Main Stories, Ravi Philemon, Top Story - Written on Sunday, August 2, 2009 1:47 - 55 Comments
George Yeo’s Meet the People Session at McDonald’s
Ravi Philemon
The flyer hyped it as “Coffee Shop Talk with Minister George Yeo” and the talk was supposed to be on the title, “The Economy and You – How we are coping and how we will progress”.
I went to the “talk” about 15 minutes late, only to find the Minister being flanked by a grassroots leader who actually looked more like a bodyguard. He also tried to play the role of a moderator.
When I arrived the Minister was saying that Singaporeans should create new opportunities outside the United States of America (USA) and ride on the organic growth of China and India.
He said that although the economies of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand were contracting, the economies of the other South East Asian (SEA) countries were growing at a rate of about 7% a year.
That combined China, India and SEA had a population of more than 2.6 billion people and that Singapore should seize geographical and cultural advantage to build new links with these economies, including the Middle-east countries, while we keep our traditional links with the United States and Europe vibrant. He said that the “keynesian global paradox” is that those in the USA should save more and spend less, while those in Asia should spend more and save less.
He said that it is because we have built these ties with India, China and other SEA countries, that people from these countries feel very comfortable to come to Singapore to do business, and to live and study here.
Foreign workers policy
In response to this, one teacher from Temasek Junior College, Yi Jin, recounted that although the migrants from the other countries may feel very comfortable coming here, there is an undercurrent of not being able to integrate with Singaporeans. He related that even in his junior college the foreign students mostly clumped together because even if they may be Chinese, they are not Singaporean Chinese and their cultures are actually very different.
To this, Mr. Yeo reiterated that people have a tendency to clump together. He recounted his experience from his student days in England, where the students from Singapore always slumped together. And that it is actually the Singaporean’s job to make the foreigner feel at home by reaching out to them.
At this juncture, I shared that it is one thing to accept foreigners, but quite another to accept foreigners at the expense of Singaporeans. I affirmed Yi Jin’s point and said that we should have policies to protect Singaporean workers.
I said that the quota policy implemented by the Ministry of Manpower, which enables an organisation to hire 25% of foreign workers, from their total workfore. I recounted that this may unfairly disadvantage the Singaporean worker and asked that the Canadian model be considered. Over there, the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), a department of the Government of Canada, stipulates that the employer has to satisfy the department that it is unable to hire a local person, before he is allowed to hire a foreigner. This condition does not apply to certain jobs where low-skilled workers are required, where the employers can hire as many foreigners as they want.
The locals are protected in this instance by living wage policy; which ensures that the local low-skilled are not unduly discriminated against by the foreign workers, who may ask a lower salary. Such equal and living wage policy actually provide better incentives for the employer to try and hire the local first as he would not have to provide for accommodation and other related expenses that he would have to provide for the foreign worker.
To this, Mr. Yeo said that the Singapore government’s policies are actually very selfish policies, to benefit the Singaporean. He said that the Singaporean workers are protected to a point in Singapore and said that there are other policies besides the quota policy, which protects the Singaporean worker. Mr Yeo insisted that complex policies actually create more bureaucracies and that he felt that it is better to make a general rule and let the corporations make the actual decisions on who to hire and who not to.
He said that the reality is the night shift in many manufacturing companies is staffed by foreign workers because Singaporean workers do not want to do the graveyard shift. “In trying to over protect,”, Mr Yeo said, “we may lose everything”.
I replied that the graveyard shift is probably staffed by more foreigners than locals because the foreigners do not have families and children here that they would need to take care of; and said that though I am not anti-foreigner, the quota policy may actually disadvantage the professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) more than the low-skilled workers. This is because the quota specifies that 25% of the workforce can be foreigners regardless of whether there are local talents to fill the vacancy or not.
Mr Yeo agreed that PMETs need to be better protected but reiterated that “you need to strike a balance”. He said that there are many industries and Singaporean entrepreneurs, who are “feeding off the foreigners” and that there are a lot of spin-offs.
There was another interesting question from the floor where a person said that the Muslims seem to have lower skills and are hence in low paying jobs. To this, the Minister replied that the Malays actually preferred to work in government jobs and as security guards, while the Chinese want to see instant profits and hence are not keen on such jobs.
