We have noticed that of late, government ministers & officials, and People’s Action Party members have been criticizing Singaporeans and their attitudes towards a myriad of issues – from employment to public housing.
We thus would like to collate all of these into a single thread here.
Our hope is that the government will see for itself the callous, unfair and condescending attitude it and its members have adopted towards Singaporeans and do some soul-searching. Singaporeans work hard, very hard, and gives the PAP government its vote of confidence at every election since independence.
Are such remarks towards Singaporeans justified?
If you come across any such Singaporeans-bashing remarks, please do email them to us at: theonlinecitizen@gmail.com.
Please read also: Bashing Singaporeans – PAP gets in on the act.
We begin with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean’s remarks in the Straits Times on 8 April 2010:
INADEQUATE
“Employees must not conveniently use the excuse of perceived discriminatory work practices to cover up their own work inadequacies.”
DPM TEO CHEE HEAN (Straits Times, 8 April 2010, Page A6)
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MOLLYCODDLED
“A boy who is mollycoddled is a very different person from the one who is physically tough and takes spills without fear and whining.”
MP FOR MARINE PARADE GRC, SAM TAN (Straits Times, 25 May 2009)
—–
SLOW
“I think the spurs are not stuck on your hinds. They are part of the herd, why-go-faster?”
MM LEE KUAN YEW (National Geographic, Jan 2010)
——
LESSER MORTALS
“Mr Tan didn’t “brag” about how expensive the trip was in the article. Maybe it made lesser mortals envious and they thought maybe he was a bit boastful.”
MP FOR PASIR-RIS-PUNGGOL CHARLES CHONG (Jan 2009)
—–
UNREALISTIC
—–
NO SELF-CONFIDENCE
“How can this be? People are coming to learn from us, see how we teach, why we are successful. Yet our teachers don’t have self-confidence.”
DPM TEO CHEE HEAN (Straits Times, April 2010)
—–
IRRATIONAL
“THE Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday acknowledged Singaporeans’ concern over immigration issues, but urged them to avoid ‘developing irrational fears’ towards new immigrants.’
—–
SENSITIVE
“People are sensitive.”
DPM TEO CHEE HEAN (CNA, April 2010)
—–
COMPLACENT
“Complacency sets in when a people have not suffered any shock or setback for a long time, as in Singapore without jihadist terror attacks… [Singaporeans] are being complacent when they believe that the Government will take care of all security matters.”
MM LEE KUAN YEW (March 2008)
—–
DEPENDENCY MENTALITY
“This has bred a dependency mentality in our population who will blame the civil service and Government if any of their needs are not met.”
MP FOR SEMBAWANG GRC, LIM WEE KIAK (March 2008)
—–
IMMATURE, WHINY
“I don’t want whining Singapore boys. They are not mature even though they have done national service and are over 22 years old when they take up undergraduate studies.”
PHILIP YEO, EX-CHAIRMAN, A-STAR (Straits Times, 2005)
—–
BEMOANING
“[A] well-educated university graduate who works for a multinational company should not be bemoaning about the Government and get on with the challenges in life.”
MP FOR ANG MO KIO GRC, WEE SIEW KIM (Straits Times, 2005)
—–
DOGS
“If you can select a population and they’re educated and they’re properly brought up, then you don’t have to use too much of the stick because they would already have been trained. It’s like with dogs. You train it in a proper way from small. It will know that it’s got to leave, go outside to pee and to defecate. No, we are not that kind of society. We had to train adult dogs who even today deliberately urinate in the lifts.”
MM LEE KUAN YEW (“The Man And His Ideas”, 1997)
—–
CHAMPION GRUMBLERS
“Singaporeans are champion grumblers.”
MM LEE KUAN YEW, (National Geographic, Jan 2010)
—–
PROTESTING TOO MUCH, VOLUNTARILY UNEMPLOYED
“SINGAPOREANS who complain about foreigners taking away their jobs may be protesting too much… [Some Singaporeans] are voluntarily unemployed.”
TAN KHEE GIAP, Associate Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (Straits Times, Mar 2010)
—–
BANKRUPT
“A SEGMENT of the Malay community has been likened to bankrupt English soccer club Portsmouth by Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Masagos Zulkifli.”
