Extracts from The Straits Times:
CHANGES to Singapore’s political system are in the works and on Sunday, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong spelt out three principles that will guide these amendments.
‘First, they must be fair to all contesting political parties. That means changes must not be biased in favour of one party or the other.
‘Second, they must end up, after the election, with a strong, effective Government. That means you do not want to have a system, which ends up with a weak, hung Parliament, and then you have a coalition Government. That is politically unstable for Singapore.
‘And third, they must facilitate representation of diverse views in Parliament, including views of opposition parties.’
Read the full report here.
Related posts:
- Political changes – what about the media?
- Political suicide or political maturity?
- Victims of reverse tactical ploy or party political opportunists?
- Political openness – for PAP only
- Political repression – S’pore govt responds to Canadian law firm
““my dear friend” should be providing it, and one you are defending is also not providing, then both same same right?”
The country (or representatives of the people) owes it to the people not the other way round when asked.
53) gemami on February 3rd, 2009 7.57 am Hear only the Good Stuff. My comments have gone straight into moderation.
Tell me TOC that I am not welcomed and I will leave immediately. Wait, don’t tell me that. I will leave on my own accord. Thanks for the time and trouble. I wish I can wish you good luck.”
Now it is May. You are still here.
To KopitiamApek
Gd Morning Uncle KopitiamApek.
It was no very nice of you to jibe at Gemami in your remark in Post 102, you very personal and ungracious in your response. Very bad example to us students.
Hope you not angry with me for writing this.
Hi #102) KopitiamApek,
Go read the posts for my re-entry to TOC (sometime in late April or early May). You are really what you say you are. Guess one knows oneself best.
102) KopitiamApek on May 27th, 2009 11.03 pm
In fact, we need people like you to be around here so that we can have easy pickings (& digging) on your Kopitiam logics.
A Primary Pupil; You are so sweet and gentle.
And really wish that other commenters will have your manners.
Your parents deserve praise for your good upbringing.
Maybe your teachers too.
Hope KopitiamApek will be impressed and infected with your
nature.
kopitiamApekahhh;;;dont get upsetahhh;;;mou joke mou funahhh,,mou zelo mou oneahhh
Hi people,
Go easy with the kopitiam apek. It takes some getting use to when one hops from one kopitiam to another. Give him time to adapt okie? ;)
108) gemami
you are so kind
I am getting a lot of attention here haha (for the wrong reasons, maybe)
unlike in my kopitiam, where nobody noticed me sob sob
but on a serious note,
one should be able to disernt between a emotive blast and logical reasoning
then it makes the discussion here more productive
there is so much anger in the posts here
107) budamax1952
thanks for your kind words, me not upset lah
it’s only words
to all who “hamtam” me above, please be able to accept views different from your cahoot, it may be comforting to have all these people sining in harmony the same tune as you are, but some times an off tune tone helps one break off from groupthink.
next volley of missiles coming to me liao
sorry
it should be
“singing in harmony “
What happen to those China Mei Mei so common in Kopitiam ? Aren’t they around to keep apek company ? With them around entertaining, every problem seem to go away … no politics, no injustice, only laughter
Oh yes, agree with gemami,
we must be gracious to AhPek in Kopitiam because one day we will be one. After all where else can Ah Pek go other than Kopitiam and TOC with CPF lock up ?
88) Tan Kin Lian on
Dear Peter Sellers (#81)
Our views are really quite similar. I did say in my para 2
One possible reason could be that the PAP is aware about the strong ground sentiment against the current system (as mentioned by some other bloggers), so this move may be for its own continued survival and the future of Singapore.
I agree that changes in the political system are necessarily for survival, but I don’t think “strong ground sentiment” plays a large role in opening up the political system.
It is always a belief that good governance, not popular sentiments, is necessary for survival. And I think the primary intention of electoral changes is to initiate a very first step towards building up good governance capability outside the main party.
#113
good governance and popular sentiments are sometimes at opposite ends of the equation.
yes, it could very well be gahmen’s initiating a very first step towards building up good governance capability outside the main party.
is it not better to move incrementally like China than be like the now defunct USSR, all shattered, like humpty dumpty, never be put together again.
Then again, consolidated power in one place is always dangerous, it can do miraculously good or horrendously bad.
111) Daniel
those China Mei Mei are on my lap now
that’s why type so slow
KopitiamApek,
“those China Mei Mei are on my lap now
that’s why type so slow”
No wonder you are so complacent. Please type faster next time or no China Mei Mei for you next time … LOL
“is it not better to move incrementally like China than be like the now defunct USSR, all shattered, like humpty dumpty, never be put together again.”
