GE2020: Singapore General Election - 10 July 2020

[Fcw75]

8 minutes ago, Playtime said:

I never have sympathy for him politically.. as my post history must show already. 

Unlike his dad,  who lead from tbe front,  lhl had always been perceived as absent during problems... perhaps it's a sign of trust in his ministers. 

However,  unnecessary political capital had been wasted on the allotment  or appointment of EP and AGC.. with pofma thrown in.

Oxley and the legal tussles of nephew and SIL... which genius tot it was a good idea 🙄

What kind of image is he portraying???

Together,  I think he has killed the recruitment pool for new talents joining the pap, the imaginative,  creative,  forward looking types gradually replaced with generals.. and more generals... the brand is now almost Trumpian.

They have serious renewal problems now it seems.

They must seriously consider if lhl is still the solution. 🤔

More like the problem now. 🤣

[Weez911]

9 minutes ago, Playtime said:

I never have sympathy for him politically.. as my post history must show already. 

Unlike his dad,  who lead from tbe front,  lhl had always been perceived as absent during problems... perhaps it's a sign of trust in his ministers. 

However,  unnecessary political capital had been wasted on the allotment  or appointment of EP and AGC.. with pofma thrown in.

Oxley and the legal tussles of nephew and SIL... which genius tot it was a good idea 🙄

What kind of image is he portraying???

Together,  I think he has killed the recruitment pool for new talents joining the pap, the imaginative,  creative,  forward looking types gradually replaced with generals.. and more generals... the brand is now almost Trumpian.

They have serious renewal problems now it seems.

They must seriously consider if lhl is still the solution. 🤔

Who are these "They"?

Tharman (3G), Teo CH (3G), Heng (53%), CCS (siaxuay habitual leakers)? There is absolutely no viable successor now

Though I agree with you on the rest of your post. Brilliant.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Weez911

[Volvobrick]

51 minutes ago, Victor68 said:

But he lost a big pay package, so need to appoint some CEO post to make up that pay difference soon. Director of some GLC maybe?

Like that will make his ex-colleagues who won jealous. Same pay but eng eng cheng cheng. So pay must be discounted hor! 

[Sdf4786k]

26 minutes ago, Sosaria said:

Heard this somewhere, since it's called a "pen", some seniors thought it's really a pen, and instead of stamping the X, they used it to draw an "X" ..... and wonder why the writing is so thick!!  

the spoil vote was very small number so wont make a difference in the overall results.

But its a valid point. Perhaps more education on how to use the pen would be good.

[Civic101]

58 minutes ago, Yewheng said:

Ya.. Pritam Singh should be given access to government data. Like that WP  no need to waste time keep going in parliment to ask for data. This will free up parliament time to be able to have debate on policies rather then request for data that took up airtime. 

You really think so? President OTC asked for assets information from Accountant General need 52 man-year to compile so Opposition leader may be even longer!

[Mockngbrd]

33 minutes ago, Jellandross said:

His boss say lose liao still must show face. But maybe his friends were late give him benefit of doubt.

 

Ownself fren ownself 

[1fast1]

1 hour ago, Playtime said:

 

This is fast... definitely cleared by upstairs. 

Coming months could be interesting if this indicates a genuine intent to change. 

Some ministers were defacto axed after 2011... wonder what would happen this time. 

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/stern-political-realities-call-for-shift-in-pap-governance

Helping out those without the keys to the propaganda kingdom. Note: I didn't (wouldn't) pay for mine. Free gift. 😂

OPINION

ST Editorial

Stern political realities call for shift in PAP governance

Hong Hai For The Straits Times

Overhaul idea of meritocracy, widen talent pool, relook political practices

One conclusion seems painfully clear from the setback that the People's Action Party (PAP) suffered in the recent general election. The party needs a new governance paradigm to replace Mr Lee Kuan Yew's "Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going", exemplified in his 1986 National Day Rally speech:

"We would not have made economic progress if we had not intervened on very personal matters - who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think."

The PAP no longer decides what is right. Nowhere is this more evident than in Sengkang GRC, where 60 per cent of the voters were aged 45 and below. The party fielded establishment figures, confident that the old formula of paternalistic rule with promised economic results would still work its magic. In contrast, the Workers' Party (WP) fielded young and fresh candidates who offered contention of ideas and wider personal space in people's daily lives. This resonated with the voters, and the WP won Sengkang GRC with 52.1 per cent of the votes.

In the first three decades of PAP rule, most Singaporeans were willing to put up with the benign authoritarian rule of the first-generation leaders because they were seen to be dedicated, drew modest salaries and were in touch with the ground.

