Everyone knows how incompetent is the gov in ruling this country and why is it that Singaporean has to pay for it both in term of financially and youth ?

The gov desperate move into cyberspace, into casino, racing, etc show how much gov is so desperate and hopeless. If ony gov build a cohesive social culture rather than culture of Money, the gov will have a strong mandate. It is MOney that gov rule now, and it is exactly the money that will lead to gov’s downfall from disgrace eventually.

Paying top dollar does not guarantee that they will get the best brain. A good example is PM Lee. As far as many of us are concerned, he simply lacks the sort of calibre. He does not show much of intelligence in the way he manages the country.

TT Durai, Richard Yong, David Rasif et al proves otherwise.

Also, in just about every major company or govt, when things go wrong, the top people take responsibility.

When things go right – its all PAP. when things go wrong – its always someone else’s fault. No wonder singapore has such a “cover backside first” and “kiasu” mentality about it.

I have not seen a single Govt official take any heat for mismanagement, or even hear them apologise, at the very least.

Sure – give them high salaries – but one thing we request – we would also like to see more accountability, esp when things go wrong.

Don’t think he’s Hakka# but a lao hokkien from old Penang town, yea? And when Hokkiens curse, they always go,”Wa-khaw*!”

Does anyone know:
#if Hakkas are of the common Han stock like Cantonese, Tiochius & Hokkiens?
*if that is Hokkien for ‘wo1 kou4′ with reference to the Japanese pirates who frequently raided homes on the Fujian shores? What are the kanji or Chinese characters for ‘wa-khaw’ then, if not?
Thanks.

Migrated Says:
May 5th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
He better ask his grandmother if she prefer to die in her hometown, then far away from home. I remembered chinese (or our fore-fathers) last wish probably was to send back their ashes for buried. WTF is this Khaw, a devil.

When a myth is perpetuated long enough, it somehow propels itself into real perception. But still only a perception. So take heart, this island ain’t gonna sink nor will it vaporise just because its helmsman – however long his command had been – dies.

Sing too much praises of a man – especially a living person – and we risk creating icons (think Mao The great Helmsman).

Oops, perhaps we are turning into commies ourselves (hics) I mean, after all, only socialist states celebrate their nationhood with mass parades a la The Kim-don of Jong-Il.

Some big shots are also starting the call for our public buildings and streets to be named after ‘early founders’. Can you imagine?

So, that image on your bills isn’t a happenstance after all. It could well be the start to putting more ‘current’ faces on them – think Bolkiah;-)

scb Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
I just fail to comprehend why so many people tend to feel that Singapore will be gone once LKY goes heaven.

And whenever asked why the hurry to induct ‘foreign talents’ – sorry, no such term exists, because the real talents are kept at home in the top economies; Third World countries (yes, we are still on par with the likes of Indonesia & Chad) don’t get the crème de la crème but the crumbs who come here under the guise of being FT’s only to undercut and yes, to pick up whatever crumbs non-elites here are left with – they will always say sorry, no choice, we really have to have them (paraphrase: sorry, local non-elites are just too stupid and also cannot be trusted).

I wholly agree.

To answer the call of globalisation, and like every good (& greedy) corporate that flees to the place with the lowest cost to do business, we ought to also outsource every public service – the highest offices in the land notwithstanding.

After all, for a fraction of what taxpayers dole out every year, we can get the REAL foreign talents. And for a lifetime too!

Anthony Blair would surely jump at the opportunity to serve Singapore and us, never mind if we were once his queen’s subjects(‘s subjects).

And so would Baroness Margaret. And William Clinton. Even Hillary. The list goes on and on – every one of which would surely be our hard-earned dollars’ worth. All of whom are without a doubt much more talented politicians AND people-persons, none of whom are short in stature, short of height and short-tongued and none so overly developed in height and awkwardly tall there’s a cerebral shortfall.

And for so much le$$. Amen.

“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”

And that’s a sad fact, the grim reality.