Aung San Suu Kyi
The focus then shifted to ASEAN and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Mr. George Yeo said “it is very sad that she has been imprisoned for so many years.” But he was quick to add that we must not oversimplify the problems in Burma. He felt that as the country was very complex in its make up with the Burmese making up only about 50% of the total population of the entire population of Burma, only the military could hold the entire country together. He added that it was the military that had ruled Burma from independence and that it was Aung San Suu Kyi’s father, General Aung San, that was the original military man that had ruled the country since independence.
He said that it was also General Aung San created the rule that a Burmese who married a foreigner cannot rule the country and that now Aung San Suu Kyi is married to a foreigner. Mr Yeo said it was because her husband is a foreigner and from the ‘western world’ that the ‘western world’ has come to support Aung San Suu Kyi and have failed to recognise the rule of the military. The problem in Burma is actually “a very deep family dispute”, he said, and the road to democracy for Burma is long and that the elections next year is but a small step towards that goal.
He said that ASEAN has worked well in keeping the peace in this region, in subjecting the member nations to peer pressure and in trying to forge economic integration.
Racial prejudices and stereotypes
Another teacher from the floor then brought out the topic of race stereotypes in schools and mentioned how children learn from parents and form prejudices and even make nasty remarks to those of the other race in the schools. She asked what policy the government may have to initiate to overcome this bias. The minister admitted that values are transmitted from parents to children, that it is very difficult to change prejudices and that there is only that much that the government can do but added, “We are better off than others (countries)”.
The coffee talk ended with a time of refreshments, where I had a chance to engage the minister and say to him that although I did not agree with everything he said, I appreciated his sincerity in trying to reach the ordinary Singaporean. The Minister asked which parts I did not agree with, to which I replied that one is the question of race and how the right question to ask would be not which policies you would devise to counter the biases and prejudices among the races; but which policy you would do away with. I said that I would do away with the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Others (CMIO) policy as this policy was the main ‘culprit’ in perpetrating racial biases among Singaporeans and prevents the formation of a true Singaporean identity.
Later, I chatted with other participants. One of them asked me what I thought about the session. I said that it was a good effort to reach out to the ground but that it was not a dialogue which would have been much more intense. He replied, “This is actually Meet the People Session in McDonald’s”.
That probably summed up what the much-hyped Coffee Shop Talk in reality actually is.
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55 Comments
If George Yeo conducts Meet the People Session, I wonder if Lee Hsien Loong or Lee Kuan Yew does. They are after all elected MPs too.
This is my reply to Plumber (#1)
I allow more than 95% of comments in my blog, http://www.tankinlian.blogspot.com, including comments reflecting different views from my own.
I block less than 5% of comments that are anonymous, and make personal attack against me or other people, or are defamatory. I suffer from certain people who will stalk me in blogs and attack me on any issue, using anonymous or fictitious names. Some people hate me for my views.
If you post your views honestly, it will be pubished.
Tan Kin Lian
http://www.tankinlian.blogspot.com
This is a trick.
He is being sent to connect to the ground.
Honestly, reading his answers as posted in this article, you would end up having to thank the government for all it does.
And that doesn’t gel with the day to day experience we have in Singapore.
Government policies are over-protecting Singaporeans? My a*s.
We cannot even guarantee monthly payment of our own CPF monies although our system is not a pay as you go system.
They just are not doing their job properly.
I thought this session could have been better advertised earlier to let all singaporeans be aware and choose to attend and ask Challenging questions and let the minister answer in public.
Things like Transparency, investments fiascos and how these will or will never affect singaporeans one way or another.
“….it is actually the Singaporean’s job to make the foreigner feel at home by reaching out to them.”
============================
So George Yeo is blaming us for not making foreigners feel at home here!! He is blaming us for not loving foreigners who come here to snatch jobs and make the entire island overcrowded.
If that is the attitude of our leaders, S’pore citizens have a lot more suffering coming up.
donkeys years ago
when georgeyeo or whoever started his first open sesson liveonline forum chat in pacnet forums(used to be the numero uno)
i asked him 3 questions in 3 different thread
he replied none @ all
maybe it the same rc ballcarrier cum moderator on duty as well…
. [i]Meeting people does not mean one has to agree with the opinion expressed though the feedback may change a person thinking in due course later.