—–
LAZY AND TOO OLD
“I know of one family who complain the cleaners in their precinct are lazy and too old. They don’t want local workers who are old, they want young foreign workers. To satisfy the demand, I changed the local workers to foreign workers.”
ONG AH HENG, MP FOR NEE SOON CENTRAL (Straits Times, Mar 2010)
—–
CHOOSY
“The problem of choosy workers is still with us.”
THEN-MINISTER OF STATE FOR MANPOWER, NG ENG HEN (MOM, 2003)
—–
MAIDS
“Your asset values will disappear, your apartment will be worth a fraction of what it is, your jobs will be in peril, your security will be at risk and our women will become maids in other people’s countries, foreign workers.”
MM LEE KUAN YEW (Straits Times, 5 April 2007)
——–
“DAFT”
“It adds to their wealth and this is asset-enhancing policy Mr Lee believes citizens should not find fault with. If they do, they must be ‘daft’, he said…”
MM LEE KUAN YEW (CNA, January 2010)
—–
“IRRESPONSIBLE”, “SPREADING FALSEHOODS”
Dr Balakrishnan also berated “irresponsible websites” for circulating the clip. “Now that the facts are out, let’s see whether these people who’ve been propagating falsehoods have the courage and honesty to set the facts right,” he said.
VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN, (Straits Times, April 2010)
———–
“SMALL-MINDED”, “UNFAIR”, “VERY, VERY SELFISH”, “UNSPORTSMENLIKE”
“To deny them [new citizens sportsmen] to call themselves Singaporeans is very, very selfish. It’s very unsportsmenlike…”
VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN (Straits Times, 23 June 2010)
————-
CROWDED TRAINS – SINGAPOREANS’ FAULT
“People can board the train – it is whether they choose to.”
SAW PHAIK HWA, SMRT CEO (Straits Times, 27 June 2010)
————–
IGNORANT
“The Taiwanese are ruthless, Hong Kongers are shameless and Singaporeans are ignorant.”
LEE KUAN YEW, (Today, 14 July 2010)
———–
“GRIPE”… “VUVUZELAS”
“This is far healthier than to live the Singapore Gripe and drone on like vuvuzelas.”
GOH CHOK TONG (7 August 2010)
—————
SINGAPOREANS COMPLAINING TOO MUCH
SENIOR Minister Goh Chok Tong has chided Singaporeans for complaining too much about overcrowded trains and the lack of carpark spaces and public housing.
GOH CHOK TONG, Straits Times (4 Sept 2010)
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Hey, what about the biggest crap of all: Cheaper, Better, Faster! Ok, so that’s a slogan, not a quote.
Toc,
The barking dog comment was from Sinha Shekha facebook…you can find it in Temasek Review which they have captured a screenshot in one of their articles…
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/03/31/ypap-activist-and-new-citizen-sinha-shekhar-urged-self-help-groups-to-proactively-reach-out-to-immigrants/comment-page-2/
It just means when its finally time to take out our champagne from the fridge, we would be that much more ecstatic enjoying the bubbly.
The PAP is the cause of all the problems here. The PAP cannot solve any of these problems. Solution: Throw this highly incompetent govt out.
In response to PAP govt. and officials bashing, we should have wise quotes or statements of sense to counter every bashing published above.
I am sure there are many Singapreans with a flair of the English language, just to name one Cathrine Lim.
when all this overpaid/overfed eatricewasteseeds ministers/mps speak…are they talkin about themselves?
why would i barked or grumbled if i been paid over $100,000/month based on my own valution and my owned minimum salary requirement/expectations?
as though i can tell my potential employer to heed my demands or i will steal from the pettyca$h cookie$ jar…
~zhee~
ironically, it’s all these low-life people whom they will be rallying for votes in the next elections
One finger point to the people for their shortcommings but the other nine fingers are pointing to the blameless P.A.P !
THE WORST OF MAN IS THE ONE WHO IS AGOG TO SEE THE DEFECT OF OTHERS BUT BLIND TO THEIR OWN VICES.
Another page for stupid quotes by the PAP?
