong had been "in a sense made a scapegoat" - as "some of our leaders have said worse things in the past". (Reform Party Secretary-General Kenneth Jeyaretnam)

The Counter Claim:
"But it's just that the way society is, you'll inevitably have tensions that pull us apart. So it's a work-in-progress and you have to just keep on working at it." (People's Action Party Member of Parliament Indranee Rajah)

The Facts:
Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had made insensitive comments about Malay Muslims previously. Last year, Mr Lee was quoted as saying Muslims integrated less easily here than other communities in his book "Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going". He later issued a statement saying his call was "out of date" and that he stood corrected. And his holier-than-thou views about "Race, Culture and Genes" extend beyond the bias towards a minority ethnic group:
"Look at the number of smart Teochews there are... just count them. Teo Chee Hean, Lim Hng Kiang, George Yeo, Lim Boon Heng. Is it a coincidence? In a Cabinet of 15, how do you explain that? For that matter, the Hakkas consider themselves very special too.
... You also have more Hakkas in the Cabinet than are represented in the population. They are supposed to be harder-working, tougher and therefore higher-achievers.  So there are these differences even within the races."
(LKY: The Man And His Ideas, 1998, page 173)

Another "I stand corrected" statement is in order now that George Yeo has come clean and confessed that, for the 23 years of his laid back political life, he was, and we quote him, just "in the flow, rather than trying to fight the flow".

Amazing, isn't it? How a presentation of information can cut through the fog of politics and the truth comes across clear as day.

22 comments:

  1. What George said surprised no one. The source and the way ministers are appointed it is obvious they are moving with the flow. Look around the cabinet. Most come from civil service; army and GIC controlled companies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In the interview with China Morning Post, George Yeo also admits that, although he is made chairman of Kerry Logistics, "I cannot claim to know it very well at all" when asked if he knows the logistics industry well.
      His experience in logistics?
      "But I do have some knowledge of logistics. When I was a teenager, I helped my father, who was a rubber godown stock keeper: sometimes I looked after his godown, sometimes I helped him deliver goods."
      Looks like he is back to his old tricks, just moving with the flow.

      Delete
    2. The only logistics knowledge/expertise you need is how to carry balls.

      Delete
  2. Right, moving with the flow and you will "tons" of money....and against the flow, you will end up like JBJ, TLH and Dr Chee....

    Look at WP, aren't they moving with the flow also..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sometimes it does not pay to agitate the piranhas in the same pond, and it is up to us to help WP increase their numbers with bigger and more crafty fish...

      Delete
  3. In the US, information is widely available. But in Singapore, who can fact check TH and GIC claims?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Remember Ken Kwek? The reporter who go against the flow during a national TV forum and got hammered by LKY? See what happen to his film now? It is indeed easier to go with the flow. People who do that don't have the backbone to make a stand for what is right.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So what's the point of National Service?
      Singapore get invaded.
      Just go with the flow.
      That's what a former Brigadier General says right?

      Delete
    2. What do you expect? Half of Singapore does not belong to Singaporeans any way.

      Delete
    3. I don't even think it is only half of Singapore that does not belong to Singaporeans. The way the laws are made and the system itself both are against Singaporeans. Until Singaporeans take back their power, from both the government and the ones to whom the government gives this power(whether overtly pampered foreigners or abusive and ignorant elites), Singapore has never and will never belong to Singaporeans.

      Delete
    4. >... You also have more Hakkas in the Cabinet than are represented in the population. They are supposed to be harder-working, tougher and therefore higher-achievers.

      If LKY was an Indian, the Kingdom of Lanfang will have even more Indian courtiers than Citibank. Who then dare say Indians are not harder-working, tougher and therefore higher-achievers?

      Delete
  5. Daft and Dafter10/18/2012 4:29 PM

    "..In a Cabinet of 15, how do you explain that? For that matter, the Hakkas consider themselves very special too."

    I explain it very simply here - that the king of Hakkas practice nepotism for the select group and then brand them as 'special"! Whey don't we have a "Truthout" version where you list who and what their connections are to you and your cronies?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, some families are more special than others. Look no further than the Lee family.

      Delete
    2. We call this Meritocracy Singapore-style. When you are related, you naturally have better genes and have more merit.

      Delete
    3. Marriedtocracy anyone??

      Delete
  6. Indeed there are a lot of smart Teochews. That's why Hougang voted for the Worker's Party. Langgar!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Someone who advocated that our womanfolk should accept polygamy, that the one-man-one wife concept is a western invention that does society no good, shouldn't ever be taken seriously. It shows a serious flaw in character and someone incapable of sound judgement. Or maybe its just the grandson of the mistress of a drug shipper trying to justify his credentials as son of heaven.

    Or more likely, senility actually struck him at a relatively young age. Way back in 1986 when he was still PM, he was quoted in the ST suggesting that genes of men like Kakuei Tanaka should be spread wider. This was the Tanaka who was disgraced in Japan for corruption, imprisoned twice for gangster-related crimes, and still clung on to his Diet seat buying votes with slush money from underworld.

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  8. He must really hate Hokkien people, so he say that lah. Notice all the troublesome people all Hokkien: Tan Lark Sye, Lim Chin Siong, Lim Hock Siew, Chia Thye Poh...plus got so many expletives some more!

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  9. "in the flow" but does it have heart?

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  10. Long ago before blogging...

    Teochew kway teow
    Hokkien mee
    Hai lam kopi
    Macau chee

    ReplyDelete
  11. Another funny 3 minute fact check moment from the Colbert Report (Comedy Central)

    http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/420302/october-17-2012/libya-gate-scandal

    ReplyDelete
  12. "To all of you who worry about over population and diminishing quality of life as a result of it, rest assured that your concern is very much well founded and the problem is only going to get worse. To know why, look no further that who is in charge of population policies in our government: DPM Teo Chee ‘What do you think?’ Hean, Minister of Thought Process Delegation." unquote.

    (Dialogue or broken record session The Void Decker)
    http://www.voiddecker.com/2012/10/dialogue-or-broken-record-session/

    (TOC News » GE 2011 – going down the sewers already)
    http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/ge-2011-%e2%80%93-going-down-the-sewers-already/

    (Tang Liang Hong legal saga - Singapore Window)
    http://www.singapore-window.org/tangbck.htm

    (TANG Reveals What Asia Online Censored - Tangtalk)
    http://tangtalk.com/censored.htm

    http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.sg/2012/10/where-is-sense-of-proportion.html#links

    Joshua Chiang

    ReplyDelete