But then how I hope those Temasek and GIC have gambled incrementally like China rather than throw one big fish into jaw of the shark. With those clowns throwing big clunk of state money faster than Ah Pek change underwear, Ah pek can forget about CPF money. No money = No China Mei Mei … Sad. Very Sad.
“But then how I hope those Temasek and GIC have gambled incrementally like China rather than throw one big fish into jaw of the shark. ”
Opps… this is no ordinary fish. It is extraordinary fish with golden scale and diamond eyes.
116) Daniel
Need to change ?
“is it not better to move incrementally like China than be like the now defunct USSR, all shattered, like humpty dumpty, never be put together again.”
Depending on what time-interval you are looking at. Incrementally ? China is a good long history by itself with as you already know a tradition of chaotic changes (do revolutions sound familiar to you.) which sometime put them back to square one. You just happen to live in the current era (frame of time) where their growth curve may happen to match nicely with your own biological growth curve (just guessing only). You should stick to your kopitiam.
“Then again, consolidated power in one place is always dangerous, it can do miraculously good or horrendously bad.”
With such kopitiam wisdom on human nature, which do you think is most likely – miraculously good or horrendously bad. Paiseh, your statement seems oxy-moronic, from “dangerous” to “miraculously good” and then back to “or horrendously bad”.
#120
what is your view?
miraculously good or horrendously bad.
hi KopitiamApek,
depends on who the question is put to, the 1 with power or the 1 without.
its only normal for humans to grow very attached to their belongings, especially so for those (with alot more &) who cannot bear to leave them!!
122) mice is nice
///depends on who the question is put to, the 1 with power or the 1 without. ///
good analysis,
also depend on how power is defined
it can be a personal perspective
the power to be yourself
the power to be positive
the power to rid oneself of self limiting beliefs
the power of duracell
(ignore last one : ) )
one trainer i recently met used this example
balance of power
prisoner vs jail guard
prisoner power 0% guard power 100% (common perception)
prisoner needs a smoke, guard have the cig
can prisoner gets it? no chance (common perception)
prisioner call up the guard and said
“if you do not give me a cig now, I will bang my head on the cell wall until it bleeds, and when your chief guard comes to investigate, I will say you hit me”
guard have 5 more minutes before off duty, he thinks, aiya gave him the cig, I go home happy, no cig, I kena stay back write bloody report”
prisoner gets cig
power shifted.
122) mice is nice
///normal for humans to grow very attached to their belongings///
material attachment is the source of sorrow in life
not that we must be zero materialistic, that is not being realistic,
but balance is needed
eg
got a nice new car
too attached
worry it gets scratched,
parked a safe spot,
keep looking out window to check,
slave every weekend to handwash it, because machine wash will also scratch it,
the joy of ownership diminished
irrational paranoid behaviour arising from inabilty to detach.
hi KopitiamApek,
the analogy about the guard & prisoner over a cig a bad example ler. Cig is bad for health, the relationship is very out of context loh…
what did i do wrong? please dun lock me up for forgetting to add sugar in your coffee.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
when 1 has lived a life of luxury & accumulated lots of things, its very hard to let go. even i have a problem thinking what are the few things i will grab in case of fire, given 120 seconds.
the attachment to things is not materialism, so materialism is not the issue. the issue (for some) is learning how to let go. a slightly better example in regard to this topic is a parent-child relationship, learning to let go. if the parent control a child to strict too long, it is not good for the child.
so it is with power, wield too much too long, it will be counterproductive. Newton’s law, what goes up will come down.
#113 in the shadow
I take it you are not somebody just in the shadow but also in the know.
If what you say is true, then perhaps the PAP has finally woken up to the fact that their long-standing policy of not allowing the opposition to raise its head is detrimental, if not actually dangerous for the country’s future.
If the PAP is ever weakened in a freak election, it is in the country’s best interests to have credible alternatives that can take over. I am sure the last thing the PAP would want is to see their work of the past 50 years go down the drain.
If the ruling party has now realized nothing grows under a banyan tree, that is all to the good.
125) mice is nice
bad example? you could be right. some time I goes off track, caffiene deficiency syndrome.
Newton’s 72th law states “never but lobsters fom stall 72″
off track again la
KopitiamApek,
dun so personal lah.
Do you think that the value of the Opposition is only has good as their quality not quantity?
129) BLUE-man
///Do you think that the value of the Opposition is only has good as their quality not quantity?///
Quality (or the lack of it) can be cleverly concealed when one has quantity,
like a weak rower in a dragon boat team, spectators of the race cannot tell.
like amongst the 80+ in gahmen
hi 130)KopitiamApek,
the problem with the opposition is that they can’t even form a 80+ team possessing sufficient quality to compete with the gahmen.
as i have said, the grc favours large organised teams….
S’pore so small, dun need so many MPs. must be more efficient, unless there are free loaders around.