The Message Is Clear

Without access to the exif data embedded in the original files, it is impossible to determine which of the two images were captured on camera first. What is absolutely clear is that one picture says "no selfies please", and another clearly shows a bunch of clowns doing exactly that. And the faces of two members of parliament are clearly identifiable.

One message we can come away with is that those characters can't read to save their lives. The other is something more familiar: "Do as we say, not as we do". Either way, it makes one wonder how serious Lee Hsien Loong was when he said the next election would be about choosing a “clear vision” and “capable leadership” for the nation.

Take the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore announcement on Monday that owners residing in Housing Board flats will enjoy a reduction in their property tax by about 3 percent in 2015. Their official explanation is that the annual values of three-, four-, five-room, and executive flats are lowered to reflect the dip in market rentals. If their vision weren't so blurry, they would have observed that rentals for private housing are also heading south. Myopia can be corrected by prescriptive lenses, but capable leadership require more drastic measures. Especially leadership tainted by pork barrel politics.