Minister Mentor’s speech in Parliament on Wednesday, 19 August.
Video source: Channel NewsAsia. Watch Part Two below.
—-
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
this old man wants to live forever
You all should not be so unthankful of an old man who has contributed so much to the propsperity of Singapore. You should learn to be humble and not be so arrogant in your comments.
101) hopeless
Qin Shi Huang wants to live forever, and have a dynasty that last for 10 of thousands of years….look what happen?! suspected mercury poisoning and his kingdom ended shortly after his death
74) some are more equal than others
My dear friend, there you go again! somehow i am not surprise that you will reply like this….or maybe this is hindsight bias?!
“And you still begrudge the men and women who made this miracle happen a reasonably comfortable existence.”
Hey. don’t you put words into our mouth, when did we begrudge the MEN and WOMEN….we only begrudge 1 man….did you see us criticizing the other forefathers that have graciously step down? Somehow, that is so typical….trying to amplify our criticism of one man till it is a criticism of many men….
“And you dare complain that their best isn’t good enough.” My friend, do you consider that their best? Oh please, maybe you are struck with STM? When they justify their millions dollar pay and increment etc etc, they proclaim that they are the best etc etc and said that it will be golden age…but they failed to deliver…are their current performance justifiable to what they say when they justify the extraordinary pay? if that is considered best to you, then woa, you are amazing… it is just like a kid telling you he can score straight As, but in the end, the results is at best average…
the bottom line is, these people has proclaim how extraordinary they are but their performance is not up to standard…when you can’t perform, don’t boast….when you blow a balloon until it is so huge, be prepared for it to burst….
there is no need for you 74) some are more equal than others, to cry foul for them…perhaps if they haven’t do those stuff, the people wouldn’t have become so fire up
Ahh…and below is the lyrics of a song that i really like…it was played at the end of matrix and the title is wake up by RATM:
Come on, although ya try to discredit
Ya still never edit
The needle, I’ll thread it
Radically poetic
Standin’ with the fury that they had in ’66
And like E-Double I’m mad
Still knee-deep in the system’s shit
Hoover, he was a body remover
I’ll give ya a dose
But it’ll never come close
To the rage built up inside of me
Fist in the air, in the land of hypocrisy
Movements come and movements go
Leaders speak, movements cease
When their heads are flown
‘Cause all these punks
Got bullets in their heads
Departments of police, the judges, the feds
Networks at work, keepin’ people calm
You know they went after King
When he spoke out on Vietnam
He turned the power to the have-nots
And then came the shot
Yeah!
Yeah, back in this…
Wit’ poetry, my mind I flex
Flip like Wilson, vocals never lackin’ dat finesse
Whadda I got to, whadda I got to do to wake ya up
To shake ya up, to break the structure up
‘Cause blood still flows in the gutter
I’m like takin’ photos
Mad boy kicks open the shutter
Set the groove
Then stick and move like I was Cassius
Rep the stutter step
Then bomb a left upon the fascists
Yea, the several federal men
Who pulled schemes on the dream
And put it to an end
Ya better beware
Of retribution with mind war
20/20 visions and murals with metaphors
Networks at work, keepin’ people calm
Ya know they murdered X
And tried to blame it on Islam
He turned the power to the have-nots
And then came the shot
“MM Lee brings the House “back to earth”
Old fart, don’t have to trouble you to bring back the house.
because in the next election, the citizen will bring “the PAP’s house back to earth” and that including you and your GRC. All this while, you and lackeys have been living in Ivory Tower in Utopia that you don’t even know the reality of the earth ?
True PAP will be be brought to earth
“MM Lee brings the House “back to earth”
What ? You means the house is not in earth all along ? Which planet did you store our state wealth ? How come CIA and FBI don’t even know about such extraordinary relevation ?
The speech was excellent and insightful. It covered very accurately the reality of life for ordinary Singaporeans. This is the way forward.If LKY is serious about moving forward with Singaporeans he should deal with each of the points raised and suggests better alternatives. That he did not and gloss over the whole thing shows that there is a strong case to be made in many of the points raised. LKY must have been badly hurt by the frankness of the speech. Alot of the problems now are due to his dictatorial ways. When countries all over the world are moving forward into an era of enlighten government, the PAP government is still stuck in the past with their autocratic ways.
“You all should not be so unthankful of an old man who has contributed so much to the propsperity of Singapore.”
Yes, we will be very thankful to old fart eternally if he just sleep in peace, and never wake up to give his nonsense and crap once and for all. Anyway, whatever he done as the emperor already negate the positive contribution. What’s more do he want ? As his lackey has said “How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?”
the mm must’ve known that today’s youth no longer engage themselves in the political affairs of the state, and so this would raise few questions.