There should be another page like this to highlight the stupid words that the PAP people have said. Like Lim Swee Say’s excuse for not wanting to listen to Low Thia Kiang.
I remember of an article on TOC about having a gracious government. The material there could be used to put up a separate page like this one!
TOC
With all the bashing statements from the leaders above, there is one contradictory statement from MM saying something like: if you don’t pay the ministers well, you are in for a dose of incompetent governement.
So why are ministers angry that Singaporean are choosy (for not accepting lower pay) wh0en in fact LKY said their minister are also choosy if we don’t pay them well? They obviously wished themselve well while putting the blame on Singaporeans.
is it any wonder why S’poreans struggle to find our identity as a nation & the lack of national pride…?
Our govt prefer foreigners! Hey our dear PM Lee & president Nathan posted privileged thank you messages in Michael Dee’s blog. Michael Dee’s a senior MD at Temasek & he’s a foreigner!
Take a look a his blog:- http://www.4deserts.com/blogs/comptetior_blog_new.php?pid=NzU2&blog=16
Just because he’s working in Temasek, a foreigner?
He’s going for an adventure to raise money for S’pore Special Olympics. So do we see this kind of privileged thank you messages from our PM & president? Will they ever post these thank you messages in local native blogs if Singaporeans go for fund-raising adventures?
Blaming the product of over 40 years of their own social engineering.
Where is the deaf frog? where is it? lol!
PAP runs Singapore like a factory, with Boss(PM)–> Managers(Ministers) –> Supervisors(Civil Service heads) –> Foreman (Town Councils)–> Line leaders (Grassroots Leaders) –> production workers (You & me)!.
Had a chance to chat with a German colleague.
When Germany did well in the WC, people poured into the streets celebrating, roads were filled with cars and people, passengers sitting on car tops, waving their flags with pride, loud horns beeping away, dancing, singing. All these infront of the Police officers. None were caught for traffic offense or rioting or spitting, littering, etc..
Do you think the Police officers neglect their duties to enforce the LAW, in moments of jubilation and happiness?
Clear that discretion has been exercised.
If this were to happen in Singapore…nothing will happen. Probably fined for jay-walking!
Yamamoto,
The deaf frog didn’t bash Singaporeans, he bashed himself, really dumb frog.
zero
Quote from ‘The Fajar Generation’:-
The Malaysian DPM Tun Razak was quoted – by the Straits Times on 4 June 1965 – for his comments on LKY:-
“Out of chaos and trouble, Lee hoped to emerge as the leader who could save the country.
He was an expert in creating situations which did not exist. Mr Lee twisted facts and cast doubts in the minds of poeple…….”
Now its seems that the current PAP Leadership has taken lessons from the Master Mentor, “to create situations that do not exist and plant doubts in the minds of people”.
Does this not have similar overtones of Mao Tze Tung – who felt the fire of China’s Revolution simmering, and evoke the greatest castratrophe to fall on China with his Cultural Revolution ?
Great men never fail to have the urge to recreate the failing dreams of their ego.
you will probably not hear this form of bashing by an official:
“New immigrants need to be more sensible – if they want to instantly come to our country and enjoy the benefits, they should be prepared to concede that they have not contributed anything and should face more restrictions – such as the inability to profit from public housing, not to disrupt existing housing and education markets in the country, face higher taxation because they do not contribute to national defence and therefore pay for it in the form of taxes …”
I read the entire “article”, if it could even be construed as one. Sorry to say but I am sorely disappointed with TOC this time round. This is nothing but senseless government bashing. Surely TOC is capable of better.
Most of these quotes were taken out of context, and honestly, most of them are fair comments that even we tell each other that all the time? Who doesn’t know Singaporeans are champion grumblers, or that we have a BIG problem of adults urinating in elevators?
I’m sure everybody is entitled their point of view, ministers and MP included. TOC as well. But really…going down to the extent of compiling out-of-context quotes to suit a thesis that the government is bashing Singaporeans? Really…how purposeful is that?
There are plenty more quotes the government has said about praising Singaporeans and our industriousness.
