Who screens the questions? What sort of questions were asked during the Forum?

I remember when MM Lee spoke at NTU a couple of years ago, there was no such screening; it was all spontaneous. Yes, MM Lee complained about how foreigners were more eager to speak, but it was all natural.

Now, how can Singaporeans be blamed for not being vocal when they are not even allowed to speak freely at a university forum by students FOR students?

Truly, a disappointment to students and alumni of NUS who holds the annual Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum with high regard.

Absolutely pathetic. Disgusting.

After the “despot” debacle, MM must be really afraid of someone trying to call him other names. You know, he has a pacer now.. cannot take all those excitement anymore. He is not really confident he can raise from his grave so he is treasuring the last few breaths that he has..

Crap!!!!!! Just a pastime to justify his million dollar salary.

Errr… Typical of Singapore, where a lot of are staged (wayang). Uniquely Singapore!

world class wayang.

he’s still bragging about his past glories????? ad nauseam

This kiasu mentality, attitude and behaviour has happened not only within the institutes of higher learning but also across the board in various ministries, the Police Force, the Civil Defence and the SAF too. Even at the highest levels.

Whenever Ministers or Top Civil Servants were invited to give talks to a group of officers, students or trainees, such people were directed/instructed to ask questions. And their questions had to be submitted in advance to a “supervisor” for scrutiny. Only the appointed officers, students or trainees were allowed to ask the specific questions that they had submitted earlier on. This has been going on for the past decades up to the present.

President Obama has been put to task for a suspected “staged” question and answer session just a few months ago.

Why is such staged sessions continuing unashamedly in Singapore? Are our leaders too arrogant that they could not care less whether their conduct and behaviour in public would affect and influence the citizens, especially the young? Such conduct and behaviour not only instill fear into subordinates and the young to conform to the authority, they also stifle initiative and encourage dictatorial characters to grow and take root in our society. This is definitely not healthy for the long-term survival of Singapore.

It is time our so-called leaders and politicians grow up and mature. Discard these kiasu and kiasi mentality, attitude, conduct and behaviour once and for all. It is people like them who had started and inculcated the “kiasu” and “kiasi” mentality, attitude, conduct and behaviour in our society, in all Singaporeans. They ought to be ashamed of themselves!

I remembered a journalist asked whether his son’s succession was planned and guided by him, he was peeved. At 88, he still has short fuse? Honestly, even if the questions were not screened, not many would dare to ask him honest questions. By regulating the Q&A, it already shows something about his leadership. “My door is always OPEN!” But when you get inside, I will release serpents and tigers! ha ha ha

Actually, this practise has been in place for a very long time; it’s further proof of the PAP’s true incompetence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fr1dm2Qdls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdOWU6LHOZU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUD5vk8iIoQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvaJ9Imncuk

Bush, Clinton,Obama and now our very own mortal… How come I am not surprised?

He is god to some people. Anything that made him less godly is a sure no no.

I was one of the students who was “picked” to ask my question.

At the application process for the tickets at the KRMF website, there was a box that invited everyone to write their questions and stated explicitly that the questions asked at the forum will be from the pool submitted via the application form.

Yes, NUS Political Association (NUSPA), the organizers, chose to narrow this pool of 500 questions received down to 20, and of these 20, Prof Tommy Koh chose the 9 and made us sit in reserved seats that NUSPA had reserved for us.

So, yes the questions were screened deliberately by NUSPA, the organizers, but I think it would be quite inaccurate to say that they were “planted”, which implies some sort of deceit.

Of course, how these questions were chosen and the criteria for choosing them is another controversial matter altogether.

How are you going to have good talented people with experience if everything has to be done in set pieces – just like in the movie where you can always decide whether the good guy or the bad guy wins.

And he has the audacity to criticise Chinese leaders and their “princelings” ?!

How about himself the old fart, filling the cabinet and positions in control of state wealth with his own “princelings” and cronies ?! And worst, paying himself $6M every year for espousing trash ? Pui!

As an alumni of NUS, I am ashamed to learn of such staging.

When a country is run like a corporation, this kind of thing is bound to happen.

I am very disappointed. Then again, what’s new?

This man will do just anything to make him feel good, feel great and feel powerful, and thats disgusting to have a bunch of running dogs paid millions by taxpayers just to keep one man in power, its uniquely singapore, wonder when will all these end, hopefully soon.

I think he did not want the shock of being called a dictator point blank to the face by some undergrad, like what happened some years ago. Don’t think his heart can take it anymore. Treat it like any lecture that you are forced to attend and curse yr life after the forum, there are better ways to waste the time of 500 undergrads.

Come on! NUS students, you can do better than that right? When they try to prevent you from asking the questions that you wanted answers, you could have just walk to the microphones and shoot your questions, right? Who is there to stop you?

But I don’t blame you guys as your behaviours are uniquely Singapore student characteristic – bo lan par.