IF there were to be Walkovers again,
I hope those unable to vote, AGAIN,
will make their presence felt by helping the political parties thru volunteering so as to makeup for their inability to vote.
juz a thought.
lets mobilize ‘em
IF political parties are unable to reach their voters, in such a small population city,
given all the time in the world, then they have themselves to blame.
They cannot even use other excuses for their loss, if any.
what he said is wise He is still a great man
and doing his job as MM.
I support him 100%
It is the men and the women of Singapore that build up this place. Without the sweat of the people, nothing which the elites think right will work out 20 years ago. 20 years ago parents work hard to build this place call Singapore. 20 years later, the elites has suggested to the sons and daughters to send their parents to Johor to die. 20 years ago the elites stop parents from having too many babies and 20 years later, the stop at 2 policy evolves and improves itself and now lead to the problem of replacement.
20 years later, the elites do not want to solve the problem in the expensive way and took a cheaper option by starting to bring in foreigners to fill up the gap. The sons and daughters of these aged parents now have to bear the responsibility of the error that the elites have made 20 years ago. Now, the new immigrant and pro-foreigner policy has in turn become another big problem… Unity and Loyalty. Do you still think “in transition” (after 50 years of independence?) is the right word to use?
talk more rubbish old man. talk more… i sense an “Animal Farm” in the making, on this time, its produced by senile old man lee.
“114) tiredman on August 21st, 2009 10.27 pm It is the men and the women of Singapore that build up this place.”
Anyone who is not able accept this is beyond hope.
to yomi :
Actually, you will end up not making money for long if they are in power.
I had copied all your comments and keep them for 25 yrs from now. Most of you were anti MM’s principle. Most of you wanted Big change here in Singapore. Most of you are well educated on how to make good grammatical structure into dramatic way to express your needs because you are affected. And then I began to compare MM from other Southeast Asian nation’s leaders in his time (batch i.e. Rahman>Mahathir>present, Suharto>present, Marcos>present leader, etc) this man did a great job, but I believe whining citizens is inevitable because they are sure what they want, but never mind what others (not complaining) want. Who are these “others”, these are the local and foreign investors that keep you alive in this small land. The bright side is, this country is harmonious and developed country. You have this man and will be gone in the future, then you turn happy , then you will assure that your ideals and principle will be implemented until MM’s principle is no more here on earth. After 25 yrs, IF this country still in harmonious and on top of ASEAN nations, then I will release this thru internet, “bravo, great job too, man” . But if you were wrong, probably, most of you and your children are no longer here in this small piece of land, you are probably staying in Australia, China, Malaysia, Canada, India etc…….. Damn, you never thought that this country is having hard time to find the next good PM. Population is small, thus the probability of having good PM is small too. Think, what is really inside MM’s objective and principle, of course he dont want all persons living here in Singapore to suffer. You may suffer, but not all persons in this land. But he’s trying to convince minorities are being protected despite their cynical and bitter attitude. What if he is completely close-minded person, surely he will not protect these minorities …hmmmm very bad leh/.
I catch-no-ball what LKY said, he didn’t seems to answer Vswa lengthy and thought provoking message of helping the poor and needy and bringing back our society to its root of happiness. I am worried, very worried that I am a Singaporean and that makes me envious other country citizens because this govt is totally heartless to the core.
Glad to know someone else is paying him to have physio-therapy in the “house!” Guess we now know, beyond doubt, whose house that belongs to!
Frankly, I am disappointed by MM Lee’s “rebuttal” in parliament. He completely missed the point. I have always admired MM Lee’s wit whenever he made any speeches, or put his message across when interviewed by the media both locally and abroad..until recently. He’s visibly old and tired, not as quick, even appearing slow and “clueless”. I still have my deepest respect for Mr Lee- the father of modern Singapore.
However, we need to change and there are many people in the country who want things changed, badly. Our government has a monumental task at hand- maintaining the peace and prosperity of Singapore yet placating the increasingly restless citizens especially those who find it hard to attain their aspirations in tune with what the country promises.. Let’s do it Singapore, but there is no need to go into revolution, be disruptive, or make rude personal attacks on anyone-that’s how many “developed” nations behave, not us.
Mr Viswa’s speech made very good points and proposals but not all attainable. I like his delivery and style though- making a strong stance but in a measured and matured fashion. Keep up the good work, and I hope the PAP will allow such lively and meaningful debate to finally take root in tiny Singapore who’s learning and growing every single minute, by ourselves. There’s still no single country out there to guide us- we have to find our own way to grow and be stronger, like how we had been doing for the past 44 years.
