Saturday, May 21, 2011

No more blank cheques for the PAP

Tan Cheng Bock's speech
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5 comments:

Lye Khuen Way said...

What the good Doctor said decades ago still rang true. Sadly, it was only just weeks ago that the PAP leadership woke up to face the Hard Truth.
Now let us see how things will shape up. If we are lucky, Singapore can still be a place to live & play for ALL Singaporeans.
As it is, this is only true for any RICH person, regardless of nationality.

May 21, 2011 7:38 AM
Singapore's 5 Minute Investment Diary said...

Speech was given in 1985.

It's now 2011.

26 years later.
And the speech sounds as relevant today as it did 26 years ago.

Dr Tan sounds like another person who "wanted to change from within."
Sounds nice but is logically quite meaningless if you really think hard about it.


Reminds me of an old joke.

"Getting things done around here is like the mating of two elephants.
All the action takes place at a very high level.
It's done with a lot of kicking and screaming.
And it takes 22 months to produce results"

Not sure if we still have another 26 years. I doubt if many of my generation has that many years left. We'll probably have to read about it from our retirement homes in Johor.

May 21, 2011 9:21 AM
Weng Mao Fa said...

His is a talent. Why he is not make a Health Minister?

May 21, 2011 2:22 PM
Tan Choon Hong said...

Either the party was deaf to the feedback, or the grassroots self-censored to cover up their own inadequacies. I am reminded of another out-of-touch situation when Marie Antoinette, upon hearing of the peasants revolt because there was no bread, blurted: “Let them eat cake!”

May 21, 2011 9:50 PM
Singapore's 5 Minute Investment Diary said...

As voters in a democracy, WE, Singaporeans did give a blank cheque to the PAP with our votes and unquestioning trust over the last 45 years.

Singapore does not have the robust checks and balances that a mature democracy like America has.

Checks and balances like a critical free press, public demonstrations etc.

Culturally, we consider these checks & balances as "NATO - No Action, Talk Only". Inefficiencies that slow down our economy.

So the only restraint we have on political hubris is the general elections that takes place once every 5 years.

Whether PAP can reform/transform itself is really PAP's internal problem.

The national problem or question is whether Singaporeans are able to develop the cultural mind-set needed to build an enduring and effective democracy.

May 22, 2011 10:37 AM

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