"You must have that culture starting from very young, pre school, primary school, where kids speak up. You don't need to always make sense, you don't need to speak logically, but you've got to have a mind of your own. There’s something to it. I believe in that. What it implies for political culture and systems - you need some humility on this."
Tharman had to eat humble pie during younger days as an Administrative Services officer with MAS, when he was fingered by the ISD as the originating source for leaking the 4.6% flash estimate of economic growth for second quarter 1992 to Business Times journalists. Theories abound about his motive, including one - supported by other civil service figures - that suggested it was part of a strategy to force greater openness in economics statistics and media reporting in Singapore. At a National Day dinner, the horrible person criticised Goh Chok Tong, commenting sarcastically that if he were still prime minister, "he doubted if Business Times would have used illegally obtained or leaked officially figures", an indication that even he thought Tharman had leaked the flash estimates. Twenty-two months passed before the breach of Official Secrets Act (OSA) was prosecuted, and Tharman was let off with a paltry $1,500 fine, an amount that would allow him to contest elections in future as a PAP candidate. Read all about the powerful backers and backroom maneuvering that saved his hide in Ross Worthington's "Governance In Singapore", pages 155 through 164.
Humility comes from the Latin word humilis, which literally means low. If you feel humility in front of someone, you feel small in the grand scheme of things, cognizant that things could have been done better. Sometimes a dose of humiliation (which makes you feel low in a bad way) is necessary for humility to come about. Question is, who's overdue for a lesson in humility?
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The answer is: The clown emperor.
ReplyDeleteHe who must eat humble pie has just announced to the world that he is a "natural aristocrat", the rest being mere peasants who, if left unchecked. will bring the country down to its lowest common denominator.
ReplyDeleteIn PAP book, humility is “a virtue for wimps and wallflowers.”
ReplyDeleteIn other words, success and humility is mutually exclusive.
When one is denting his reputation, one is actually denting his ego.
And it remains, the people cry, why the hell are you making as big a dent in my cpf.
Strange that those who live to humilate those who cannot see eye to eye with them for decades can still talk about humility.
ReplyDelete"You (Amos) must have that culture starting from very young, pre school, primary school, where (Amos) speaks up. (Amos) do(es)n't need to always make sense, (Amos) do(es)n't need to speak logically (to a certain audience), but (he has) got to have a mind of (his) own. There’s something to it. I believe in that. What it implies for political culture and systems - you need some humility on this."
ReplyDeletePrince Pink.
ReplyDeleteMe suspects that the Aristocrats will NOT concur with Tharman the Deputy Prime Minister who is aspire and hope by some Sinkies to be the Next Most Powerful Man in Sin.
ReplyDeleteBefore been co-opted into the Regime, the DPM did impress most Sinkies with his humility. Over the Years with the Aristocrats had made him no different from the Pack. He speaks their language with the Same Tone.
Elect him and his Pack Members in the Next General Election and expect them to behave ROYALLY(REGAL) compare to their HUMBLE ELITE BEGINNING, THEN ARISTOCRATIC BIRTH RIGHTS.
Classic PAP Talk.
patriot
Which political party in Singapore has the most number of real hypocrites especially when election is approaching ?
ReplyDeleteWell, now is the right time to say and do good things. People say talk is cheap especially apologies at the critical moment.
Nevermind if they are actually doing bad things behind our backs so long as people do not find out.
Hmm, crocodile tears and "generous" SG50 freebies surely will erase that bad aftertaste of trivial national gaffes like the Population White Paper.
DeleteThey don't deserve an honest debate with the electorate by this point no matter how white they bleach their skin with.
To quote someone who taught at both MIT and Harvard:-
ReplyDeleteMIT students think they are better then you because they are smarter than you, and you can slap that out of them.
Harvard students however think they are better than you because they were born better than you, and you *can't* slap that out of them.
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So, in other words you want our youngsters to critically think but yet at the same time wanting them to approve of your "socializing costs, privatizing profits" policies? I afraid that's spelt c-o-n-t-r-a-d-i-c-t-i-o-n, Mr. DPM.
ReplyDeleteAnother Arse-Ritocrat in white.
DeleteI fancy white myself.
Cancer-white is always a nice shade of white.
How does one teach humility without teaching submissiveness?
ReplyDeleteHow does one teach humility while simultaneously teach pragmatism that requires one to stand up for oneself in a world where no one is likely to stand up on your behalf?
How does one teach humility while honoring individual creative striving, misfits, personality quirks, idealism without dulling & breaking his spirits?
Is our DPM Tharman and former minister George Yeo telling the filial son of the horrible man that he has gone overboard in handling the 16 yr old?
ReplyDeleteHaha
DeleteHorrible man! Excellent description by a 16
year old.