And the funniest part about this article is how most of the quotes come from our mainstream media…our dreaded Straits Times being one. Apparently if our Straits Times reports government bias junk and propaganda…then surely we won’t be seeing these quotes in the first place.
LKY and his bunch of idiots have never had anything more than contempt for us Singaporeans. I intend to try to remind as many of my fellow Singaporeans about that when the election comes. I really want to see as many of those PAP pieces of turd kicked out. I hope you all do the same.
> At every GENERAL ELECTION, there is no shortage of PAP fear-mongers who will “warn/threaten” that S’poreans voting for the Opposition will be “voting in a Dud Government which will do Singapore in”.
> THIS IS WHAT WILL ACTUALLY “DO SINGAPORE IN”:
The AAA (not top credit rating, but Arrogant Autocratic Authoritarian) PAP Political Mindset of:
“WE know all! WE know best! WE are always right!
WHO are you, poor peasant of Singapore, to QUESTION us (much less CRITICISE us)?”
in short:
blame yourself, not anyone else.
ok. to be fair, some of the quotes are reasonable, like the one from Mr Philip Yeo.
BUT, i exceptionally dislike Dr Bala’s quote of:
“To deny them [new citizens sportsmen] to call themselves Singaporeans is very, very selfish. It’s very unsportsmenlike…”
Singaporeans are really stupid because we are paying millions of dollars to monkeys to manage our nation. Very old dying monkeys, all sorts of other old and young monkeys, calling themselves PAP Ministers and MPs are paid millions of dollars for talking cock and insulting their paymasters . Yes, Singaporeans are really stupid for keeping a senile, useless old man to lead our country to utter ruin.
today i felt small-minded.
It is a clear sign these MIW MPs and Ministers are feeling unsecured! They are slowly and surely loosing their confidence and they know deep in their unconscious mind that Singaporeans are now ready for a change!
These MIW thinks they can act like grandfathers and starts scolding and lecturing Singaporeans for disagreeing with their policies.
Well, times up guys…Singaporeans are moving towards a two-party system whether you like it or not. Don’t need to threaten us…we are getting tired and see who is the servant and who is the master!Now we know the “People’s Power”!
you dont see obama or other world leaders scolding their own people in this way ..
eh wait.. got. burma have.
These quotes may be out of context. Read widely.
“I don’t want whining Singapore boys. They are not mature even though they have done national service and are over 22 years old when they take up undergraduate studies.”
“Singaporeans are champion grumblers.”
Dear ministers and those linked to leadership of PAP government, before you fart too loudly with your mouth take a hefty pay cut like the ministers in the UK.
You’ve NO, NONE WHATSOEVER, moral authority to make such statements about the average Singaporean.
We could tolerate MM Lee for “bashing Singaporeans” as he is regarded as the Father of Singapore, but we will not tolerate other MPs,still wet behind the ears, to copy cat old Lee.
They think they are very cool, but they look detestable, and we regard them with disgust.
This guys are senseless fools, treating Singaporeans like toys and useful mechandise. I think they forget that we are the hardworking TAXPAYERS. If the bashing go on, Singaporeans have the right not to pay taxes as a sign of revolt. We voted them because we trust them, now we are insulted and kick hard by cold-hearted buffoons.
To Incompetent Government and Angry Singaporean,
Yes, I agree with both of you.
Without a doubt we have an urgent need to kick out these self-serving papy ingrates
Aiyoh! Gentlemen & Ladies,
All said and done of and by LKY, his is after all named “most prophetically” by his parents as “lee kwan you” right.
And so with his humongous alto- ego he must as he cannot do otherwise lah! What’s and how does a parasite survive? But by sucking the blood of it’s victims!
But then there are still those old Ah Beng uncles and Ah Lian aunties who will still sleep in their “lky parasite bugs” infested mattresses hor! Preys and Predators DO MAKE strange bedfellows yah! And so is it so strange that even as some of these now OLD still “love” their bugs from such a long “blood love affair”?
It is said that “Familiarity breeds contempt”. But here is a “Uniquely Singaporean” phenomena of “Familiarity” is the better part of being in a contentious become contemptuous till so tempestuous “affair”!