And to Mr Lee- please trust us, we love you and your excellent work and foundation you have helped laid for this country. But please retire graciously and be kind to yourself. You have done enough. I personally still am extremely grateful to you for all you have achieved for this country and its people. I will certainly be happier to see you retire form the scene now simply because you deserve to rest. I did not like what I have seen recently of your diminished presence, stature and intelligence- qualities I always felt lacking in many leaders of other countries. Leave us a lasting good image please- while you can.
Thank you.
In Singapore, I think if you are capable, you will be successful.
hi Ah Kow,
that’s what you think? lol…
72) william the con on August 21st, 2009 12.30 pm
His point is that one should not use the Pledge to score political debating points.
****************
Not just the Pledge, dont you realise our national reserves / CPF system / HDB schemes / Judiciary system / Press & Media etc etc, are being used to strenghten their holding to the power such that the citizens are too afaid to vote them out?
By the way, if he thinks by using the Blacks in the US and some historic figures just to form his so called ‘basis of arguments’ of which he claimed NMP Viswa’s argument lacked, well, I’m afraid this ‘basis’ had got no substance.
As good as comparing an apple to an orange. Very shallow speech from a veteran.
And when polemics use a similar argument, he goes all defensive and denounce any allusions/comparisons to the state of affairs in overseas.
to socrate
//what he said is wise He is still a great man
and doing his job as MM.
I support him 100%
He was perhaps a great man but he is not one now.
His ideas are bad for the country.
And the people he attracts now lacks characters and ideas. Just look at GY.
to Neo :
I am sure LKY is flattered when you compare with the asian dictors…
The country is harmonious because every one plays their part.
If we have the police who cannot even keep the terrorist they caught locked up, and have to rely on Malaysia, you know a major part of the s’porean identity is gone.
The sense of responsibility.
I am worried for you though, you can always return back to Malaysia.
LKY asked us to look around, the nice buldings, the skyscappers and, to him, that is his accountability to us. However. he has forgotten that we have looked around and we saw homeless people at the void deck, jobless Singaporean queuing at the job fair, old folks picking cans & cardboards and people emigrating and that was also the accountability we got from him. He is no longer valid in this society, time for him to go.
118) Neo
It is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent that survive….it is the one most adaptable to change….a rough quote from Charles Darwin
MIW is strong, they are “intelligent” but they aren’t adaptable to changes…and that’s the downfall for both species and organization…open your eyes
One only need to look at the forbes list of richest people in the world to realize that it’s not the fittest that survive. And in academia, even an eminent biologist can be christian. LOL. Enough said.
The constitution’s Article 152 spells out the special position of the Malays. If MM said that it is the responsibilty of the government to see to the education, religion etc of the Malays, then indeed Malays are in a special position and should be glad to be so.
Perhaps it is time the Malay leaders put their heads together and ask :
i. WHY many Malays are migrating to other countries like Australia where they do not have special privileges. ( These are Malays who are well educated and could have contributed much to the development of the community as well as to Singapore. ) I wonder what the actual number is, but I seem to be getting more and more news about my Malay friends leaving.
ii. Is this a contributary factor to the shrinking Malay population percentage despite a higher birth rate?
iii. Why did Lily Zubaidah Rahim write the book The Singapore Dilemma. She obviously comes from a privileged Malay family, being the daughter of Rahim Ishak and niece of Singapore’s first President.
iv. Incidentally, does anyone know where Imran Yusuf ( son of the first President ) is now ?
v. At each election, Malay votes are a serious factor for PAP. Why are many of them strong supporters of the opposition, eventhough they know there is no assurance that they would be better off under opposition?
The way I see it, despite the `special treatment’ of the Malays, they see themselves as the underprivileged and discriminated upon.
Is this real or perceived? That is something Malay leaders themselves must do something about.
Rhetoric and speeches at grand opening of this or that event, will not remove the unhappiness. The Malay leaders should know that the support and all the hand-clapping by the Malay grassroot members do not reflect accurately the feelings of the Malay community.
The better educated are voting with their feet. The lesser ones showed their pent up feelings at opposition rallies.
In all, theis will not be good for Singapore, in the long run.
I always believe that we Singaporeans MUST be united, despite our different roots and religious beliefs. If we are fearful of racial or religious violence, then perhaps we should remember:
PEACE is NOT the absence of violence. PEACE is the absence of INJUSTICE.
