Wednesday, February 10, 2010 12:03
Mandate assured … as long as PAP remains incorruptible
In Main Stories, RecomendRead, TOC Stomp • 4,649 views • 23 Comments
trulysingapore
Dear editor,
I refer to the letter by Dr Yik Keng Yeong dated 9 Feb 2010.
Dr Yik points to the unequal scaling of the economic peak by countries in the region to suggest that work ethic is not the same across countries. By extension, places that have scaled the same peak must necesssarily share the same work ethics. This is consistent with the observation that East Asian societies like Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan have scaled the same peaks as Singapore while sharing similar cultures and work ethics. Since the majority of Singaporeans originated from East Asia, it helps explain why Singapore is able to scale the same peaks scaled by other East Asians. Hence, Dr Yik’s ethnicity argument gives greater credence to the idea that a country’s fate lies more with its people than with its government.
Dr Yik’s assertion that sterling governance in Singapore has not diminished holds no water as Singapore lost billions in some recent transactions and experienced sky high inflation in property prices.
The countries Dr Yik refers to where governments have lost the trust of their electorates and which have then degenerated into inefficiency and depravity bear little semblance to Singapore in terms of social fabric and the ethical makeup of its people. We can always find other countries like those of the Western democracies where governments change regularly without their countries falling apart. Therefore, the countries we compare ourselves to must be appropriate in order for the comparison to make sense. Comparing ourselves against countries with similar work ethics like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and even Thailand suggests that government change is no cause for worry for Singaporeans.
Continue here.
Related posts:
23 Comments
mon
iamtheMOSTcorrupted
how can you all says the LEE famiLLEE are corruptable?
every rules laws has been passed by parliament with approvals from the useless rotiprata man himself to the extend of using the taxpayers’ billions for the prime minister wife to do shoppins as when she feel liked it..
even the former 1st lady mrs marcos who was onced the most BEAUTIFUL 1st leader wife in the world has only shopped for 3000 pairs of branded shoes…
GOD have spoken with lightning bolt…butt the 66% of the peasants hav yet to be awoken and convinced…
~sigh~
andy
did you count his family businesses?
tiredsingaporean
Yeah right, all the men in singapore will be dead as long as PAP remains incorruptible, and stop propaganding all your shits when you know very well that your time is UP!
small hum
That’s true.
Then if what the world says of LKY about him being extraordinary, rare and a “Singapore’s Jewel” be honestly true, then i think we are living on borrowed time.
Frankly, there is also the lack of spurs for the hides of PAP. Many have not gone through proper elections or made publicly accountable to the President or public. No new policies from new ministers, no worries about then defending their name, all wanting to be the good-guy. I note that PAP talked about IR, FT, productivity or Biopolis as being Long-term. But at this moment now, the solutions all seem very short-term. As in… less than 6 years solution.
tiredsingaporean
as of now all these useless ministers are supposed to go all out to make some noise and doing all their distracting tai-chi move while their master is still scratching his head thinking hard what should he do next since many if not all their die hard supporters has already given up hope on them with some already going against them as you can feel on the ground.
so how
you give yourself 12 months bonus, you bring your friends, you helped your own family businesses etc.
is this
incorruptible?
tiredsingaporean
Well, once at Indonesia visiting his ole pal Suharto on his dying bed, someone told a reporter there that even if this man is corrupted, he still bring in billions into the indonesian economy, somehow I still think its going to be the same here soon.
hum man
It should not be about which political party wins the game.
It should be about What is Needed for this country for it to Progress and as US Ambassador has said, I humbly quote “…and I intend, if confirmed, to use public diplomacy to work towards greater press freedoms, greater freedom of assembly and ultimately, more political space for opposition parties in Singapore to strengthen Singapore into a multi-party democracy.” end quote.
In this respect, my wish for the country is the same as his excellency’s aspirations.
But make no mistake, i am not always agreeable with USA policies such as the main cause for the world financial crisis.
Having said this, I like to remain neutral when dealing with political issues. Although some may say he appears to have involved himself with domestic politics, i tend to keep an Open Mind. I see that what he said is highly credible and logical and not without merits.
As much as i dun like singapore to be criticised, as a Responsible citizen who hopes to see the country advance and improve, such interventions, if you will, is not what i would not welcome.
As intellectuals, we should admit what is the problem, if any, and then try to resolve it and not be Emotional, Illogical and Biased and should use our EQ to handle such criticisms positively.
By the by, i am really shocked that USA knows so much about singapore.
cchchan
How does one define incorruptible?
Only in monetary rewards, or in terms of power, or abuse of a privilaged position?
Ah Siao
mandate assured….my foot! Dismantle all GRCs then we talk
mon
As if incorruptibility is everything (I don’t even think they are, else, why do you need to kill off your political opponent through ISD and bankrupy suits)?
What about productivity and creativity?
LHL has not delivered.
He basically grew the GDP by feeding employers with cheap labour.
to the detriment of ordinary Singaporeans.
red_dot
All said and done Singapore still need to revamp her political system.
We have been living under a one-party system for too long – three
generations! This is totally absurd!
Whatever it takes , now is the time to have a two-party system. The
people wants it period!
Viva Democracy
If he is incorruptible, why do we still need to pay him obscenly so much money?
