Why it is fine for previous ministers not to be re-elected
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I think in order for opposition to win PAP, they have to first explain to the people why it is okay for previous ministers not to be re-elected. Unfortunately many Singaporeans have the wrong mindset that if previous ministers are not re-elect, then it would mean the end of Singapore.
For example my friend is very scared that George Yeo would not be re-elected. He said, "If George Yeo is not the foreign minister, then it will affect the existing relationship with other countries right?" This is of course a misconception:
1) Even if George Yeo is re-elected, he may not continue to the foreign minister
2) The foreign minister in other countries changes all the time. Countries continue to have good relations with one another. For example the US equivalent of foreign minister changed every time the president changed.
3) Perhaps someone else would do an even better job than George Yeo!
The same goes for other previous ministers as well. Mah Bow Tan needed not be the next Minister for National Development. Wong Kan Seng and Teo Chee Hean need not be the next DPM. Koh Boon Wan need not be the next Minister for Health. Ng Eng Hen need not be the next Education minister, etc. Even if they are re-elected they may not go back to that previous post. If you think further, perhaps you don't even want them to go back to that previous post. For example some people would think Housing and Education are pretty messed up by now, perhaps it would be better for someone else to be the minister.
Most importantly the opposition should explain to the people that the previous prime minister (i.e. Lee Hsien Loong) need not be re-elected. If he is not re-elected, someone else from PAP who is elected, will be the next prime minister. Life goes on. Decisions were not unilaterally from Lee Hsien Loong anyway, but collectively from PAP. Therefore nothing will change. For those who are really scared if the "Lee" family is not in charge, be assured that Lee Kuan Yew is still elected. He would be the "Lee" family representation that you want. Therefore it is fine for Lee Hsien Loong not to be elected. Thinking on the brighter side, perhaps this would be good opportunity for PAP to move beyond the "Lee" family era.
I think this explanation and reassurance, that previous ministers need not be re-elected, is very important. An excellent explanation and reassurance will go a long way to encourage voters to truly vote for what they want, and not vote from their misconception about the need to re-elect previous ministers.
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Talking about foreign minister, he is the middle man. He goes out and meet others ministers. And bring in biz and jobs opportunities. He is a very important man.
If he lost, who will be taking over? Maybe pap will have others to take over his position if he lost in the GE.
Anyway, another major upset if he gets boot out in the ge.
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as an army guy, dun think he can understand the torque on bolts n nuts of biz
we need a better guy to be in tat position. its much easlier to bulldoz thru wen he has the power n support
geroge soros bets on what the powerful didnt say n not wat they said
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talking abt it
seriously it's not easy to be a FM. Gotta be diplomatic even in e face of sour relationships like w/ M'sia over water.
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Originally posted by sbst275:
talking abt it
seriously it's not easy to be a FM. Gotta be diplomatic even in e face of sour relationships like w/ M'sia over water.
But when all his diplomats made disparaging remarks exposed by wikileaks, he didn't make any statement of regret to soothe anyone's offense. We are a global city of many nationalities who would be rightly offended. Neither did he take responsibility saying it's "coffeeshop talk and gossip".
And he wasn't very discreet when he said "christians are less likely to riot".
I believe he didn't handle the water issue well. There were alot of big egos involved but he never found a mutually beneficial solution like to the railway land.
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Originally posted by alize:
But he wasn't very discreet when he said "christians are less likely to riot".
I believe he didn't handle the water issue well. There were alot of big egos involved but he never found a mutually beneficial solution like to the railway land.
it's not egoBack then 50% of our water had to come from M'sia. Furthermore seriously what the British (the details) signed secured water for us, which Dr M was obviously not happy.
With that, things like railway land & CPF we can afford to put it aside.
W/o water you can't survive as well.
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you notice why we've more vegetables that's not from Malaysia these days
, rather from Thailand, ROC, Aust etcThks to Dr M, we've to look for food source elsewhere.
