~by: Ghui~
Outgoing President, S R Nathan recently said Singapore cannot have a “Presidency on the streets”(see HERE). He articulated that people would not want the office to be so transparent that the value and prestige of the position is lost.
In the face of the current political climate, it is a strange remark to make. In the wake of General and Presidential Elections, the unified cry of Singaporeans has been a demand for more accountability. Mr Nathan’s observation that Singaporeans do not want a transparent office therefore flies in the face of logic.
Gone are the days when controversial issues can simply be swept under the carpet. Now, with not just a littlel help from world-wide web, information is readily available at a tap of a finger. It therefore beggars belief that Mr Nathan seems to value ambiguity over clarity. Opaque plans and hidden agendas only breed suspicion which will, more often than not, lead to the circulation of hearsay on the internet.
With each turn of the rumour mill, the stories get more salacious and sensational. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recognised this in his National Day Rally speech and stated that it is not easy for the government to engage the internet because “itis anonymous, it is chaotic, it is unfiltered, unmoderated and so the medium lends itself to many negative views and ridiculous untruths, any number of them” (see HERE).
With a mindset like our former-President Nathan’s, is it any wonder that PM Lee feels as such? If people do not believe that they are getting the truth from their public servants, conspiracy theories are bound to be rife!
There is a simple solution to the problem of half truths and rumour mongering on the internet. The government cansimply seek to be more direct and open. It should not hide behind an impenetrableveil of murkiness. Not only should it seek to be frank in its dealings,it should also be seen to be honest. If there had been more straight talkingto begin with, the whole PA saga could have been avoided!
We are not living in medieval times where the citizens actually believe that its rulers are demigods, shrouded in mystery and wonder! With the internet, we are only too aware of their human frailties and for them to pretend otherwise would be hypocritical. It would also breed further distrust and ill will. An air of mystery surrounding the office of the President would not add any prestige to the office. In fact, it would seek to further alienate the people. Mr Nathan’s statements are therefore out of date and at best, plain ignorant.
Notwithstanding all of Mr Nathan’s past charitable works which could arguably have enhanced the prestige of the Presidency, this statement only serves to highlight the glaring need for reform of the office of the President, and to a larger extent, the entire government.
Not only are these words by Mr Nathan unreasonable, they are also damaging to our current President Dr Tony Tan. As it is, Dr Tan faces an uphill battle to prove his sincerity to a jaded electorate who are crying for blood. Rightly or wrongly, Dr Tan and Mr Nathan are seen as “buddiesfrom the same camp”. It would therefore not be difficult for a disgruntled electorate to simply assume that Mr Nathan’s remarks mirrors that of Dr Tan’s.
By uttering these last words, Mr Nathan is not doing any favours for the office of the President but only adds further fuel to a fire already burning with antagonistic doubt.
As the dust settles after the double elections in 2011, a blindingly conspicuous observation can be made. Singaporeans want more distinct answers! No more smokes and mirrors. No more perceived “wayangness”.
All public offices need to be transparent, open, responsible and accountable. To imply otherwise would be a contradiction in terms. As a first step in office, Dr Tan should publicly distance himself from Mr Nathan’s comments and seek to be as candid and as guileless as possible.
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Nathan could have done at least one good thing in his 12 years had he followed through with OTC’s quest to audit our reserves. Put 5 man on the job and the full account of our reserves would see the light of day on his 11th year. The entire nation would have him to thank for. Instead, he did nothing. He would rather the government thank him for subordinating himself to the government’s bidding.
None of what he and the government claimed to be his achievements is worthy of the salary and benefits he has been paid.
Nathan should be reminded that he alone has caused more lost to the value and prestige to the office of the president instead of the transparency espoused by the people of Singapore.
This nathan has a very evil heart. Before he left he still want to put posonious to kill we Singaporean. If he die I hope he will return his ill gotten money back. If not he will die like a dog & reincarnate as a pig.
If Nathan had served his Presidency in an honorary post, he would have been respected. So what is there to glorify of what he has done. He had been paid more than $48 million for his job plus perks. What is so great about sanctioning the drawing up of reserves that was decided by Parliament. What is there to think hard when all the hard decisions had been made for him. His President’s Council would also gave him their advise. He has only to put down his signature on paper that no one elso could. Is that a difficult job?
All this is happening is because he was with harry in the WW II Japanese police unit call kempetai as English-Japanese translators.