Realist
Incorruptible or is it leegalised corruption. I still believe the fear of losing power is not because of concern for the well being of the country but fear of skeletons in the cupboard.
Beginning of the End
LOL 5 *’s.
Immortality is the only constant.
MLC
Obama is paid much lesser. I also think he’s more incorruptible than the PAP ministers. I wonder why. Maybe it’s because Obama governs a democracy. mmm.
Hostage Takers / Blackmailers - Not Incorruptible
Hostage Takers / Blackmailers do not take BRIBES. They DEMAND PAYMENT. In Singapore’s case, they are PAID EXORBITANTLY MONTHLY.
THE WORSE OF CRIMINALS, thats the PAP.
con job 101
how to give benefit of the doubt PAP is incoruptible when,
a. they are not transparent and accountable
b. their system of meritocracy embraces nepotism and cronyism
c. there are kangaroos using kangaroo logic as legal wisdom
d. the check and balance is done within a group of PAP stooges
e. freedom of the press is freedom to transmit PAP propaganda
f. elections department comes under the PM’s office
g. gerrymandering, GRCs are in reality, underhand tactics
h. alternative voice for the people are persecuted and prosecuted
Can Dr Yik Keng Yeong or NTUC Income insure PAP to remain incoruptible forever. Impossible! Can the PAP continue to be efficient?
MBT failed to take appropriate actions before the prices of resale HDB flats doubled within four years, from 2006 to 2010. When almost one million PRs and foreign workers arrived here the government should have built more HDB flats in anticipation of the demand. They have all the information and statistics.
rwkc
Message to Dr Yik:
At this stage, having read the excellent response from trulysingapore and the comments from readers, I have nothing new to add except to say that you, Dr Yik, appears to be a person with a screwed-up mentality insofar as the PAP is concerned; you have a jaundiced view of the PAP.
Care to respond, by making a post here?
Dr Yik, The Straits Times published your article [14 Jan] when you wrote in response to Dr Catherine Lim’s article of 13 Jan. But when I wrote [16 Jan] in response to your article, my article has been left unpublished. Would you help by initiating an inquiry with The ST?
In case you are an avid reader [secretly or otherwise] of what is happening here, at theonlinecitizen, it is my pleasure to let you read my article of 16 Jan to The ST:
“I refer to the letter from Dr Catherine Lim, “Surprised by ‘cooling off’ idea” [ST Jan 13] and the response from Dr Yik Keng Yong, “It’s a sound policy” [ST Jan 14].
I agree with the points raised by Dr Lim and consider Dr Yik as the one with a jaundiced view of the PAP’s intentions and of Dr Lim’s comments, and the one making comments that appear unrepresentative of the situation at ground level.
First, a 24 hr cooling period before Polling Day is an idea that only a political party such as the PAP is capable of. If Dr Yik thinks that such a policy is sound and should be applied not only to voting practice but also in our daily routine, has it ever occurred to him to ascertain why it was not introduced in prior elections which have been held every 4 years for the last 50 years? Why only now? Having been voted into power in the past – in the absence of a cooling period – is the PAP now afraid that it will be voted out, on emotional grounds, if a cooling period is not introduced? If so, it cannot be considered as rational thinking.
A cooling period will make no difference if people have already decided which candidate/party they want in. Moreover, it can be argued that it is not a question of having a day of calm reflections to help one think rationally before casting one’s vote. Whether the government has performed to people’s expectations is a far more important criterion, and one does not need a cooling period of 24 hrs to know or decide whether the government has performed to expectations or not. With support from people like Dr Yik, the PAP should have no fear of being knocked out of the competition. It may lose its shirt but not its pants.
To quote Dr Yik’s opening line: Dr Catherine Lim’s interpretation yesterday [“Surprised by ‘cooling off’ idea”] of the People’s Action Party’s [PAP] announcement of a 24-hr cooling-off period before Polling Day is as striking in its perspicuity as it is jaundiced of the PAP’s intentions. If Dr Lim is perspicuous with her interpretation, then it would be contradictory or inconsistent to accuse her of having a jaundiced view of others.
Sorry, Dr Yik, you are the one who is jaundiced, not Dr Lim.”
“
gimme ur left n i give u a right
has the authorities responded to US Ambassador’s statements made?
i am also concerned about the decades of audit required but as far as we know, there is no announcement that such audit has started?
what are we waiting for? to extent the time needed to complete such a ginormous audit?
tiredsingaporean
By the by, i am really shocked that USA knows so much about singapore.
I supposed the most shocking person or persons comes from within the MIW party. It is not surprising why USA knows so much about singapore since Bush time whereby the 2 govts are doing so much things in common. I believe there will be more things opening up to surface in time to come. Obama is not stupid OK!
I wish your boss LHL can be patient with his pay package.
//steadfastly implementing unpopular policies with short-term pain while making long-term gains which only patience will see bear fruit.
how come we always have to have these policies?
if everything was planned ahead properly.
how come places like TAiwan, s korea, HK don’t need this.
how do you know if the fruits were obtained by other factors?
policies don’t determine everything.
it is one of those arm chair economist/theorist thinking again.
the only party beneficial to this talk is the pig.
as if incorruptibility is the sole determinant.
LHL govt has the high pay but the least desirable outcomes.
it experiences the most number of recessions and the widening gini index.