Lessons From Planning Inadequacy

"Father, I have sinned, it has been 4 years since my last confession....."

It was 2011 when he first fessed up to his failings, "Well, we’re sorry we didn’t get it exactly right, but I hope you’ll understand and bear with us, because we’re trying our best to fix the problems". At stake then was George Yeo's hide, and a wobbly GRC heading for repentance. So he asked for more time, "I think we know what we are doing, we will work with Singaporeans in our own way to deliver results."

His own way doesn't seem to be working too well. He even shortchanged us on his listing of "regrets". He rattled off housing, transport and immigration but left out the old lady who languished overnight at a hospital corridor when her relatives were told a bed in a proper ward was available. And persists in lying about the Population White Paper. If 6.9 million was not a target, why was it, 5 years ago, even 17 year old scholars from China were invited to sign up as permanent residents?

He prided himself on the work done in education, ignoring the fact that the pesky issue of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) has been swept under the carpet. Sure, more university places are being created for Singaporeans, but that's because of the hue and cry over free tuition, board and lodging frittered on foreigners who tell the world there are more dogs than humans in our country. Former ambassador to the United Nations Dr Tommy Koh was depressed to learn that about a third of our students go to school with no pocket money to buy lunch. The China students are given $450 a month for pocket money.

Lee said Singapore's last 50 years was not as turbulent as, say, China's tumultuous hell ride. Someone please remind him of the man who jumped into the train tracks after giving his son the only money left in his wallet - all of $10. We don't know about the money in his CPF account, which is frozen for his retirement needs - in the afterlife.