Because of globalisation, foreigners are needed in Singapore to drive our economy, to enlarge the pie.

Million-$$$-salaried Ministers managed Singapore’s economy.

So foreigners are welcome (needed) to contribute to our Ministers’ $$$-millions’ salaries.

Please do not forget that LKY added another caveat that “since nobody has benefited personally from the error, so no punishment is necessary.” Not exact quote but something to the effect. This is a blanket coverage so executives can make any decisions without thinking of taking any responsibilities.

Well, it turns out that the sub-prime crisis would last until 2009 in the US, and would have a huge impact on almost every country, even China and India. So if LKY can get his predictions wrong last year, what makes him think he’d be right this year?

Let’s face it: LKY has lost his grip on reality, and is increasingly becoming less and less secure. And so he lashes out more as he gets older.

Of course, we are realistic that the chances of this occuring is zero since nobody is in a position to enforce it. Therefore, the decision must lie with the voters in the next election.

LKY has conveniently forgotten what he said in the past.

“There is no money politics in Singapore. The integrity of ministers and public officials is fundamental for political stability. Politics in Singapore is all above board and so has not been troubled by such politicking.”

Only those who practise the same as him will concur with him on this.

“I wonder why Mr Lee Kuan Yew quotes the examples of Taiwan, Philippines and Thailand (We should be a benchmark FOR them and not AGAINST them) instead of established first world countries in Europe such as Germany, France, UK and Japan (We should benchmark AGAINST them), all of which are thriving multi-party democratic countries. Surely that should be the standard that Singapore should aspire to?”.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7564612.stm

This gesture would certainly allow him to see the difference we in TOC are so vastly different from the controlled papers.

And I would humbly asked him or her, to show us where in local papers that is as accomodating as the TOC to him than the papers is as accomodating to us this bunch of TOC writers.

Go on – read the ST and stop reading TOC just like many who read TOC and stop reading ST.

Yes, Eaststopper – you are DISMAL.
And I am DISMAYED that you keeps harping back to old glories…

You have both made allegations which will need to be substantiated with facts and the truth. Why don’t you both stand up for the next election and expose the lies and see if Singaporeans stand by your arguments.

Best,
Eaststopper”

Eaststopper, you too are making allegations asserting the opposite. Do you have proof to substantiate your allegations about Daniel and Landlord? The argument that “standing in an unfair election is the only way to display credibility” has long ago been debunked as nothing more just PAP double-speak and illogic. Your attempts to bring discussions down to a level bordering on off-topic is also disingenuous.

Right on the nail. Life is tough for everyone, not just the lowest income group. The predicament is this:

1 – Our economy is not based on mining and agriculture, and so is hit hardest by the changing global economy. (We depend on the rest of the world to feed us.)

2 – New economy requires a new set of skills for people at all levels, not just the lowest income group.

3 – But it is exactly the lowest income group which has people who are most difficult to pick up new skills (because of age, education, etc.).

4 – I feel that all citizens have the responsibility to shoulder the burden, like a family. If you think paying taxes is harsh on you, life is harsher on people who aren’t even eligible to pay taxes. So I still support the government’s policy of giving payouts to helpless people.

5 – The dilemma comes when we naturally also want a sustainable economic and social welfare system. (Distinguishing between the needy helpless people and people who want to beat the welfare system is another headache.)

6 – The mobile people are always able to leave for a wide variety of reasons. Losing them means losing their tax contribution, and jobs created for others. (If the top management and/or their investment leave, businesses have to scale down.)

7 – Like you have said, the middle class are squeezed. Expectations are higher, so life is stressful too although pay is higher. (But you have to appreciate that people here are more fortunate than the lower income group.)

8 – And the whole system needs to handle this very complicated stressful balancing act of taxing people to sustain social welfare, retaining the mobile class, devising revenue generating economic policies, maintaining a military force (we don’t want to be swollowed like Kuwait), and making everyone happy.

The future for everyone surely isn’t like a breeze, but isn’t bleak either. We actually made a lot of progress despite the difficulties in the past.

a – Everyone needs to take stress easy. (Enjoy your weekends!)

b – All levels of the society just have to continue to work hard and improve (like our forefathers).

c – This applies to the government too. The PAP, even though they have done a tremendous job, can’t simply portrait that they are perfect.

d – We need a system which sieve out useless opposition (don’t waste our time, don’t ruin our hardwork) to let competent competitors to continue raising the standard of governance.

Right on the nail. Life is tough for everyone, not just the lowest income group. The predicament is this:

1 – Our economy is not based on mining and agriculture, and so is hit hardest by the changing global economy. (We depend on the rest of the world to feed us.)

2 – New economy requires a new set of skills for people at all levels, not just the lowest income group.

3 – But it is exactly the lowest income group which has people who are most difficult to pick up new skills (because of age, education, etc.).

4 – I feel that all citizens have the responsibility to shoulder the burden, like a family. If you think paying taxes is harsh on you, life is harsher on people who aren\’t even eligible to pay taxes. So I still support the government\’s policy of giving payouts to helpless people.

5 – The dilemma comes when we naturally also want a sustainable economic and social welfare system. (Distinguishing between the needy helpless people and people who want to beat the welfare system is another headache.)

6 – The mobile people are always able to leave for a wide variety of reasons. Losing them means losing their tax contribution, and jobs created for others. (If the top management and/or their investment leave, businesses have to scale down.)

7 – Like you have said, the middle class are squeezed. Expectations are higher, so life is stressful too although pay is higher. (But you have to appreciate that people here are more fortunate than the lower income group.)

8 – And the whole system needs to handle this very complicated stressful balancing act of taxing people to sustain social welfare, retaining the mobile class, devising revenue generating economic policies, maintaining a military force (we don\’t want to be swollowed like Kuwait), and making everyone happy.

The future for everyone surely isn\’t like a breeze, but isn\’t bleak either. We actually made a lot of progress despite the difficulties in the past.

a – Everyone needs to take stress easy. (Enjoy your weekends!)

b – All levels of the society just have to continue to work hard and improve (like our forefathers).

c – This applies to the government too. The PAP, even though they have done a tremendous job, can\’t simply portrait that they are perfect.

d – We need a system which sieve out useless opposition (don\’t waste our time) to let competent competitors to continue raising the standard of governance.

There are tonnes of things that citizens are not aware and it is only human to speculate based on fleeting information. It is even more so for the uninitiated citizens who are not so familiar in certain areas but yet they have to contribute their parts in nation building in the form of good citizenry and paying taxes. That is why transparency is very important orelse there will always be wild or equally seemingly logical speculation to fill in the gaps, if any.

In fact, it is the duty of the parties privy to facts and the truth to disclose and debunk speculation and not the other way round in which contributing citizens are being told off and rebuked with threats by the very people whose may feel uncomfortable of a very questioning & discerning public and whose very tenure exists because of the blessings of the former.