We talk about PAP censorship etc but in Singapore, many people practises that. Other than online citizen when one’s comment appears instantly and is not generally subject to censorship,[/i]
………………………………………………………..
only to find the Minister being flanked by a grassroots leader
He also tried to play the role of a moderator…..
………………………………………
so is georgeyeo talkin to the people @ all?
mr plumber
if i engage you as a plumber
you came
your assistant who is a painter
block you from plumbin
and i still got to pay you
you call that a deal?
—Mr Yeo agreed that PMETs need to be better protected but reiterated that “you need to strike a balance”. —
When they say “we must strike a balance”, the balance is always tilted toward the advantage of the government, or wherever it is “convenient” for them to justify their policies. They are the one who decides where the balancing point is.
So we have to accept regardless or how “imbalanced” the balance is.
What a damned easy excuse to forcefeed policies!
I hope more ministers or MPs will follow his way of doing things. Ministers/MPs should have more time handling state affairs and should not take up any other corporate positions. They are paid to understand people (not for the people to understand them) and then make good policies and not their presence only.
If I were to grade the ministers/MPs, most of them will either fall under “U” (ungradable; I do not know them) or “F” (fail).
Kim Lian,
As far as I know, I have always posted comments that support your view except a few. I hope you can be more tolerant of differences. I did not attack you in my posting nor stalking you but merely have a different view occasionally. Hope that you can increase the published posting from 95 to 99%. It is your prerogative of course as it is your blog so I respect your final decision if you choose to censor the posting.
@ Ravi Philemon — How many people were there?OR were they all “grassroots”?
aiya i miss the chance to meet him to ask him is it he is so hardworking because last election his result not good?
but i guess this time his result should be better since he is so hardworking.
it must cost the tax payer quite a lot of money to orgainse the session because of security?
aiya can use lah taxpayer money if not we keep in cpf also cannot use.
i support tan kin lian.
he dare to use his real name, i do not dare to use my real name.
tkl i also support you
Me made comments at Minister George Yeos’ Blog several times.
Was totally ignored and given the ‘invisible’ or ‘non-existent’ treatment.
Did the people at the Dialogue Session get answers to their questions or did they get ‘dressed down’ replies ?
patriot
be it lee, goh, yeo or tan
will say by ppl one just no need to care.
if lee, goh and yeo also do not care then tan also no need to care.
George Yeo seems to be a honest man, but he must sell what his Company Bosses want him to sell
I use dto admire the openess of PM Goh, but being one of the inner circle figures, he does not speak from hearts these days
DO NOT expect the spirit of dare-to-differ ( wuth their bosses ) old guards of PAP would ever re-emerge, there will be no more Ong Bang Boon, No more Jek Yuen Thong, no more Tan Soo Khoon, no more Tan Cheng Bok in the current and foreseeable future batches of PAP MP, they are just a loud speaker for the inner circle.
A real leader is one that can feel the grounds, the pains, the agony of the under class, the courage of leading not motivate dby $$.
Just take away the high salary, how many current leaders and MP will still be there ?
/////I said that I would do away with the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Others (CMIO) policy as this policy was the main ‘culprit’ in perpetrating racial biases among Singaporeans and prevents the formation of a true Singaporean identity./////
Ravi Philemon , would you like to elaborate on this, what is the CMIO policy. Never heard of it.
#11) Plumber
‘ Kim Lian,
…. Hope that you can increase the published posting from 95 to 99%………..’
……………………………………………………..
TKL should have published 100% of the posting because if he allowed them to be published, readers will believe them to be untrue. If he do otherwise people may believe there is some truth in them.
I have always thought of George Yeo as being more enlightened. His views on Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi are instructive.
He (read PAP & Singapore Government) thinks that only the military can govern Burma as only 50% of the people are Burmese. This thinking obviously flows through to the governing of other countries where the population is not homogenous. So much for free and fair elections in the final analysis.
The notion that the West is only interested in Burma because Aung San Suu Kyi was married to a Westerner (who died 10 years ago) is so superficial as to be laughable. To think that the West bases its foreign policy on the ethnicity of someone’s spouse is an absurdity.