5) Sgcynic
10) Robox

This is LKY’s idea of utopia, where he has everything ‘fixed’ so it stays under his control. It’s a very clever propaganda ploy. Quite similar to what the Nazis, Cubans and North Koreans practice.

It hurts the pride of the NUS students real bad but on the other hand, the govt always pride themselves that singapore produces one of the best and brillaint graduates in the world, funny how things can be twisted these days.

leekuanyew is gettin ole..his brain no longer function liked a T1 terminator
he cannot rebutt liked
i be back
so he needs to answer those questions he already practised
~period~

The NUS forum is another wayang show. Why are spontaneous questions not asked on the spot. Why all this staging of events? NUS is too beholden to the PAP system to act independently. Sad for an institution of higher learning to
mold our future leaders.

I got a glance on CNA last nite and just felt sick of LKY’s rhetorics. He will harp and harp till his last breath. Sad for the founding father of S’pore.

LKY should take a leaf from his daughter Wei Ling and let go and relate himself
more to spiritual tranquility and searching of the conscience.

Donate your money to help the poor old folks and destitute of Spore.
You will be immortalised. Power dulls a great mind. Alas! Alas!

“500 university students deserved better than 9 deliberately planted questions at the NUS Kent Ridge Forum with MM Lee Kuan Yew. Yes, the moderator made it explicitly known that the questions were screened and planted. This isn’t right.”

Would TOC be able to let the readers know the questions posed and replies and interview some of the students who attended the event.

OMG! really talking about the “good old days”!…butler, chasing after ball..blah blah blah…why dont put him in one of the those void decks in HDB,,,Im quite sure our dear senior citizens..who deserved more..will surely have a bone or two to pick with him!

It would be great if those students whose question had not been “selected” can actually post their question here. We will be able to know what are the questions that the old fart/PAP is trying to avoid answering.

This is what you can expect from MIW…….looking at the amount of real “debate” in parliament.

It’s a wonder and mystery why it is so hard to let go. MM Lee should have left graciously a long long time ago. In the oxford dictionary the word MM says refer only to singapore – a new word created means Minister Mentor only applicable in singapore!

We thank MM for all he has done for singapore. But it’s time to let go! Time to leave and be happy for what you achieved for singapore. Let it be known that we are grateful but we all have to move on learn from our own mistakes and evolve.

So come to this stage where he has to be protected by questions that he cant answer?So please MM if you have to come to this stage , I am sure you know that we know that leave you must least you falter again like this in the future.

Some thoughts and questions about the event:

1. NUS should rename the event. Kent Ridge Ministerial Speech. its no longer a forum, if there’s no proper engagement, and its about one side telling the other side what he thinks.

2. If questions were planted, what about the students? How/ who were the 500 undergrads chosen to sit in this event? were they screened too? Can they walk out if they didnt like it? if students were told that questions were screened and planted, and others weren’t allowed to ask, and if they feel strongly about it – why go in the first place? Just wait for CNA or newspaper articles about his speech.

I awaited eagerly for the time when I will see his coffin being lowered into the grave, yes simultaneously on all mediacorpse’s channels just like our national day parade.

come on, when willl that day come?

There is an impression amongst the thread commentators here that MM Lee was deliberately trying to avoid tough questions by somehow “staging” the event and “fixing” the questions. I wish to clarify that.

The annual event is an event organized by NUS Political Association (NUSPA), a student cca group in NUS. They were the ones who invited him as the speaker. They were the ones who organized the event from top to bottom.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, NUSPA was reponsible for trimming down the original 500 questions submitted through the application form to 20, and Professor Tommy Koh picked 9 out of these 20. MM Lee himself was unaware of this selection process and thus Professor Tommy Koh clarified this at the start of the Q&A for him and the audience.

While we may be dissatisfied with him for the answers that he gave for the questions (I myself was dissatisfied for the answer that he gave for my question), I think it is quite another thing to doubt the sincerity and salience of the questions asked.

If anyone finds fault with this “sanitized” question process (I actually do myself), then feedback and criticism should be directed to NUSPA who are the main organizers.

Maybe it’s not LKY’s fault that the whole forum became a sham?

That the people, questions and everything was planted was created by the cronies who organized the event – I’d rather think that LKY is too smart to want to create a staged event cos he knows us the citizens are smart too.

And I agree with an earlier post…. all the money in the world can’t stop ANYONE from going into the grave. All his children are multi-super-duper millionaires, why not donate all his fortune to the unfortunate, and leave a legacy, forever capturing the populace’s heart?

wonder why s’poreans wonder why they want to listen to a guy who artificially suppress their salaries so that they remain obedient to him.

S’poreans salary only look good when you factor in the exchange rate.

31) devoran

He doesn’t think like Warren Buffett or Bill Gates

He still think that Mr Wu still lives on the moon with his beautiful fairy.

7) blackfeline on October 20th, 2009 7.46 am

he’s still bragging about his past glories????? ad nauseam
==================================================

What else is there to brag about. The present lot of PAPies are totally incompetent.