But their successors have increasingly been viewed in a different light, as a self-styled "natural aristocracy" that enjoys high salaries and perpetuates the self-serving mythology that, because of their impeccable integrity, people should trust them to "ownself check ownself ".

There is a lesson to be learnt here from the natural sciences. In his path-breaking work, The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn demonstrated that over history, each body of scientific theory establishes itself as a paradigm.

For example, the ancient Roman astronomer Ptolemy viewed the Earth as the centre of the universe, with the Sun revolving around it.

Over time, this paradigm became untenable because of inconsistency with observations.

But medieval scientists stubbornly clung on to it, until the evidence was so overwhelming that the paradigm collapsed and was replaced through a "paradigm shift" with the theories of Copernicus and Newton. Centuries later, Newtonian theory itself was supplanted by Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Paradigm shifts occur also in the social sciences and in state governance. What would a new paradigm for Singapore governance look like?

Multi-racialism and secularism for political stability, freedom from corruption and assistance for the poor and the weak are likely to remain pillars. These "hard truths" are likely to endure. But the new paradigm must incorporate some stern political realities.

First, overhaul the notion of meritocracy. The PAP has traditionally looked to academic ability, work experience and emotional intelligence for leadership talent.

More importantly, in the brave new world of technological disruption and rapidly shifting international balances of power, leadership qualities must include the courage to challenge conventional wisdom and a deep strategic grasp of world affairs.

Such wisdom cannot be gained through imbibing knowledge, military training, or a career in the civil service implementing rules.

There is no reason for alternative views to be presumptively held as opposing views. In Daoist wisdom, yin and yang restrain but also support each other to maintain balance and harmony in a robust equilibrium. The ruling party and alternative parties representing different viewpoints should be seen in the same enlightened way.

It is more likely forged in intellectual contention, personal experience of adversity and failure such as in the competitive commercial world, and a culture that does not constrain the mind with "hard truths".

Second, it is inevitable that there be more talent outside the Government than within.

Such talent can be tapped only with a freer media and greater participation of thought leaders in debates on core national issues.

Such participation would be effective only if the Government has greater willingness to share information. Sharing information means that alternative viewpoints can be backed by study and analyses of up-to-date data, thereby weakening the Government's current advantage of defeating challenges to its ideas by selectively using information to which the other parties do not have ready or timely access. Civil servants would then have to be more resilient, and politicians would be less shielded by the cotton wool of superior access to information and a protective press.

Third, the new paradigm will need to recognise the wish of younger voters as well as fair-minded establishment people to limit the power of the ruling party to make constitutional changes.

In 2017, the Constitution was changed to introduce a racial criterion and a raised financial expertise requirement for presidential candidates. This was read by many in the public as a manoeuvre to ensure that a favoured candidate be elected without contest. Such apparent political expediency undermined the trust of the people that had been earned over decades of PAP rule.

Fourth, voters young and old want a level playing field in political contention. The ruling party ignores this at its peril. In its wisdom, the Government introduced the group representation constituency (GRC) to ensure minority representation in Parliament.

Twinning, or two to a GRC, could have achieved this objective, but it was decided to have three.

That was selectively expanded to a maximum of six, before being reduced this election back to a cap of five.

This has been widely perceived as tweaking the system to allow political neophytes and unelectable candidates to hitch a ride with heavyweight ministers.

It undermines the legitimacy of these candidates, some of whom are catapulted to high-paying office-holder positions shortly after election.

In the upgrading of Housing Board estates, priority was given to constituencies that voted PAP, in effect leveraging the resources of the state for partisan support of the ruling party.

The People's Association does not allow opposition MPs to be advisers to grassroots organisations, effectively cutting off elected MPs who are not from the PAP from supervising grassroots organisations in their own wards, whereas PAP MPs automatically become advisers. Even PAP losing candidates are often appointed advisers, over the elected MP. It is manifestly unfair and the practice should stop.

The list goes on. Past PAP supporters were prepared to close an eye to these inequities for a greater cause, that of national solidarity under one party flag.

Singaporeans with a history of Confucian respect for hierarchy and trust in government may have higher tolerance for authoritarianism than citizens of Western liberal democracies. But when governance practices offend their sense of justice, we are on a different turf. This is especially true of millennials and Generation Z.

Finally, the country should relinquish the notion that any party other than the ruling party (or ruling coalition) is "The Opposition".

This antiquated attitude is prevalent in Britain and most of her former colonies, with the notable exception of the United States.