ASEAN has not done anything to ensure peace in the region apart from not minding each other’s domestic business. As much as Singapore maligns the USA it still relies on the US for trade and military protection. Singapore would certainly be worried as hell if the USA were to withdraw from the region. Can Singapore rely on China or India for protection? Give me a break!!
George Yeo is not talking sense. I don’t get it. All the Ministers have not been talking sense. What the heck is happening? Is the country in such a mess that the brains of all those in power have gone totally fuzzy!!
#18) 50years on, 50 steps backward
‘ George Yeo seems to be a honest man, but he must ……………….’
………………………………………………..
The opposition parties here should learn from George Yeo who now have facebook, blog and MacDonalds MPS besides smiling more. Why? Because he almost lost Aljunied GRC to WP in 2006.
General Aung San was assassinated on 19 July 1947, Burma first constitution was established 1948. I would like to ask Mr Yeo in which article had stated related to Mr Yeo’s comment. (How General Aung San created the rule after he died?) He is not Jesus!
Albeit optimistically I don’t want to blame Mr Yeo’s comment, because that particular massage was originally generated by military regime intend to humiliate Aung San Suu Kyi’s popularity and global respects.
Henceforth Mr Yeo has to contemplate cautiously what military regime provided information is reliable or is that systemically stigmatization on prodemocracy activists.
Sadly, Burmese are very disappointed with Singapore (PAP) leaders they only listen one-sided of military general, I’ve never heard of S’pore leaders such as PM or FM meet up with ordinary Burmese citizens and listen to their truly desires. Many much more things have to say in my heart.
As for Mr Ravi Philemon, Many Burmese in Singapore can justify at least. Mr Ravi should look into it before writes it in Mr Yeo’s comment. Here more information for you regards Burma’s Constitutions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Burma
1948 Constitution… Read More
Burma had its first constitution immediately after independence in 1948; this charter established a bicameral legislature.
1974 Constitution
The 1974 constitution was its second one which created a unicameral legislature. Ne Win became the president at this time.
2008 Constitution
General Aung San was assassinated on 19 July 1947. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San
Given that there have always been WALKOVERS for the last few elections I could recall,
is it fair or accurate or valid or logical to say that
NO ONE knows exactly how many are AGAINST and how many exactly are FOR?
Yes / No ?
And what does this say?
Politics are very dirty business these days. You try to open up their dirty linens to the people, they will try to bring you down, if still not successful, they will even resort to the core of taking your lives, indirectly, all becos of money and greed.
Tiredsingaporean,
“they will even resort to the core of taking your lives, indirectly, all becos of money and greed.”
by rising the cost of living & letting H1N1 spread? some who have been pushed to the brink already ended their lives by jumping onto train tracks.
O.O
Just read in Shin Min Daily News…Total about 40 ppl attended,majority students,teachers and Civil Servants.
What else is new?
Re: Aung San Suu Kyi –
Aung San never introduced, or even suggested, that Burmese married to foreigners should be barred from holding office. This is a lie first spread by the Burmese government in the early 1990s, and has been repeated several times since by people who do not know better. What the first (1947) Burmese constitution says is that the president has to be at least a second-generation Burmese citizen and not have any allegiance to a foreign power.
This had nothing to do with marriages to foreigners (if that has been the case, the then president Ne Win would have had to resign when he in the mid 1970s married June Rose Bellamy, a British citizen) but the fact that, in the 1930s and 1940s, people of Indian descent made up more than 50 per cent or the population in Rangoon and they, being the main tax payers in the city, had petitioned for more say in domestic Burmese affairs.
And, of course, it is also total gibberish to suggest that Burma has been under military rule since 1948.
This is not “a very deep family dispute” this is “diplomatic cooperation propaganda on behalf of the Burmese junta.
John Moe – you are spot on. The Minister should better inform himself. How is it possible that a Minister can be so ill-informed, mis-informed and mis-led.
Supporting the Burmese military means supporting:
the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi indefinitely and forever without trial or justification
the expedient application of the rule of law
a government neglecting its own citizens in the aftermath of a natural disaster
the shooting of citizens who are opposed to the military regime
the development of nuclear weapons in the region (the news has it that Burma has taken the first step to the building of nuclear bombs – goodbye Singapore if we upset them)
the rule of a country by the military
the rule of a people through fear, and
so on and so on.