Brag about Suzhou? GIC and Temasek losses? Mas Selamat’s escape?

Singapore has been going downhill ever since LHL took over.

I think the NUS students got better no things to do to attend this kind of so call forum. Young Men and Women of NUS, wake up now ! Think what can you do for your country. If all of you not happy with this present government policy. Vote for the change now before is too late. Remember young people, the future is on you. Remember YES WE CAN!!!!!

do you know why we only have students and govt workers in forums and not the average on the street to ask questions?

I think they know clearly well,that they will not have the answers and giving run around answers will not work with people who are affected by failing policies…… you can run but you can’t hide .;…..exercise your vote for a better Singapore

I can’t imagine myself sitting through this wayang. Why this our best and brightest just stand up and walk out? Were they prevented from doing so? Or was the audience chosen because they were those who wanted to suck up.

I think it is the right sensible move to vet the questions before reading to him.if not sakali he drop dead from heart attack after hearing something he don’t like how. Tommy Koh knows his temperament and he doesn’t want him to die under his watch.

Perhaps NUSPA was trying to prevent people from asking LKY whether he would apologise to Mr Yoong Siew Wah, the former director of Singapore’s Internal Security Department (1971 – 1974), for the false information that LKY gave to the Select Committee Hearing of the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill in 1986.

It would be interesting to hear what LKY has to say, wouldn’t it?

31) devoran on October 20th, 2009 12.43 pm ,

i am very doubt the LKY didnt know about the whole set up by NUSPA and Tommy Koh and also esp from previous debalce ‘Jamie Han’ incident.

if the show is not being screened, they might be not only one ‘Jamie Han’ but more…hahaha…..see how old man can take it?

so he should knows abt it beforehand.

Propaganda!

He’s a political icon, a larger than life figure. People hold him in awe by the
image projected by the local MSMs.
He used to boast he could debate and destroyed anyone’s opposing views
under the sun, but lately we’ seen he is less than sharp, and at times
agitated by tough questions. LKY present is not the LKY before.
Thus his image has to be protected through questions screening to weed
out the tough ones, to prevent another embarrassing episode of the
defamation suit against CSJ where he stammered to find an anwer to a question when cross-examined by the latter.
In another few years, he would have lost it.
He should have retired for his own sake. but most of all for the country’s and
people’s sake

It was not just a sad day for the 500 so-called cream of Singapore’s clever students in NUS it spelt terrible consequences for Singaporeans especially our grand children.

When we need to protect the most wise Singaporean from freely off-the-cuff questions, what about the rest who are seemingly much less wise than MM?

Can Singapore be smart enough to ride the ever changing global situation when we need to rehearse to very small details everything we do?

I fear for the time when my grand children have to find employment in Singapore!

He once bragged that he will arm himself with a knuckleduster and a sharp hatchet and meet any takers in a cul-de-sac.

What a letdown! He can’t even meet students armed with unknown questions!

Steeping down at his prime….he should have done it, and perhaps people will remember with respect rather then what people are feeling now…

look at Eric Cantona, retiring at age 30, still the prime age, and to united fans, he is still a legend despite the kung fu kick!

There was a topic: “What will the next 50 years have in store for Singapore?”

what are the chances that questions of your interest are even related to the topic? if you want anwers to questions unrelated, then find another occasion/opening/chance to ask. Not at this event that addresses the next 50 years. Sensational/debatable topics you’re interested in (me included) have their own time and place for discussion.
there’s a theme what. like duh. if the theme to a party is animals, you dont go dressed as a french maid. i think nus students are better than going off topic.

i do agree that the students could have walked out of the forum if they were unpleased with his responses. but wouldn’t you have sat through it even just to know which questions were selected and what his replies would be? regardless of how ridiculous you think MM Lee’s replies were, you would want to know how he chose to answer them.

i want to stress on what soulgroove have already mentioned:
So, yes the questions were screened deliberately by NUSPA, the organizers, but I think it would be quite inaccurate to say that they were “planted”, which implies some sort of deceit.

AND students were not informed on which questions were eventually selected until the forum actually starts. come on. just because someone attends a forum you call them a PAP suck-up? if you had tickets to ndp and mm lee appears on the big screen, wouldn’t you stand up and cheer for him as well? dont be ridiculous singaporeans. you may hate some of his policies or whatever but you cannot deny that he has indeed help singapore progress. i am not saying that his policies are the best, obviously there are areas that desperately need improvement but otherwise we should give him credit.

does MM Lee have not enough credit$$$$, awards, etc?

there is no limits to greed, there is track record de ler.
he help S’pore in his early years, but he didn’t do it alone, why he so thick skin take so much credits? what progress? when most young people are struggling to pay off housing loans (i not yet mention other things arh…) over decades?

lol…

The whole show has to be ’staged’ and pre-arranged, otherwise our leaders will never looked/look good.

As for self glorifications, this will be the case till their bodies rot beyond beautifications.

patriot