That's where you've to be diplomatic
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Still Malaysia did have a point that the Govt makes huge profits from the resale of water to us users. The Govt must cover distribution, storage and treatment costs but on top of the increased rate, it slaps a water conservation tariff.
I don't think Malaysia satisfies the demand or variety for our food. In any case they don't produce food cheaply anymore, Western grain has always been cheapest and most efficiently produced. The major new regional source of food is Indonesia which only recently began to open up in parallel with Indonesia's post recession economic boom. I might point out that Indonesian democracy is not perfect but the economy only took off when democracy began.
Malaysia is a vital friend, supplier and neighbour. And despite the surface differences we still have better relations with them than any regional state. George Yeo should take the same attitude he takes to further away countries to the Malaysians, then their less civic minded politicians will have less ammo to shoot us. Some of our senior leadership must also reign in their loose tongues.
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Originally posted by alize:
Still Malaysia did have a point that the Govt makes huge profits from the resale of water to us users. The Govt must cover distribution, storage and treatment costs but on top of the increased rate, it slaps a water conservation tariff.
I don't think Malaysia satisfies the demand or variety for our food. In any case they don't produce food cheaply anymore, Western grain has always been cheapest and most efficiently produced. The major new regional source of food is Indonesia which only recently began to open up in parallel with Indonesia's post recession economic boom. I might point out that Indonesian democracy is not perfect but the economy only took off when democracy began.
Malaysia is a vital friend, supplier and neighbour. And despite the surface differences we still have better relations with them than any regional state. George Yeo should take the same attitude he takes to further away countries to the Malaysians, then their less civic minded politicians will have less ammo to shoot us. Some of our senior leadership must also reign in their loose tongues.
Do you know how much they sold our treated water to them?Water conservation tarrif is a necessary evil. You would be surprised M'sian politicians are calling for them to follow us impose a tax. Because at e rate it's going, M'sia will face water shortage thks to their water usage
Our's 146L on avg, their's is 226L.
Like it or not, their politicians will continue to whack us. Dun forget they thought we're doomed from the day they kicked us out.
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If you read the Malaysian press widely, there is much waste and theft of water in Malaysia. They are also running out of water resources and need to tap new natural sources to keep up with their population growth, especially in Selangor.
Against this backdrop, it's obvious and equitable to Malaysia why they should want a higher price, or if Singapore imposes a tax, they would want a share of it.
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Originally posted by alize:
If you read the Malaysian press widely, there is much waste and theft of water in Malaysia. They are also running out of water resources and need to tap new natural sources to keep up with their population growth, especially in Selangor.
Against this backdrop, it's obvious and equitable to Malaysia why they should want a higher price, or if Singapore imposes a tax, they would want a share of it.
dun blame others for their water usage messI mean because of water tax, partly from it we learn how to use it wisely.
Furthermore we should give Dr M a National Day Award, for driving us to alternative source. We dun need to renew anymore water agreement w/ them.
Furthermore they dun manage their river and pollution, dun blame others
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If they are ministers I think they should be first to be voted out since their pay is the highest in the world yet performance is so poor since 2006.
The core of these ministries lies in the civil service and the high ranking civil servants.
Some highly paid PAP ministers voted out is nothing, the entire civil service bureaucracy is still intact.
I think if more PAP ministers are voted out, it will really shake up the system and force the PAP to improve and not take things for granted.
Come May 7, some of the PAP minsters must lose so that the PAP won't take things for granted.
Vote out the PAP on May 7.
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Wikileak tis one..
I'm just going to say tis. I know of ppl working in govt dept and at times I do write in directly in an informal matter.
Sometimes informal communication is just part n parcel of it.
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old one dun go.. new one dun come...
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The old ministers are blocking reforms that Singapore needs.
The ministers must be voted out, otherwise there won't be change in Singapore.
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Ngiam Tong Dow's interview with Susan Long from The Straits Times.
Q. What is your biggest worry about the civil service?
A. The greatest danger is we are flying on auto-pilot. What was once a great policy, we just carry on with more of the same, until reality intervenes.