So what now or sometime in future those men in white – I stress “men”, and we know who we are talking about here – and their families lose power or get booted out of this island, they’d turn around and laugh at all you, guys (read fools): “Well, we’ve in power for so long we wouldn’t have known how to quit if we hadn’t lost this time! Thanks for letting us have our way for over four decades, heehee.”

In the east was a little red dot,

Once a one-man-one-vote democracy,

Where good men were elected by citizens

As their leaders to fight against injustice and inequity,

To serve people’s needs and aspirations with humility,

Alas once trusted and given such opportunity,

These men sniffed at people’s trust and claimed to be talents,

By legalistic wrangling they tweaked the laws,

To secured powers over the legislative and judiciary,

And became haughty and **@#ey,

And paid themselves the highest salaries,

Selectively benchmarked to the few lottory winning CEOs

Who got to where they were through luck, capital risks,

And most stringent evaluation selection process,

Not satisfied with their world’s highest salaries,

That surpass even that of president of United States,

They claimed the highest pays were not enough,

They paid themselves the highest bonuses and life-long fees,

And even double pays one for retiring and one working,

They taxed, recouped fullest costs and hoarded taxes as surplus,

Then claimed such surpluses as their success,

Not satisfied with one-man-one-vote election system,

Which they said would lead to freak election,

They tweaked the election into group representation or GRC

Handicap candidates to form into mini-government blocks,

Before they could stand for election,

That estop the best candidates to stand in single wards,

In name GRC would provide racial harmony,

In fact GRC gave them monopoly to hold on to power,

Atop gerrymandering the election process,

They use the civil libel suits to sue anyone,

For speaking the truths till no one stands on election day,

Election day became the day to declare walk over,

With no contest in GRCs, they claimed mandates

To tax, recoup fullest costs via GLCs and HDB,

Some rebates were given on conservancy,

To pacify peasants and potential rebel,

But once election was over, GST and fees would be increased

Low-cost public housing built on lands paid by citizens,

Charged at market value with a discount called subsidy,

Forever and ever citizens toiled to pay unending taxes,

For surpluses to pay ministers’ highest salaries,

For otherwise ministers might become corrupt or untalented,

Alas with profiteering and surpluses not enough,

Because billions were lost on souzhou or shin corp,

When lost they were not mistakes but long term investments,

Election goodies would soon take care of unhappy memories,

Integrated resorts were invoked over vowed dead body,

Notwithstanding citizens’ wages dropping back to 3rd world’s.

Never mind the issues or problems like the rising costs,

They would proclaim which country had no rising costs,

They would say every one makes mistakes,

One by one they would deny problems and NKF,

By countering that People were whiners,

By saying recessions were not their fault but globalisation,

For years they talked about creating value-adding economy,

But they ran out of ideas and said red dot had no resources,

Forever People were to be grateful to the little red dot.

It’s interesting that political reform was mentioned in a recent forum. That is what is badly needed – not because we want the PAP to be overthrown but because political empowerment has a part to play in national identity and belongingness.

Singaporeans are economically empowered. We can do almost anything economically – have a job, a career, roof over our heads, and so on. It is political empowerment that we lack.

It is perceived, and not without some merit, that LKY is the driving force behind Singapore and the govt’s policies. If a country is so dependent on one man, it has not progressed much.

And perhaps that is the greatest danger Singapore will face once LKY leaves the scene.

But perhaps also, that is the very thing that we need.

I only see PAP trying to carve out niches digital media, water renewal, wealth management hub. Heady Days are over for singapore. Only Gradual Decline. First with low income group then the middle class squezz. Trying to govern Singapore like in the 70s is PAP’s greatest mistake. Innovation, boldness of individual thought. Free capital flows. No silicon vally here. Just monopolies of GLCs..squezz squezz the unfortunate peasamts.

66.6% of Singaporeans gave them the power to do whatever they want including stuffing their already fat pockets with even more cash.

What can the rest of us do?

I am just doing my duty. If you considered that I am ranting, just be it. I can’t be bothered what others say about me.

What I want to say here is that don’t allow homosexuals to have a free hand in Singapore like in Thailand, where beauty contests and bars are opened for them to engage in.