Thursday, September 1, 2011

Treated Like Lepers

Written in her capacity as Director, Corporate and Marketing Communications, People’s Association (PA), Ooi Hui Mei's declared line in the sand is as divisive as it can get:
"...the Government has to appoint grassroots advisers who support its programmes and can play this role well. Opposition MPs cannot be expected to do this and thus cannot become advisers to GROs."

Before you even mouth "Says who?", be aware that under the PA Act, the Prime Minister is the Chairman. Yup, same fella who, for the third time running, appealed for the end of the polarisation that reared its ugly head in the watershed May elections. The younger set may not recall this, but way back in1983, Anson MP JB Jeyaratnam described being ‘treated like a leper’ by RC members, in spite of Lee Kuan Yew's assurance that "we came out with this association (the PA) which enabled people not to identify with a political party but with the government of the day."

When former PAP MP Cynthia Chua Phua chided Chen Show Mao for ‘politicising’ the case of losing out on an invite to a 7th month celebration, she inadvertently opened a Pandora's box. The perversion of a noble objective is now publicly exposed through a virulent exchange of letters to the press on the subject. The obvious question asked pointedly of one such letter: "If the PA and grassroots officers are blind to political affiliations, why are its appointed advisers exclusively from the PAP?"

The violence of China's subjugation of Tibet was a well kept secret until Romanian mountaineer Sergiu Matei released video footage of Chinese soldiers gunning down refugees making a bid for freedom through the Nangpa La glacial pass on September 30, 2006. Author Jonathan Green documents China's gross violation of Tibetan human rights in his "Murder In The High Himalaya" (PublicAffairs™ NY, 2010), when he and fellow climbers at Cho Oyu Mountain witnessed the brutal killing of a 17-year-old nun fleeing to Dharamsala. The book was his response to the moral dilemma: Would they reveal the atrocity to the world and lose the chance to climb in China again, or would they pass on by?

Not that the PA has resorted to gunfire - they wouldn't dare, trained NSmen can shoot back - but their attack on a publicly funded institution founded on just principles is an odium deserving of severe castigation. To the awakened citizenry, post GE 2011 and PE 2011, that line had better not be crossed.

14 comments:

  1. shame PA for what you have said to singaporeans good luck

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  2. By that statement alone, this lady has proven to us beyond doubt the sheer hypocrisy of one great man. All that matters was the ultimate vote, afterall.

    Otherwise why would PAP or PA (whatever the case) bother in treating those clueless uncles and aunties to a free lunch and a free chartered bus ride to the stadium.

    Ask Kee Chiu, he should know.

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  3. I cannot understand why.......ignorance or pretense or what the PAP is up to, or a suffering of TML (temporary memory lapse). They think we are just dumb nuts to not see through all these farce and talk only. PAP, and PA for that matter, keep on throwing up baseless and senseless arguments in defense of their weak stand. Patisan or non-partisan - everybody can see. Need another wake up call.

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  4. Too bad. Complain for fark? 60% daftees voted for more HDB upgrading and continued good salaries and big bonuses. Can go to NATAS and wallop all the Europe and US tours. 70% also voted for stability and continuation of high property prices and good rentals and good business environment for MNCs and SMEs and making money, and continuation in their cosy jobs.

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  5. Wonder how will TT unify S'poreans if barriers are placed by the very organisations serving the ruling party to divide the electorade? S'pore is kind of small to be like Yugoslavia.

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  6. TT said recently that PAP must be fair and seen to be fair. Obviously, this does not get into PA's ears. Now that he is our President, I hope he can tell the PA off. Serve the people and not the party!!!!

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  7. "TT said recently that PAP must be fair and seen to be fair". Unquote.

    That's because tt was standing as a presidential candidate, when he said that.

    patriot

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  8. Citing Tibet case should be avoided as we do not know the truth. While I do not agree with some Communist Chinese policies, it is a fact that Mao and his comrades built a new China that most Chinese (including Tibetans) should be proud of. Do you remember what status Chinese (including Tibetan) the west viewed before the new China managed to test its first A-Bomb? Historically, Tibet is part of China. Do not get misled by those westerners and Indians who have the agenda to separate Tibet from the country. Yes, China needs to improve human right in Tibet if those stories are true but separating Tibet from its country is a sin. Read the history, how Tibetans lived before the new China? Has the Dali Lama done anything good for the Tibetan people besides trying to get external support for Tibet's independence?

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  9. Please note there is an error in the name of the former PAP MP for Aljunied GRC. She is Cynthia Phua and not Cynthia Chua.

    PA volunteers are deployed as grassroots supporters and leaders to assist in its feedback of the grounds to PAP candidates so that they can prepare for the election. When the MPs are elected, they are then deployed to assist the MPs for the Meet the People's Sessions. Prior to PM Lee's call to cut down the fanfare, these grassroot supporters will be jumping up and down announcing the arrival of the MP to the residents. Did WP get support from these PA grassroot supporters? The answer is NO. Why? Because it politically motivated and it is that simple. The grassroot supporters and leaders were all out to support the two former PAP MPs and DPM (TT) , TCB and TT. PM Lee called for the grassroot supporters to support TT. Isn't it politically motivated and activated.

    Anyway, PM Lee's decision will be hinged on whether PA is partisan or not partisan? My guess is he will evade the question and sweep it under the carpet. If he is to give way, it will signal the break-up of the grassroot supporters and that would not be good for the PAP's success at elections.

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  10. Another 6years will pass by uneventfully with the white back scrapped haired man smilingly collect his fat dues each month.

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  11. Tattler,
    the MIW are worse than lepers to me.
    although i may avoid lepers, at least i do not despise or detest them like the bloody MIW.

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  12. Why is this Communist Chiina apologist trying to justify the brutal subjugation of the Tibetans? Has anyone asked the Tibetans what they think?

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  13. "Now that he is our President, I hope he can tell the PA off. Serve the people and not the party!!!!"""

    ha ha ha ha aha aha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!

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  14. I am appealing to all who have a sense of fairness, honesty and integrity. If this is the grassroot organisation I want to have nothing to do with them. I have and will continue to boycott all of their activities.

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