Take our industrial policy. At the beginning, it was the right thing for us to attract multinationals to Singapore. For some years now, I’ve been trying to tell everybody: ‘Look, for God’s sake, grow our own timber.’
If we really want knowledge to be rooted in Singaporeans and based in Singapore, we have to support our SMEs. I’m not a supporter of SMEs just for the sake of more SMEs, but we must grow our own roots.
Creative Technology’s Sim Wong Hoo is one and Hyflux’s Olivia Lum is another but that’s too few. We have been flying on auto-pilot for too long. The MNCs have contributed a lot to Singapore but they are totally unsentimental people. The moment you’re uncompetitive, they just relocate.
Q. Why has this come about?
A. I suspect we have started to believe our own propaganda.
There is also a particular brand of Singapore elite arrogance creeping in. Some civil servants behave like they have a mandate from the emperor. We think we are little Lee Kuan Yews.
SM Lee hasearned his spurs, with his fine intellect and international standing. But even Lee Kuan Yew sometimes doesn’t behave like Lee Kuan Yew. There is also a trend of intellectualisation for its own sake, which loses a sense of the pragmatic concerns of the larger world.
The Chinese, for example, keep good archives of the Imperial examinations which used to be held at the Temple of Heaven. At the beginning, the scholars were tested on very practical subjects, such as how to control floods in their province. But over time, they were examined on the Confucian Analects and Chinese poetry composition. Hence, they became emasculated by the system, a worrying fate which could befall Singapore.
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The greatest danger is we are flying on auto-pilot.
What was once a great policy, we just carry on with more of the same, until reality intervenes.
The way things are going now, all the PAP ministers are just taking things for granted.
All of them must be voted out on May 7.
That is the only way to refresh up the ministries and force them to think and work.
If the ministers are not changed, there won't be a change in HDB high prices, there won't be change in aliens flooding Singapore, the cost of living, regressive taxes like GST will all be going up.
Old ministers will implement old ideas, old policies.
You have to bring in fresh faces to have change.
Vote for change.
Vote PAP out.
Don't buy into PAP's rubbish about ministers.
Vote all of them out on May 7.
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Originally posted by Vote PAP OUT to Save SG:
The old ministers are blocking reforms that Singapore needs.
The ministers must be voted out, otherwise there won't be change in Singapore.
more like old party are blocking the reforms that singapore needs..... -
Originally posted by I-like-flings(m):
more like old party are blocking the reforms that singapore needs.....
the change is inevitable, its only a matter of times -
Its perfectly alright for me if MBT's post is taken up by james gomez. Or csj becomes our finance minister.i am ok with it, really.
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Originally posted by alize:
But when all his diplomats made disparaging remarks exposed by wikileaks, he didn't make any statement of regret to soothe anyone's offense. We are a global city of many nationalities who would be rightly offended. Neither did he take responsibility saying it's "coffeeshop talk and gossip".
And he wasn't very discreet when he said "christians are less likely to riot".
I believe he didn't handle the water issue well. There were alot of big egos involved but he never found a mutually beneficial solution like to the railway land.
But when all his diplomats made disparaging remarks exposed by wikileaks, he didn't make any statement of regret to soothe anyone's offenseSometimes, it is better to keep quiet than explain to the public. The more he speaks , the more hatred he gets.
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I am not against nor oppose the "Vote pap out".
Supposing all 87 mps are out, who can fill in the positon from the opposition parties?
Why not say "Vote Oppositon in"?
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I do fear this election may end up with 87 elected PAP MPs althought PAP may only get 60% to 55% of the votes.
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That bring us to think whether which is ok?
87 seat to pap? or some to opp? or % drop?
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Originally posted by sbst275:
Wikileak tis one..
I'm just going to say tis. I know of ppl working in govt dept and at times I do write in directly in an informal matter.
Sometimes informal communication is just part n parcel of it.
A fat lot of good your writing does for us.
When you communicately behind scenes you avoid pride and ego, but it is completely deniable and promises unenforceable.