Thus our pledge: ………a democratic society, based on JUSTICE and EQUALITY….
SO…………..WAKE UP MALAY LEADERS!
Race is a fallacy. :D
The REAL ISSUE is ‘highly talented’ national-scholarship-endowed and other new citizens are exempted from NS;
while TRUE-BLUE are told to pledge ‘EQUALITY’ daily.
This issue has nothing to do with the Malays or other minority races.
Don’t let this old man muddled-up the issue.
The PLEDGE is untenable because of FT policies and that is why it has very very recently become an aspiration
What MM said about giving special attention to the minority groups including the Malay race is NOT inconsistent with the National Pledge of Equality and Justice. If you notice that someone is weak and help him to become stronger so that he is as strong as you are, this is an act of promoting equality. At least, I do not need to be a rocket scientist to understand this. Am I missing something which the old statesman sees which a lesser mortal like me does not?
#134 anomynous who cannot spell should go back to Malaysia where your so-called “equality” is truly enforced with the bumiputras… you dumb ass.
You are one of those who like to compare black and white tv of old with current color tv made in china?
Do you know that China’s ‘MRT’ has very sophisticated info systems not found in singapore?
Hi Noob #135
There is no special Malay privilege today. So please stop harping on this non-existent “unfairness”.
(114) tiredman,
Fully agree with what you commented. If LKY had been the leader of a newly independent country in Africa, even if it is resource rich, will not have the same result as S’pore. We the average S’poreans/our grandparent and parents are not given credit for helping built S’pore to what it is now. All credit goes to you know who, even the early co leaders are conveniently forgotten. What S’pore is today is a team effort, the persons in the steering seat better remember this before the engine refuse to start or we will find new drivers.
what is the problem with this old man? creating differences among the races? what is wrong with being a malay? whats wrong with the indian? hey this is a very stupid remark you’ve made in parliament that can create a very big problem later, all because you want to protect your own familee.
in his attempt to put Mr viswa down, unfortunately MM Lee has embarrassed PAP with this speech.
Why is he bringing up brahmins vs non brahmins?
Should PM Lee issue a warning to MM Lee thru ISA / ISD for trying to raise a racial storm within the Indian Race?
I saw Slum dog Millionair and the Muslim / Hindu fights chilled me. I wonder why MM Lee sees it fit to talk about the Brahmin / non Brahmin divide.
MM Lee confused me with his latest speech in Parliament.
As I burn and pray to the invisible in this season of burning,
I hope for a new harliday.
I mean singaporeans have slogged so much for the country and their children and themselves. Dun we think we deserve more harlidays?
Here is 134) “Anomynous” responding to 135) Noob
I admit my mis-spelling.
But you missed my point. I am not for or against the notion of helping the minorities groups. I am talking about NO inconsistency between helping the minorities and the National Pledge. IMHO, helping the minorities so that their interests is taken care of is an act of promoting equality. This is based on the logical deduction that the interests of the minorities can easily be overlooked while the policy makers are formulating policies to promote the interests of the majorities. Paying special attention to the minorities is to ensure that they are not left behind while the majorities are surging ahead. This in turn is an act of ensuring everyone (majorities and minorities) is moving forward, and hence is an act of promoting equality.
Why MM sees it otherwise and hence the strong rebuttal on the new NMP on his maiden speech is beyond the understanding of this lessor mortal?
Can anyone enlighten me?
Today HE brings the House back
to earth. Tomorrow HE will be
brought back to the earth.
What? All the IOUs I collected
are just ASPIRATIONS ?!?!?!
For a man who is so sensitive to the possible discrimination of the minority, he sure seems too reticent in addressing the perceive discrimination of the majority. What is it about the minority that he is so dastardly afraid of yet so indifferent of the needs of the majority? Therein may lie the inner workings and motivation of this man.
Lee Kuan Yews’ Words are still Wisdom to some die-hard idolizing fans.
Some admire their idol till the day they die regardless of the facts and developments unfolding before their very eyes. Costs of everything going up, more go jobless, so many are poorly paid and exploited and more draconian Laws are legislated.
What else is needed to wake You up, frens ???
patriot
hi Yamamoto,
post #129 on August 22nd, 2009 10.10 am
that is what happens when people with obsessive-compulsive disorder who keep washing their coloured clothings hoping to make them white?
they simply refuse to wear clothings of other colours…
144) anomynous
When i poke you in a sensitive spot…what will you do? ;-)
149) mice is nice
Oh yeah, there are such people around….but i think having a strong bleach will help right?