Comments on: TOC Opinion: PM Lee at NUS: Where’s the substance?

By: sinisterdexterity

sinisterdexterity — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:28:00 +0000

Well, Mr Choo, we even have unethical-sounding politicians who want to poach specialists from other countries. Your years at the famous nearby school should have prepared you for it. Do drop by and visit some day.

By: Yihao

Yihao — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:55:09 +0000

Well, perhaps it’s not that the students are not aware of local issues, but there’s increasing apathy since nothing the citizens say is being taken into consideration. Think bus fare hike, 377, minister’s pay, cpf, etc. If that’s the case, why waste our time at such forums listening to “model answers”? Bah. I’m better off playing DOTA.

By: peasantsgetowned

peasantsgetowned — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 09:52:09 +0000

It takes years of skills to hone this skill of giving an answer without actually answering the question. It’s like asking what time is it and you get the answer that the sun is bright.

By: Daily SG: 24 Sep 2007 « The Singapore Daily

Daily SG: 24 Sep 2007 « The Singapore Daily — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 02:23:16 +0000

[...] Discourse – Choo Zheng Xi, TOC: TOC Opinion: PM Lee at NUS: Where’s the substance? – Ng Sook Zhen, TOC: TOC Report: PM Lee at NUS Ministerial Forum – ringisei: Defining ASEAN civil [...]

By: Mee Siam with extra HUM

Mee Siam with extra HUM — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:07:46 +0000

Well it just goes to show how much we Singaporeans are lacking in awareness of the issues that will affect us.

Youth theses days don’t even give two hoots about the going-on of the government and their actions.

I believe we need to influence the youth to play a bigger role in nation building. Its a lamentable fact that the government decides every little thing that we can do or not do without a need to answer to the people.

Wish more people would speak up like Zheng Xi. After all, Singapore’s a supposed democratic society. Not a monarchy. Keep up the good work TOC and team!

Ps. the State’s Times’ really a boring read…

By: Tan

Tan — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 04:56:37 +0000

I dont want to sound subversive, but why is it when an inconvenient question is always asked, its usually followed by a wall of silence?

Is this the way one nurture a world class society? Can stone walling really be a substitute for rational dialogue?

I am sorry, it just insults my intelligence.

By: RaymondChua

RaymondChua — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 02:27:03 +0000

James Chia:
“If you have noticed, he hasn’t made much appearances and comments on the minister’s pay hike, GST hike, and now the annuity issue”

How true is that ! You have LKY come out to force people to accept minister’s pay hike instead of joker Lee. Remember the trillions dollars economy, and dose of bad gov crappy answer from LKY ? Where Junior Lee ? Isn’t he as PM suppose to defense this decision to increase price hike ? Instead, he disappeared and when thing settle, come out and say he donate his salary for the good of all mankind !!!

Now you have annuity issue, gay issue, etc. Where is our millions dollars Joker Lee ? Nowhere to be found again. Instead, you have YES-MAN coming out to justify whatever money can take out from citizen.

So the millions dollars question is : IS OUR PM JUST A PUPPET PM OR IS HE JUST ANOTHER OBEDIENT DADDY’S BOY WHO TAKE ORDER FROM PAPA ??? WHY CAN’T HE JUST DEFEND THE POLICY HIMSELF TO PROVE HE MAKING THE DECISION. WHY USE OTHER HENCHMEN TO DEFEND IT IF HE HIMSELF SUPPORT THE DECISION ?

In fact, so far from what I see, I have a feeling that it is LKY behind the scene calling all the shots and policy because LKY has been so active nowsaday for a man of his age.

By: celluloidrealitys

celluloidrealitys — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 01:09:14 +0000

Getting the centrist vote seems to be his attempt at regaining lost popularity.

By: James Chia

James Chia — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:42:35 +0000

I think he hopes to be popular among Singaporeans by steering clear of sensitive issues. He already got a 66.6% last election. If Singaporeans don’t like him, he might embarass himself and his party with an even lower % in the next election. If you have noticed, he hasn’t made much appearances and comments on the minister’s pay hike, GST hike, and now the annuity issue.

By: vote of no confidence

vote of no confidence — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:06:09 +0000

they can’t solve present problems, what makes me think they can solve problems 10 -20 years down the road? is it going to be another 2 is enough policy? are they going to make us pay for a retirement that we will never see the money?

By: celluloidrealitys

celluloidrealitys — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 15:18:23 +0000

Alex,

More like not having any other choice. Worth a grin, for sure.

By: Alex Har

Alex Har — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:35:21 +0000

He is after all a politician. Politicians have liscense to talkk like this, don’t they?

By: celluloidrealitys

celluloidrealitys — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 09:36:25 +0000

Planted? Nah.

I knew some of the people who actually went up to ask the questions.

There’s contention, and there’s stupid conspiracies that instil even MORE fear.

By: Robert HO nric S0197974D

Robert HO nric S0197974D — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 09:10:51 +0000

RH:
1. I believe that many or most of the ‘students’ who stood up to ask questions WERE PLANTED WELL BEFOREHAND WITH WELL REHEARSED PRE-ARRANGED QUESTIONS, AS USUAL, TO MAKE LIE HL LOOK BETTER THAN HE REALLY IS.

2. This has long been practised by LIE KY since 1959. Whenever LIE KY consents to a foreign interviewer, he asks for and gets a list of all the questions to be asked so that he can pre-prepare his answers with much help from ghost writers, PR professionals and even advertising writers for good soundbites. He used to use British journalist and author Alex Josey extensively previously but now Alex may be too old.

3. Nothing is spontaneous in Prison State Singapore. Everything is carefully pre-arranged even to the tie he wears or the amount of make up he puts on his face.

4. CHOO was probably the only 1 who was not planted. Kudos to you for spoiling the staged wayang show. As for the real questions and questioners, they are all too intimidated to dare stand up and be identified and punished with lifetime surveillance by the secret police if their questions are too bold.

5. A recent such wayang show staged by LIE HL at a JC was started by the teachers and principals warning the students to be careful what they ask the PM. Lest he be proven and found to be naked in the Emperor’s New Clothes.

By: Ned Stark

Ned Stark — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 06:54:12 +0000

There is an element of fear at work here. People will not dare ask probing questions less they bring down the ire of the ruling authorities.

Furthermore if as u say there were many foreigners present then it could be that partaking of the fruits of the sytem would not make them critical of the system. For all you know they could be critical of those who do ask probing questions.

By: David

David — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 06:26:08 +0000

Everytime you ask provocative question, what you get is wait and see. This is exactly why all world class education university, colleges, and many more are avoiding Singapore like fleas to human. Isn’t this the very answer that why Warwick University put out setting up university why the professor ask Singapore how sensitive to discuss politics issues and corruption years back ?

Indeed, world class gov with their world class answer and million dollars answer => Wait And See, See How, Let’s See-Saw, Engage the Unengage, and so many crap word.

Why waste taxmoney to give speech if PM can’t even give an ‘honest’ answer ? At least, his father dare to say thing about issue. His son ? Gut as small as Chicken ! We have a chicken PM that only can lead chicken to be slaughtered.