By the author of Singapore Recalcitrant
Can you believe your ears when the honourable Mr. Lim Swee Say, minister and secretary-general of the NTUC, said that he was like the little frog in the unheard of fable “kingdom of frogs” that he was deaf to all the criticisms of MP Mr. Low Thia Kiang on his so-called doctrine of ameiloration of lower wage workers. Mr. Lim could have been piqued and embarrassed by the incisive demolition of his painfully-created but not flawless doctrine by an ingenious Mr. Low in Parliament. Credit must be given to Mr. Lim for his ingenuity in thinking up such an unseemly parable to defend his wounded pride.
Is not Mr. Lim acting like a little emperor? Is that the proper attitude for a minister and NTUC secretary-general drawing a fat obscene pay of over $2 million a year out of taxpayers’ money to adopt in reply to crticisms. Is he not a law unto himself with the kind of brazen attitude he adopts?
If Mr. Lim represents the overbearing attitude of ministers, that is the reason we should vote in more opposition candidates. The PAP leadership is aware of such a possibility and it is now trying to sweeten the ground to make sure that it does not lose too many GRC’s at the next General Election. This is where the opposition parties should close ranks to capture at least one or two GRC’s. The opposition can do it if they can avoid disunity and put up some credible candidates. The ground is ripe for them to make inroads especially with young voters who are disillusioned with the PAP government. The PAP leadership is especially worried about the loyalty of the young voters and will be making strenuous efforts to win them over. Probably the die is cast and whatever strenuous efforts the PAP leadership makes may have little effect.
The tsunami that hit the Barisan National in the last general election in Malaysia is a wake-up call to the PAP leadership. But it may not be a similarly hefty tsunami that will hit the PAP in the next General Election. So they are scrambling madly to try to assuage any disastrous side-effect that the Malaysian tsunami may bring. As a result the people are given the spectacle of the much-hyped Economic Strategy Committee’s report and the recent so-called bountiful budget whichthe PAP leadership hopes will revive its flagging election prospects.
The opposition should not be seen to be idle. This is a chance not to be missed to bring the PAP down from its pedestal and its arrogance. They should attract more credible candadites, especially scholars like the ones the Reform Party attracted, to represent them in a united stand in the next General Election. Already considerable netizens have called on voters, especially young voters, not to vote for PAP which is a good sign for the opposition.
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Article was first published on the Singapore Recalcitrant blog
Headline image courtesy of China the Beautiful
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@Hanson
Quotation is the province of those who are humble enough to acknowledge that there have been keener minds and finer wordsmiths who have expressed certain sentiments. Mediocrity, after all, is marked by the belief that there are none greater than oneself.
Your mind must leave much to be desired if you can’t read something in M. de Saint-Exupery’s statement. Instead, you stamp your foot and screech, “NO!”
How petulant.
SORRY MR LIM
YOU WILL BE THE NEXT MINISTER TARGETED BY OPPOSITION AND I DO NOT THINK WE NEED A LABOUR MINISTER ADMINISTER TRIPARTITE SYSTEM.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MEANING OF TRIPARTITE SYSTEM, GOVERNMENT, TRADE UNION, AND EMPLOYERS. IT IS ONLY IN SINGAPORE THE LABOUR MINISTER IS RUNNING THE TRADE UNION. THIS IS JOKE……. WE GOT TO LET THE PAP KNOW THIS MUST CHANGE AND TRADE UNION MUST BE GIVEN FREEDOM TO EXERCISE WORKERS RIGHT’S RATHER THAN MAKING IT PAP CONTROLLED UNION.
MR LIM…….. FUTHERMORE…. HE REQUESTED FOR RETIREMENT BEFORE THE ELECTION…….. HE INTEND TO STEP DOWN AT AGE 62 (NEXT ELECTION)….. BG LEE RESPONDED BY SAYING HE WILL DECIDE WHEN ONE WILL STAY OR GO…… I MUST SAY THE PEOPLE WILL DECIDE WHO WILL BE GIVEN THE POWER TO STAY OR LEAVE.
AS PER MR LIM REQUEST… I HAVE STARTED MY CAMPAIGN AGAINST MR LIM AND HE WILL BE VOTED OUT AS MINISTER IN 5 YEARS TIME, MY REASON FOR HIM TO LEAVE IS ” DO NOT NEED A LABOUR MINISTER TO RUN THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT”
I CALLING ALL MY FRIENDS WHO SHARE MY VIEWS AND PLEASE MAKE THE MESSAGE KNOWN TO THE POPULATION AT LARGE AND THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT NEEDS IS FREEDOM AND WORKERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR NATION, I ACCUSE THE PAP HAVE CRIPPLED THE MOVEMENT AND MAKE IT AS PAP MOUTH PIECE AND MY FRIENDS, CHANGE THE SYSTEM….. IF PAP SINCERELY SUPPORT TRANSFORMATION… THIS IS WHAT THEY SHOULD DO FIRST……. IF NOT IT IS JUST WATCHING A TRANSFORMERS MOVIE ….. NO MEANING…..
PLEASE FORWARD MY MESSAGE TO AS MANY FRIENDS, MAKE KNOWN THEM, WE DO NOT NEED A LABOUR CHIEF FROM GOVERNMENT TO RUN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT…. LABOUR MOVEMENT IS ABLE TO LEAD ON ITS ON RIGHT…. WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE FROM GOVERNMENT….
LASTLY…. I CALLING FOR MR LIM SWEE SAY TO VOTED OUT IN 5 YEARS TIME, THE COUNT DOWN STARTS NOW…. CHEERS