The list is endless. Wakey wakey George.
One other thing George.
I assume in your years in the UK the one thing you learned was that the British are totally un-principled eg they are supporting Aung San Suu Kyi not on the basis of principles but because she was (husband’s dead) married to a Westerner.
Why then are we continuing to send scholars to the UK to study, and to the US for that matter – they might all come back to Singapore totally un-principled.
Singapore had better encourage more marriages between Singaporeans and Westerners lest the UK and US choose to stay out of any fight between Singapore and anyone who cares to attack us.
Speechless… and he’s one of the more promising ones. Either he’s ignorant about Burma, or he’s performing the re-known “double-speak” technique.
I would like to share the following comment made by “Bertil Lintner” regarding George Yeo’s message.
” Aung San never introduced, or even suggested, that Burmese married to foreigners should be barred from holding office. This is a lie first spread by the Burmese government in the early 1990s, and has been repeated several times since by people who do not know better. What the first (1947) Burmese constitution says is that the president has to be at… Read More least a second-generation Burmese citizen and not have any allegiance to a foreign power. This had nothing to do with marriages to foreigners (if that has been the case, the then president Ne Win would have had to resign when he in the mid 1970s married June Rose Bellamy, a British citizen) but the fact that, in the 1930s and 1940s, people of Indian descent made up more than 50 per cent or the population in Rangoon and they, being the main tax payers in the city, had petitioned for more say in domestic Burmese affairs. And, of course, it is also total gibberish to suggest that Burma has been under military rule since 1948.
— Bertil Lintner —
The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 3 Aug 2009
[...] Films Act shenanigans are pitiful and pathetic – that burning republic: Head Lessons – TOC: George Yeo’s Meet the People Session at McDonald’s – Singapore Democrats Blog: Democrats establish 14-member CEC to lead growing party [Thanks Seelan [...]
GY is a very high handed person, all journalists afraid of him. He to connect to the ground? ha ha ha what a big joke.
my opinion for all this Mps and Ministers session talk or whatsoevers, is simply that they cant the their own power or strong opinion to fight the case for you.
so end of the day, is their bosses who already have what is in mind.
sorry folks! this is the way sg is heading for.
if i remember correctly, this is the same guy who told us lower mortals to know our place in society and don’t ever challenge the authority.
do u really expect him to sincerely take back anything from the ‘meet the people’ session with peasants??
its just one big wayang to fool people to think they care about citizens because they are afraid changes might really come next election.
remember, a leopard never change its spots. or rather dog never change eat shit.
GY is OUR squealer in animal farm.
What he says doesn’t make sense.
may i suggest that your comments on burma… please put your remarks on GY facebook… it is important to let his fans and supporters know the accurate information before they blindly listen to him
George Yeo is mistaken about Burma’s history : The Online Citizen - a community of singaporeans
[...] I refer to the article published by The Online Citizen (TOC) on Sunday, 2 August 2009, reported by Ravi Philemon under the title, “George Yeo’s Meet the People Session at McDonald’s”. [...]
“If you sing Jailhouse Rock with your electric guitar when others are
playing Beethoven, you are out of order. The whip must be used on you.”
George Yeo did not study Burma history correctly and should not give any comment on Burma.
Shame on you!!!!!
Shame on you!!!!!
Shame on you!!!!!
Shame on you!!!!!
Shame on you!!!!!
Shame on you, Singaopre FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singaopre FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singaopre FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singaopre FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singaopre FM George Yeo!!!!!
Correction!
George Yeo did not study Burma history correctly and should not give any comment on Burma.
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Correction!
George Yeo did not study Burma history correctly and should not give any comment on Burma.
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
Shame on you, Singapore FM George Yeo!!!!!
History is subjective, and also fluid. I’m not sure how many of you were actually at the Minister’s coffee shop talk, but I was. And I believe that the Minister’s comments have truly been taken out of context. I also believe that he was sorely misquoted.
Mr. Philemon’s article quotes the Minister as saying that “..it was also General Aung San who created the rule that a Burmese who married a foreigner cannot rule the country and that now Aung San Suu Kyi is married to a foreigner.” I was listening very closely at this point, and clearly remember the Minister saying that “General Aung San was the one who said that a Burmese leader must not marry a foreigner.” The Minister never said that the General created a “rule” per se. Personally, when I was listening to the Minister’s response, I took it to mean that the General had advised Aung San Suu Kyi, or any Burmese leader, against marrying a foreigner. Not once did it occur to me that it was a “rule,” and neither did I hear the word “rule” at any point in time.