And 35.2% “DAFT” Singaporeans DON’T mind paying same high costs for another one in the name of TT who DIDN’T even commit to receive less WITH his HOLY Bible in his possession!!! And his wife was smiling all the way too. Didn’t their pay master confidante say these things…
1. 1956 – ON Repressing And ILLICIT Love-Making!
“Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love – it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they’re conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict.” – Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October 1956
2. 1962 – A Non-Apologetic LKY!
“If I were in authority in Singapore indefinitely without having to ask those who are governed whether they like what is being done, then I would not have the slightest doubt that I could govern much more effectively in their interests.” – Lee Kuan Yew, 1962
3. 1982 – NO Apologies as he is “EMPORER leelee”!
“I make no apologies that the PAP is the Government and the Government is the PAP.” – Lee Kuan Yew, 1982, Petir
4. 1997 – ON he CAN hurt ANY Challenger MORE!
“Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle-dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no way you can govern a Chinese society.”? 1997- LKY
5. 1997 – ON his “Right to DESTROY anyone who Differs from him”!
“If you are a troublemaker. It’s our job to politically destroy you. Put it this way. As long as JB Jeyaratnam for what he stands for – a thoroughly destructive force – we will knock him. Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac.” – Lee Kuan Yew, The Man And His Ideas, 1997
6. 2004 – ON Killing as a “Necessary Evil” for Future Economic Progress!
“If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it.” – Lee Kuan Yew endorsing the Tiananmen massacre, Straits Times, 17 August 2004
7. 2005 – ON his “fairness” for “fair fight”?
“There is nothing to prevent you from pushing your propaganda, to push your programme out either to the students or with the public at large. And if you can carry the ground, if you are right, you win. That’s democracy. We’re not preventing anybody” ~ Lee Kuan Yew, 31 January 2005
Horrendous. Can’t ppl see how violent, dictatorial and unreasonable this man is? The outgoing President sucks up to him.
Agree, absolutely.
But, Nathan’s remark may well be a Freudian Slip, inadvertently revealing the modus operandi of the PAP govt, and I am not referring to real state secrets that concerns our national security
……………………………….
sleep or no slip naaathan is PAID by taxpayers to do his job and UPHOLD his duties as Head of STATES….
so don’t come ere to make xcuses for his past deeds…
TALKING bout his past EVIL deeds..do you know he is responsible for the attorticides of his selfish lfe makin the singapooriums sufferred for 3 generations …..
let me draw a feudian nightslip………………
during his nipponese kempatai days..he make our grandparents suffered….and when he become the HEAD of ISD..he make our parents sufferred….now as former presidente..not onced butt twiced…he make you/me the present generations sufferred
so when naaaathan met his GOD, krisnah…no matter ow man fireworkin he does..it will NEVER washed his past EVIL selfish sins away…………
don’t come ere @ tell the singapoorium… i tried me BEST..butt me limbs are tied
What prestige? if the master you serve has lapdogs as judges and pit bulls as political police constantly screwing the populace. What mystique? If the master you serve is the mafia suckling at the honey pots of the country.
@iVoteahMeng
You’ve harsh words for Nathan and I totally agree with you.
“Singapore cannot have a president on the streets..” This explains why we’ve had a president who had been sitting in the well for the past 12 years! I would say his standing down is long overdue and good riddance!
Ever heard of an old saying..”It will worth nothing if the ‘trade secret’ is revealed”?
Damn4 September 2011
@iVoteahMeng
You’ve harsh words for Nathan and I totally agree with you.
“Singapore cannot have a president on the streets..”
………………
thank you..actually truthFOOLy..naaathan is indeed a X-presidente on the street NOW..
can’t he just go to joochiat bar order a guiness or 2 and pressed some vietkong’s naynays? somemore no need to take texi or bust..just his electric bicycle minus his gurkhas bodyguard..no needs to wear a fake moustache or a wig as well
The PAP has legislated and enforced many rules and regulations to achieve political expediency for many matters. That simply won’t do any longer. The PAP must respect and abide by the rules and not interpret it to its convenience.
CONGRATULATIONS CHUA FOR TELLING IT LIKE IT IS.
HOPE YOU DONT LOSE YOUR JOB.
CHUA…you have b***s of steel to speak mup. KUDOS TO YOU.
WIKI LEAKS
Chua Chin Hon, who is currently the paper’s US bureau chief, was quoted as saying that reporters have to be careful in their coverage of local news, as Singapore’s leaders will “likely come down hard” on anyone who reports negatively about the government or its leadership.
