Whether the human rights body we establish will have teeth, I don’t know. But it would certainly have a tongue, and I hope it would have a sharp tongue.

Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo (TODAY)


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13 Responses to “No teeth, but a sharp tongue”

  1. Dr Syed Alwi 18 July 2008

    To George Yeo – those who live in glass-houses should not throw stones at others……

  2. Conjob 18 July 2008

    To George Yeo,

    I am not joking if I say that it is not possible to talk wthout any teeth. Ask any speech therapist. By the way, we Singaporeans will try really hard to have a sharp tongue to match Chua Lee Hoong. Do you agree with me that we should use her as the bench mark ? LOL

  3. Harrison 18 July 2008

    If Singapore holds the chair for the ASEAN human rights organisation, we can be assured of a toothless and spineless lion which only looks for meat and nothing else. Its tongue is only good for licking its wound, however sharp it is.

    It’s a sickening joke that Singapore’s leaders preach human rights when their historical records are littered with blood and dollars of their helpless victims.

  4. Terence-C 18 July 2008

    Quote, unknown source:
    “Once own Incompetence is Difficult to accept” ;

    Quote from Aesop:
    “After all is said and Done, more is SAID than Done”.

  5. Daniel 18 July 2008

    People who are still believe in the make-believe world of PAP,
    read this

    “He muses: ‘It’s funny: Whenever I meet senior Singapore government officials, I will sometimes mention this. And they’ll go: ‘Oh, no, no, it’s not a real problem, don’t worry.’ And I’ll say: ‘You know, younger Singaporeans do feel frustrated.’ And they’ll say: ‘Oh, I don’t know if you are right about that.’

    ‘And then, as I’m escorted out by one of the young aides to the senior government officials, they will tell me: ‘By the way, Dr Zakaria, you are 100 per cent right. We are very frustrated’.’

    ‘And these,’ he notes, ‘are people in the heart of the political structure.’”

    http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=309

    It is time to wakeup not to be mislead by minister who utter nonsense and give themelves leeway to be both the devil and the angel at the same time.

    George Yeo ,
    you do not hope for sharp tongue. As a minister with power and influence, you are supposed to make the change, not waiting and hoping for change. Other than the ministers, who do you think can make the change ? LKY, LHL, these pathetic clowns with no clothes ?

    Stop throwing responsibilities to someone else where you are jointly is responsible for it. And stop looking left or right, yes it is you. Look yourself at the mirror and ask yourself whether do you deserve to be a minister.

  6. anonymous 18 July 2008

    In the interwar years, the world was all excited about having established the League of Nations to prevent all wars and keep aggressors in check.

    Did the League of Nations have teeth with regards to Manchukuo (1931) and Abyssinia (1935)?

    Sure, the League of Nations did have a sharp tongue by criticizing Japan and Italy such that both left the League. But other than such a symbolic Pyhrric victory, what other purpose does a sharp tongue serve?

    “Appeasement is like feeding a crocodile, hoping that it will eat you last,” British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

  7. TheOwl 18 July 2008

    George Yeo,

    ASEAN itself is a dictators’ club and the rest of the world view it as such and
    the ASEAN human rights body that was proposed by some high level panel will have little credibility. Let’s be honest and stop the pretence.

    Is it possible for one dictator to lecture another dictator with regards to human rights ? Does not matter who has a sharper tongue ?
    Remember, “action speaks louder than words”.

  8. James 18 July 2008

    We do not have a real Foreign Affairs presence that can project our presence and influence through effective diplomacy, not in the order of USA Secretary of State but along that line. We are too dependent on a one man PM system – now add in MM and SM. Once again, we have never institutionalize anything that works enduringly.

  9. kingfisher 19 July 2008

    Reading the article on the Asean human rights body, I have the impression that Singapore is just trying to corral the group in to a common human rights consensus to counter the IBA. This consensus will probably arm the Asean body to protect each other’s dictatorships and authoritarian regimes from comment and criticism from outside their grouping. Crafty piece of machination, typical of S’pore’s PAP.

  10. Whether the human rights body we establish will have teeth, I don’t know. But it would certainly have a tongue, and I hope it would have a sharp tongue.

    Well, that certainly makes it good for kissing.

  11. Bernard Lim 19 July 2008

    I didn’t know that Georgie Yeo was into oral sox.

  12. Faircomment 19 July 2008

    George Yeo is doing what all our MIW are very good at.

    N o
    A ction
    T alk
    O nly

    Now he is teaching ASEAN that the tongue is sharper than the teeth. However, he doesn’t realise that when facts do not correspond with the words, one can see through the glib talker. Our 3rd generation MIW often underestimate the intelligence of their audience.

  13. Too much to say for nothing I think.