I believe that a lot of misunderstanding has been caused by this miscommunication, and that it’s important that we look at both sides of the situation more objectively and not be swayed by one single statement. I am speaking from a neutral perspective and hope that it will shed light on a more balanced view of the Minister’s comments.
- Wu Jiezhen
I met Minister George Yeo a couple of times at his Meet The People Session and am one of his many friends on Facebook, and has known him to be a balanced man, and a good Minister who tries his utmost best to serve the nation.
For those who were not at the session, perhaps it’s best for us to hear what Wu Jiezhen has to say because she was at the session, before jumping at this opportunity to attack Minister George Yeo for something he didnt say and apparently the reporter mentioned he said?!
Come on guys. Let us NOT be so childish! We are 44 years old ALREADY.
Before we jump into any conclusions and blame the Minister for mentioning statements that we think he mentioned, let’s look at his past record of serving the nation for years. He probably knows more about what goes on in foreign politics (well, he is the Foreign Minister) than the Singaporean public so let’s not bombard him with accusations just so easily. Anyone can disagree with FM’s insights on Burma but does that give us a right to become a Minister then?
As passerby40 mentioned, we are 44. Let’s grow up and well, come together to discuss this in a more intelligent manner rather than provide unvalidated or biased opinions.
yeah, some minister deserve more flake than others, just not Mr George Yeo.
is it just me or do i sense that the pappy brigade is back in TOC?
do i sense a senseless mob? who have lots of steam to release? 8)
the more senseless people rant to more MIW seek powers to curtail the senseless mob.
edit the last line of post #51
the more senseless people rant, the more MIW seek powers to curtail the senseless mob.
@46) ,
more like George Yeo tried his utmost to serve one oldfart and the party.
he cannot claim to serve a nation if it is run like a famiLee business.
@47), you should direct your comments to the ruling elites, they have yet to grow up and I doubt their intelligence and most important of all, integrity. If you cannot see this, then there is only one conclusion.
The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Weekly Roundup: Week 32
[...] Act shenanigans are pitiful and pathetic – that burning republic: Head Lessons [Recommended] – TOC: George Yeo’s Meet the People Session at McDonald’s – Singapore Democrats Blog: Democrats establish 14-member CEC to lead growing party [Thanks Seelan] [...]
Wu Jiezhen@45: You should probably read the FB exchange with GY on this issue: http://singaporesocialactivist.blogspot.com/2009/08/george-yeos-response-to-my-article-on.html, where the Minister admitted that “I stand corrected whether the inspiration for that provision (Burmese marrying a foreigner) originally came from Aung San; that was certainly suggested to me by Myanmar ministers I met.”
TOC – a community of Singaporeans | The Online Citizen
[...] crashed George Yeo’s meet-the-people session at the McDonald’s and reported that he simplified the Burmese problems as ‘a very deep family [...]
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Uncategorized - Jan 15, 2010 10:12 - 126 Comments
It is affordable – Mah Bow Tan
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Uncategorized - Jan 15, 2010 10:12 - 126 Comments
It is affordable – Mah Bow Tan
More In Uncategorized
- Rebutting Law Minister K Shanmugam
- Challenge of communication
- TOC & Talk Politics hold successful Year in Review forum
- “Live” from Post Museum – TOC’s Year End Review
- The Fajar Generation
It is human nature generally that we do not like others to disagree with you. While I am not a PAP supporter, I think George Yeo is willing to listen to the ground and prepare to respond to differences, Meeting people does not mean one has to agree with the opinion expressed though the feedback may change a person thinking in due course later.
We talk about PAP censorship etc but in Singapore, many people practises that. Other than online citizen when one’s comment appears instantly and is not generally subject to censorship, for those blogs whereby they will publish your post after blog owner’s approval, censorship is inevitable. I have a few posts that were not published even in great blog like TKL blog when I express different opinion. So for George Yeo openness and willingness to listen and abosrb feedback, I applaud his initiative.