And so, if Lee Kuan Yew truly loves Singapore as much as he’s repeatedly said, “Why then has he resort to BASHING SINGAPOREANS?” It must be he HAS LOST TOUCH with today’s realities WHAT Singaporeans ARE REALLY FACING due to his
“policies”.
AND more importantly, NEITHER he NOR his Ministers have any notion or inkling about the DILEMMA & DESPAIR “At Ground ZERO”! And it is all because he HAS BEEN “EMPEROR lee kwan you” for far too long to feel what it is like to BE “INSIDE OF his own Singaporean JOBS CRUSHING Machinery! YAH! All the WEALTH and COMFORTS them/damn PAP ones have, MUST CERTAINLY BE the PAP BUG that cause the PAP TO BE SO DETACHED FROM “Ground ZERO”! Simple and Real! Yet they can’t FEEL nor FEEL this as they’ve lived in “Palaces” TOO WELL FED And WAITED UPON LIAO! Excessive creature comforts DO MAKE defective the human spirit of Empathy and Compassion.
SO, has in his “quest”, LKY MOST UNWITTINGLY created a Uniquely Singaporean type “DIASPORA ARTEFACT” of his very own “creation”? Isn’t it then time for him to own-up, exit and bow out without being CONTEMPTUOUS OF Singaporeans AT-LARGE” And best he NOT proudly this time and AGAIN UNWITTINGLY “Engineers” OUR Nation INTO THREE Distinct FACTIONS OF: “Lesser Singaporean mortals” PERFECTLY sandwiched between “LKY-PAPISM” Class and the new and “FT Better Class”!
HE has already most unwittingly CRAFTED this “Singaporean diaspora” effect that CAN ONLY LEAD to the ultimate DESTRUCTION of ALL GOOD THINGS Singaporean HE HAS SO adamantly claimed ARE OF HIS “Achievements always in THE MAKING”. As was obvious even in his eulogy for our affable Dr. Goh Keng Swee.
And that IS how the “COOKIE CRUMBLES” according to the TWIN WISDOM of “PRIDE And PASSION” which must lead to “PRIDE Comes Before A FALL”
BUT here WE ARE SHARING about a nation – OUR A NATION! Let’s hope he gets to read this and gets it too! Any “Singaporean Sinky” must never begin with the one who claims to have built it!
May wisdom prevail but not pride and passion progress into destruction of 50 years of ALL SINGAPOREANS hard work and sacrifices given! So that “he” will then receive a true and deserving eulogy in his time!
We should “do an Obama” on the PAPpy gahmen (ministers and civil servants) for bashing us the peasants. They are forgetting that we are paying them their million-dollar salaries and therefore are their bosses and paymasters.
Look what happened to Gen McCrytal when he bashed his boss Obama; he was fired from his job. We just have to vote wisely at the next G.E. to show the PAPPy fools our displeasure at their shortcomings and failed policies.
How are professors at NUS part of the government?
Applies to them as well.
Posted by Thaddaeus Wee, 23 June 2010:
“I read the entire “article”, if it could even be construed as one. Sorry to say but I am sorely disappointed with TOC this time round. This is nothing but senseless government bashing. Surely TOC is capable of better.
Most of these quotes were taken out of context, and honestly, most of them are fair comments that even we tell each other that all the time? Who doesn’t know Singaporeans are champion grumblers, or that we have a BIG problem of adults urinating in elevators?
I’m sure everybody is entitled their point of view, ministers and MP included. TOC as well. But really…going down to the extent of compiling out-of-context quotes to suit a thesis that the government is bashing Singaporeans? Really…how purposeful is that?
There are plenty more quotes the government has said about praising Singaporeans and our industriousness.
And the funniest part about this article is how most of the quotes come from our mainstream media…our dreaded Straits Times being one. Apparently if our Straits Times reports government bias junk and propaganda…then surely we won’t be seeing these quotes in the first place.”
I concur wholeheartedly. Great point about our beloved ‘Shitty Times’. And glaringly, no one has responded to this.
To Popcorn—The Father of Singapore is Dr.Goh Keng Swee.
The man had a Ph.D in economics in the 60s when most people did not even go to school.