Without naming names, he also recounted how several ministers at the time “routinely call editors” to ensure that media coverage of an issue “comes out the way they want it.”
Mr.Nathan, having amassed some $15 millions over the last 12 years for doing basically nothing did not have to make those remarks. It is exactly his 12 years in that office that has caused so much discontent, dissatisfaction and his occupancy of the President’s office for 12 years had actually made any successor’s job difficult, but than not that difficult because his performance is just too easy to beat.
TT has a lot to thank Nathan for being such a lousy President that even if TT closes one eye to do the job, he would be any time better than Nathan. Thats the prestige of the president’s office, collect millions for doing nothing.
Why is Singapore having this system ? The same cannot be said about the part presidents before Nathan, they all did a wonderful job and were dearly missed. Nathan was a “disappointment” and it was amazing that PAP could allowed such president to occupy the president office for 2 whole terms and it was even more sickening to note that Nathan has the cheek to continue holding the president’s office for the 2nd term, both terms -thanks to PAP, were walk over…Singapore had lost its soul.
This article is so full of accusations and half truths that it confirms again what the majority of Singaporeans know and are appalled of , that some online sites are really run by small groups of people who while accusing of others of not purveying the truth, repeatedly under the cover of clever use language and words spew out unbalanced views, unverified statements, falsehoods and untruths to serve some hidden motives or promote some personal views. Day after day a small number of people through these onine sites repeat the same old tired mantra that the governing party of the day is dishonest, and repeating it endlessly to make it appear like they are views held by endless number of people. The majority of Singaporeans are intelligent enough to know better. Singapore currently is run by people mostly of ability, honesty and integrity but with all the frailty of a human being. Dont be fooled by these online sites which are increasingly seen as really partisan and self serving to the needs of the few. Indeed there sure is ” an enormous chasm – as wide as the Grand Canyon – with the direction of online chatter.’”
veryhardtruth
singapoor is run by men of abilities who are so good in usin the taxpayers fund to run hdb/pa ectera ectera…hidden motives? you DARED to seek? indeed majority of the singapporium are awoken..to be xcact 65%…
no which part of YOURs is till sleepin? your braincells or your dicthead? don’t be FOOLed by onlines informtions?
why don’t leekingyou sued all the onlines sites..since its brin down his integrty as a great leader in which heclaim/booast to be?
@veryhardtruth
“Don’t be fooled by by these on-line sites…”
The ugly truth is I had been fooled by the partisan MSM which only served as mouht piece for the government and white wash all the undesirable deeds by the Gang. Preferential treatment of TT’s sons, Reserves were used 27 times without knowledge of citizens, are just 2 incidents which were brought to attention of people through New Media. As much as you want to sing praises of the Elites, it’s clear that many of them are dishonest and lack integrity. The New Media is here to stay to unearth more dirt of the Elites.
Very Hard Truth, if you think online websites are such a waste of time, why do you bother to read them and comment? YOU, my friend are a contradiction in terms. Just like what ex President Nathan said!
Which politician in the right mind will advocate secrecy publicly?? The fact that he did that is a big mistake. TOC is doing us a favour by pointing it out! The government can also improve itself by reading this. SR Nathan did say this. It is a fact. So how is this dishonest?
VeryHardTruth, you are so fearful, I feel sorry for you! There is no need for you to take part in this if you are so afraid. Please just confine yourself to the ST. Do not impose your negativity on Singaporeans who actually care about what actually happens to the country and who want to have a stake in it.
Do u know who said “noises of the environment”? Do u also know who is the immediate paymaster? Do u not know the real ones are the sources of the noises of the environment? Do you realise that lower mortal’s praises are just louder noises of the environment? Finally do u know what one would normally do with unwanted and damaged household materials?
Please la, all writers, do not write on this mystery of the Pres office of Sgp. Its all superficial and hollow, nothing to demystifying at ALL. Why gice it a LEGITMACY??
It is so obvious a game, a wayang by PAP to magnify Nathans seat in order to pay $$$millions only ma.
You think TTan will not KB to MOF part of his salary?
Please la, as one can read the many many flip flops by the various PAP machinery on comments made on the EP – isnt it PAP trying to SMOKE and MISLEAD all lock stock and barrel ???
Look back – what so mystifying is the office that Yusoff Ishak sat, Ong TC sat also??? Id only that PAP made it out to be glam, critical etc.