Monday, November 28, 2011

Lack Of Political Judgment

Just like Lily Neo has endeared herself to her constituents by speaking up, and actually shouted out on one occasion in parliament, for the less fortunate, veteran MP Inderjit Singh has always vocalised the unpleasant truths. That's why both have never been promoted to a higher pay grade. For Inderjit Singh, there's also the discrimination factor, "Singapore was not ready for an Indian prime minister."

Like the voice of the prophet preaching to the wilderness, Singh recited the litany of serial abuses inflicted on a hapless nation: housing, transport, immigration, etc. He nailed it when he termed "a state of denial" when the government, by obfuscation and selective use of statistics, condemned future generations to a life time of servitude by insisting that public housing is affordable. That state of denial is still in place, the supply may have been ratcheted up, but the 30 year repayment onus has not been relieved. On the "growth-at-all-costs" fetish of the master planners, Inderjit Singh revealed that "the Government expected that if the economy grew, then all Singaporeans would also benefit indirectly a over a period of time." The same premise for the subprime crisis.

First-term MP Intan Azura Mokhtar said, "Respect is necessary in treading through diverse views and beliefs, while empathy is required to show care and understanding of different backgrounds and circumstances." It would appear Inderjit Singh will never be accorded a modicum of that respect. Why else did his political master not understand the ground sentiment regarding housing and foreign talent policy and called for an election at a timing it misjudged as "sweet"? Maybe he should quit while he's still ahead - public lamentation that housing and economic growth were mishandled is not a smart career move - John the Baptist was beheaded because King Herod's wife was less forgiving.

Ugh! Not a reprise of the "Upturn The Downturn" routine!

7 comments:

  1. He speaks the truth and I hope the rest of the party members take it in good spirit. Truth always hurt but is the best medicine. Listening to debates in Parliament can be rather boring as many issues being discussed are already been decided by the party.

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  2. "Singapore was not ready for an Indian prime minister."

    Actually the hard truth is Singapore is not ready for any other Prime Minister yet for that matter as long as the father & son is around. As it seems, nobody really knows whether the fate of our PM is decided by all its citizens, 1600 cadres, a selective no of party high-level committee members or by one man alone ?

    And all it may take to become our PM is just the mere price to pay for buying all the votes of these select committee like paying with key positions in profitable GLC companies ?

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  3. A lot of chest-thumping for

    'epochal new change, new era, new PAP'..
    'no more last minute parachutist'..
    'good for singapore and the party'..
    'twitter, blog and be opinion multiplier for us..'

    blah blah blah..and of course, all that shambolic calls are just another noisier ways of pretending 'they're changing, listening better, engaging better" with the ground.

    I Gotta Feeling that singaporeans can expect more self-serving thrash & press releases coming out from our msm; more 50cts blogger paid to regurgitate and confabulate their 'efforts' and 'intentions' so that they can continue to be the 1-party-in-power-forever. You have to wonder what business does Mdm Ho Ching has to share the stage with the commies in white. She must be the only de facto non-nominated MP and non-elected MP that run the biggest casino gambling den on behalf of all singaporeans.

    Apparently, she doesnt need parachuting. She doesn't even need a seat in the parliament house to run Singapore. So much for epoch change, and sound judgment.


    '

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  4. May be she is a PAP cadre? Otherwise she would not be there.

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  5. Despite claiming that it was an Internet election not to be, they still pin blame on it for their poor performance. Is Denise Phua a Cynthia Phua in the making?

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  6. Me says the Mrs Prime Minister has her right to be at the Prime Ministers' side anywhere and anytime except in a male public toilet. She is as important as the Mrs President if not more.

    WMP Lily Neo has indeed been a very exemplary people's representative, even after her poor explanation for her gaffe, most Singaporeans appreciate her. The other lady MPs are mere echoes of their godfathers in the Hierachy Of the Cabinet. One, from my constituency of Tampines GRC, is a clear cut adulator of her superior.

    As for the Man Parliamentarians they are worse off than the Lady Parliamentarians.
    Except for a few who act like godfathers, the rest
    are behaving like interns and some appeared
    downright like eunuchs.

    Other than happy with the money they get as MPs
    and Cabinet Post; one even feels happy just by
    reading his cpf account. None has done anything
    that impressed the people more than Lily Neo, what a shame!

    patriot

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  7. /// That state of denial is still in place, the supply may have been ratcheted up, but the 30 year repayment onus has not been relieved. ///

    I think it is not just a matter of denial. In fact, it may not be denial at all. It is a deliberate strategy of making the bulk of the population indebted so that they will not be able to make political mischief. So, they cannot give the true reason, but have to obfuscate and pontificate.

    You see, those who dabble in opposition politics in Singapore are either those with loads of mullah, or those with nothing to lose. You can only be politically active if you do not have to depend on your salary.

    By pricing HDB flats just below the threshold of pain and stretching it over your entire working life span, the peasants in effect will have to spend his whole working life trying to meet mortgage payments. Therefore, he will have little time or resource left to muck around with politics. This also ties in with the government's "stake-holder" strategy - if most of your wealth is tied up in your property, you will think thrice before you cast your votes.

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