He solved most of our problems as admitted by the other guy himself.
The other was just a lawyer then.
Of course, the present flood situation will easily be solved by GKS if he was still around.See how we missed him–thus blaming God for the flooding and telling the people to accept flood as part of their lives.
Wow! the pot calling kettle black. So who is the Champion grumblers now?
By not taking responsibility, PAP is just saying they actually don’t want to win the next elections.
Thanks TOC for reminding Singaporeans that these ministers are finally speaking from their heart after election. If they walked around to tell you a different things (to please your ears) so as to BUY VOTES from us, please remember what they have been sarcastic about us before, it does help to make proper decision when putting our vote in the ballot box. A lesson learned in previous election should not be forgotten.
“The GLCs are ruthless, the ministers are shameless and Singaporeans are ignorant.”
What Tan Khee Giap said is true. Note that he used the word “MAY” be voluntarily unemployed.
There are indeed some Singaporeans who are so demanding. Want something slack, flexible working hours and with really high pay, despite their low educational qualifactions?
Instead of getting a job lower than their expectation, while looking for another one, they choose to bum around.
Sorry man to those people who wish for an easy kinda work life with high pays, and take it for granted it is the PAP or opposition to provide for them. How fair is it to Singaporeans who really work?
P.S. If you find that unbelievable some Singaporeans choose to be unemployed. Try sitting in at Work Development Agency office one day. There are REAL cases of people who are looking for a job. And of course, you’ll see the kind Tan Khee Giap was referring to – the wayang and fussy ones who rather remain jobless.
@Snowball
Please enlighten us and show us the “plenty of quotes the government has said about praising Singaporeans and our industriousness”.
For some reason, I don’t see you going really far with the above.
Hi i think PHILIP YEO comments should not be in here as he was commenting on those people on government scholarship breaking bond and not Singaporean in general.
Also those scholars that broke bond are people with parents that could afford their Uni tuition fee in the first place.
How about the most recent scolding by Harry Lee….that S’poreans demand everything to be perfect.
No-one is perfect and without fault. There’s always room for improvements, for the betterment of society. That’s how life goes around.
But the PAP govt has been around for over half a century, so much so it has grown complacent and insensitive of the people’s plight. Its persistent arrogance is telling of one who’d grab every opportunity to remind others of its self-conceived superiority and alleged irreplaceability.
A common stance of one with inferiority complex is always to cast doubt of others and blame them for any and all misfortunes. Such a lesser mindset will render our still fledging nation a great dis-service.
Should the over-glorified rulers truely feel that they are still relevant, there is a genuine need to improve, reform and become more democratic. Truely fair and friendly political competition will benefit the People, as it will welcome new and modern ideas befitting of this modern world.
Humanity can only evolve when society becomes more civilised. However, the recent spate of high-handedness by the “Authorities” indicates a descent into authoritarianism.
PAP can hoodwink most of the people most of the time, but it cannot bluff all the people all the time! Certainly not the net-surfers.
We should ignore those idiots’ bashings as it reveals their shortcomings in running this nation. We’ve been short-changed and hookwinked by these “superior elites” and with the mercy of the “DIVINITY” our plights will soon ease with the demise of this Papies.I forsee that the wealth and reserve will very much dwindle soon as the world financial meltdown is imminent.Afterall, with our vast reserve they’re not spending very much on the common people and providence will ensure that these people will pay for their heinous crimes.
One has to look at the whole context in the whole article instead of reading it in quotes in order to understand if these ministers were indeed bashing Singaporeans or not. By just stating quotes, it can be very misleading.
Was it Einstein who said – two things in this world are infinite. the universe and human stupidity. And I am not sure of the first.
“IRRATIONAL” LHH “developing irrational fears’towards new immigrants”
The day when I live in a huge Balmoral area bungalow with a few cars and my neighbors are foreign millionaires,” I WILL BE NO LONGER IRRATIONAL TOWARDS IMMIGRANTS ”
M/s Lim the day you take buses & MRT,fear of being sick and not daring to retire because payment for HDB is still outstanding and no money in the bank because of the high cost of living than please let us know how RATIONAL can you get.