ad ˈhɒmɪnɛm/
adverb & adjective
1. (of an argument or reaction) directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining.
"an ad hominem response"
2. relating to or associated with a particular person.
"the office was created ad hominem for Fenton"
An ad hominem (Latin for "to the man" or "to the person"), short for argumentum ad hominem, means responding to arguments by attacking a person's character, rather than to the content of their arguments. Abusive ad hominem usually involves attacking the traits of an opponent as a means to invalidate their arguments.
Rather than rebutting - at the danger of "putting reason and intellectualism to sleep" - the points raised in the two opinion pieces of The Huffington Post, namely "Without Freedom There Is No Free Trade" (13 Nov 2013) and "Free the Singapore Media and Let the People Go" (11 Dec 2014, Chan Chun Sing resorted to the brass knuckles favoured by his political masters. A reprise of the treatment given to Chiam See Tong when latter faced off Mah Bow Tan, the blowback of which resulted in Chiam being elected to Parliament in 1984, the second opposition politician ever to be elected to Singapore's Parliament after J. B. Jeyaretnam of the Workers' Party (WP) in 1981.
Name calling like “political failure” may bruise the thin skinned types who actually claim to be "flame-proof", but not men of sterner stuff. As for "misappropriating research funds", the subject is postage to express mail his wife's doctoral thesis to her academic adviser in the United States, not a director level branch head of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) skimming off $1.76 million to fuel his gambling habit. The crime buster organisation's lame excuse for the lapse in supervision: “the offences were well-planned and hard to detect”.
“It fabricates evidence – as Dr Vasoo did twenty years ago – to deprive people of their living. Lest I be accused of fabricating this, I draw evidence from the fact that this accusation has been published abroad in my colleague, Chee Soon Juan’s book, Democratically Speaking, available these last three months and against which Dr Vasoo has not raised a whimper.”
Chan may chafe at Huffinton Post for giving an opposition member "undeserved space", but thinking members of the electorate are welcoming the airing of dirty laundry with glee.
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Where are the heavy-weight ministers today? Can even count with the fingers of one hand. Looks like Singapore is going the way of Lanfang Republic. Those who agree - kee chiu.
ReplyDeleteAgreed and kee chiu.
DeleteMiniLee do not want any heavy weight minister around who may hinder his establishment of the successor to Lanfang Republic, Kingdom of Lanfang.
Puffing and huffing? With a puffed-up chest full of medals (for jumping from a helicopter, etc., to quote the supreme master describing the medals on Gen. Winston Choo' s chest) he is a somebody. Nobodies should remain nobodies and not try to be somebody, he says. As some people have suggested, will this somebody dare to debate with the nobody and let the people be the judge?
ReplyDeleteWill this somebody dare to debate with the nobody and let the people be the judge?
Delete...only if the questions are submitted to this somebody in advance LOL.
The Master may like to test the Mettle of his General; oops, now Minister. Sinkies have heard much from him, but has he delivered anything?
ReplyDeleteSelf boast and claim are no proof of calibre, let the People judge. Since it was a personal attack of name calling, why not make a personal challenge to contest in a Single Seat Ward in any constituency with Chee Soon Juan. The Voters will tell who is the more Respected Person regardless of calibre.
The Candidate will be able to know their very own self when the Result is out.
patriot
Its been their tactics all along. Once they cannot counter, attack on character.
ReplyDeleteIts all right when they do it,But if its the opposition, they lke invoke that favourite feminine name of theirs .
All that BS about the new men were meticulously tested and selected but have we yet to see one convincingly defended their policies on CPF, transport etc
Honestly he is a dickhead and we all know it. What a cheap freaking shot. For goodness sake you were a army chief, where leadership and honor are everything. You don't show leadership by kicking a injured man in his balls even if he is your enemy. You save him and fight him fair once he has recovered. Fight fair you loser
ReplyDeletepap ministers and their minions have this wonderful gift of whenever they speak, the rest of us go, "Ohhhhh, puleeeze! Take a look at your kind and just STFU!"
ReplyDeleteAd hominem begets ad hominem.
/// DR CHEE Soon Juan is disingenuous ("Not possible for poor S'poreans to live on $1,000 a month"; Dec 18).
ReplyDeleteSingaporean families earning $1,000 a month can indeed afford their own flats because of various housing grants. As a result, the lowest 20th percentile of households have an average net home equity of $200,000. That is an achievement no other nation in the world can boast of. ///
If you can live on $1,000 a month, why are you taking in millions in pay?
This is a sign that CCS may be feeling threaten for the coming elections. Rumous is that Chee is heading towards TP. If LKY is no more standing, the outcome of this election will be an unknown.
ReplyDeleteIf Dr Chee is a "political failure" after 3 attempts, at least he is not a serial bootlicker who got into Parliament through the backdoor, under the coat tail of the Old Fart. I will take a man who has intellect and guts and sacrificed everything for his beliefs, to a chickenshit general who jumped on the PAP gravy train to get ahead. Keechiu's so called "success' is as hollow as his oratory. Even the world recognises CSJ's credibilty as a human rights activist and advocate for freedom of expression, because he walks the talk.
ReplyDeleteAt least CSJ got tens of thousands of votes, though not enough to be first past the post.
DeleteKee Chiu did not get a single vote.
Who's the failure here?
Dr Chee had been unfairly dismissed . I was stupid enough to believe all the crap the MSM had wrote and said about Dr Chee then. This MG Scholar Minister just do not know enough. Sad.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Old Fart start the ad hominem attack by calling him a "dud"? Dr Chee was the subject of a witch hunt and character assassination by the MIWs and the media because he dared, and had the effrontery, to challenge the Old Fart and his authority. Are we surprised that the little LKY has picked up the brass knuckles of his decrepit mentor?
Delete