There is no reason for alternative views to be presumptively held as opposing views.

In Daoist wisdom, yin and yang restrain but also support each other to maintain balance and harmony in a robust equilibrium. The ruling party and alternative parties representing different viewpoints should be seen in the same enlightened way.

• Hong Hai is an adjunct professor and a past dean of Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University, and a former PAP Member of Parliament. This essay is in part derived from his recent book, The Rule Of Culture: Corporate And State Governance In China And East Asia, published by Routledge (2020).

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 14, 2020, with the headline 'Stern political realities call for shift in PAP governance'. 

SPH Digital News / Copyright © 2020 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn. No. 198402868E. All rights reserved

[Civic101]

31 minutes ago, Weez911 said:

That's on the assumption NTUC can't pay him a salary. Can we assume he will work for free for the benefit of Singapore after he lost his 1m+ package as minister?

What do you think? OYK left NTUC to join private sector 1 or 2 years after he lost in Aljunied!

[Windwaver]

14 hours ago, Fcw75 said:

And this Min-Liang is definitely mocking him.

Don't think this guy has a good reputation anyway.

Razer products are just massively over priced products.

 

[Lethalstrike]

47 minutes ago, Playtime said:

I never have sympathy for him politically.. as my post history must show already. 

Unlike his dad,  who lead from tbe front,  lhl had always been perceived as absent during problems... perhaps it's a sign of trust in his ministers. 

However,  unnecessary political capital had been wasted on the allotment  or appointment of EP and AGC.. with pofma thrown in.

Oxley and the legal tussles of nephew and SIL... which genius tot it was a good idea 🙄

What kind of image is he portraying???

Together,  I think he has killed the recruitment pool for new talents joining the pap, the imaginative,  creative,  forward looking types gradually replaced with generals.. and more generals... the brand is now almost Trumpian.

They have serious renewal problems now it seems.

They must seriously consider if lhl is still the solution. 🤔

Never say never, LHL as "Minister Mentor" next after 4G PM.

There's too much dirty secrets for him to totally let go. 

[13177]

24 minutes ago, Civic101 said:

What do you think? OYK left NTUC to join private sector 1 or 2 years after he lost in Aljunied!

During the GE2011 Aljunied pap team, looks like only OYK come back to politics? All the rest left for good.

[mersaylee]

1 hour ago, Jellandross said:

His boss say lose liao still must show face. But maybe his friends were late give him benefit of doubt.

 

What he used to chope seats huh? 
 

sekali his “frens” fly him aeroplane after GE

[Weez911]

34 minutes ago, Turboflat4 said:

Helping out those without the keys to the propaganda kingdom. Note: I didn't (wouldn't) pay for mine. Free gift. 😂

Thanks for quoting this article bro. I really can't afford to pay $24.90/month for faeces.

[ToyotaShuttle]

1 hour ago, Weez911 said:

It doesn't make any difference. Instead of a tripartite arrangement, Singapore only has workers and govt (the union is also headed by govt) relationship. And NCM is a pap man, make no mistake about that. 

Since he has lost the election now, but pap still has to keep him happy, so this arrangement allows him to earn his keep using public money (assuming they are going to retain him as NTUC boss) while still serving as GRA? 

That's the best case scenario for pap, but bad scenario for us taxpayers. The cabinet is already very very bloated and taxpayers bear the brunt of it, as always.

Why does PAP have to keep him happy? Does he control any faction within the PAP?

Will his influence over that faction wane since he was voted out?

[Volvobrick]

41 minutes ago, Civic101 said:

What do you think? OYK left NTUC to join private sector 1 or 2 years after he lost in Aljunied!

Keppel is not private sector lah! 

[Albeniz]

1 hour ago, Jellandross said:

His boss say lose liao still must show face. But maybe his friends were late give him benefit of doubt.

 

How come he is the only person sitting at one far corner, while the rest mingle?  His old friends don't like him?

[Weez911]

47 minutes ago, Civic101 said:

What do you think? OYK left NTUC to join private sector 1 or 2 years after he lost in Aljunied!

Depends. If I can become the pm, then it is worth working for zero income for the next few terms, as my wife can be the $head$ of $Temasek$. That one is the $real$ $deal$?

Edited July 14, 2020 by Weez911

[Volvobrick]

1 hour ago, Jellandross said:

His boss say lose liao still must show face. But maybe his friends were late give him benefit of doubt.

 

Not yet 7th Month. How come his "friends" already out? I can't see cos I no have Ying Yang eyes....