This post explains why the PAP has lost the trust of the people.
Kindly Read. Well crafted letter on what many citizens are feeling about the present government leaders and their policies.
The present government must understand that Singaporeans of our fathers’ generation lived through a tumultuous time pre-independence. LKY dispensed bitter medicine and they accepted it. Why because our leaders went through the same hardship as them.
These were political leaders who did not come in on the merits of others. They fought in the hustings and came out tops. They worked the ground and knew the people’s sentiments and hardships. Look at how LKY punched the air when he shouted “Merdeka” in his rallies and you will know why the people followed him and the PAP.
I still remember Dr Goh Keng Swee going about in Mindef in 1973 dressed like any other civil servant. He was like one of us. Besides he loved mess games and an occasional tipple with his military officers.
I once watched E W Barker playing billiards in the SRC when I was schoolboy and saw how his friends clapped as pals of his (they were definitely not apple-polishers) when he landed a good shot. He played billiards like one of us.
I saw S Rajaratnam stand up and light his cigarette (yes you could smoke at banquets in those days) after LKY had left the banquet hall - a signal for the smokers to light up. These were people who fought in the trenches with our parents and grandparents’ generation. My generation caught them at the tail end when we hit the workforce.
LKY started the ball rolling when he emphasised placing scholars in the civil service and statutory boards. He wanted the best brains to head the various government ministries and agencies. There is nothing wrong with that but perhaps he did not realise that the road to heaven is not always filled with good intentions.
This is because graduating scholars had their careers mapped out for them and promotions came fast and easy for many. In the SAF, many did not have to go through the tough rigours like the rest of us. Although some of them were worth their weight in gold quite a few did not live up to expectations.
The standing joke was there were three classes of officers in the SAF – Farmers (non-graduates), Educated farmers (graduates) and Scholars (scholarship holders).
The sad part was many in the government only viewed scholars as the answer to right the wrongs in government organisations.
Many “Farmers” viewed ourselves as people who were necessary cogs to keep the wheels churning. In the SAF, worse was to come when we had some very mediocre Defence ministers who knew little about how to lead military organisations in a civilian capacity and who intensified the scholar progamme with great vigour.
The majority of SAF scholars were on a dual-track career and went on to head government boards and later became ministers. There is no doubt they are extremely bright. But sadly, many lacked the aptitude, EQ and spirit of our first-generation leaders, some of whom were also scholars in their own right.
They “progressed” into government leadership positions simply because they were anointed as the chosen few by some of their elders who also happen to be scholars. They did not come in by working the ground or a passion to serve but on the coattails of others.
People find it hard to stomach lectures from young untried and untested ministers who have not earned their spurs like our first-generation leaders.
Many in my generation took umbrage when despite the sentiments on the ground, through a quirk in the election process it was ordained that the only suitable President was the one that the ruling party found suitable. Many feel a political sleight of hand made the PAP favoured President a shoo-in for the post.
More hard knocks were in store when two ministers (one a relative newbie at that) started talking down to participants during the Select Committee Hearings on the government’s stand on what constituted fake news. The high-handed attitude of ministers during the hearings left a bitter taste in us as it showed an intolerance for dissenting or dissimilar views.
Senior Minister Goh flung cake in our face when he made a public statement that our Ministers should be paid more in salaries rather than less as we can’t afford to have mediocre people in government. His point of reference – people who earn more than S$1 million annually will probably not be mediocre. Which side of the moon did this man come from?
Our PM did not make matters any better when he tried his hand at being a financial advisor when with good intentions he dispensed advice on how to save your pennies at the National Day Rally..
I guess he missed the point on what the grumbles are about on the ground – the high cost of living and the fear of insufficient savings to see us through to our retirement years. The public consensus is many of our ministers with their humongous salaries cannot possibly understand the trials and tribulations of the ordinary man on the street.
The rumblings of the status of HDB public housing units also does not look like it is going to go away soon. Many who own HDB apartments are not convinced that they are true blue owners of the units unlike owners of private condominiums and apartments.
The jury is still out there on the legal entity of HDB units. The government can explain all it wants but could it be we are just arguing about semantics? After all isn’t the HDB a statutory Board who has the right to confiscate your unit if you don’t play by the rules even if it is a fully paid up unit?
Han Fook Kwang is right on the money when he asked if the ground is sour? You bet it is Fook Kwang and it is getting vinegary sour by the day. If the PAP keeps this up, it will spoil everything that the first-generation leaders have built up over more than four score and ten years ago.
By Gérard Ong
29 August 2018
Kindly Read. Well crafted letter on what many citizens are feeling about the present government leaders and their policies.
The present government must understand that Singaporeans of our fathers’ generation lived through a tumultuous time pre-independence. LKY dispensed bitter medicine and they accepted it. Why because our leaders went through the same hardship as them.
These were political leaders who did not come in on the merits of others. They fought in the hustings and came out tops. They worked the ground and knew the people’s sentiments and hardships. Look at how LKY punched the air when he shouted “Merdeka” in his rallies and you will know why the people followed him and the PAP.
I still remember Dr Goh Keng Swee going about in Mindef in 1973 dressed like any other civil servant. He was like one of us. Besides he loved mess games and an occasional tipple with his military officers.
I once watched E W Barker playing billiards in the SRC when I was schoolboy and saw how his friends clapped as pals of his (they were definitely not apple-polishers) when he landed a good shot. He played billiards like one of us.
I saw S Rajaratnam stand up and light his cigarette (yes you could smoke at banquets in those days) after LKY had left the banquet hall - a signal for the smokers to light up. These were people who fought in the trenches with our parents and grandparents’ generation. My generation caught them at the tail end when we hit the workforce.
LKY started the ball rolling when he emphasised placing scholars in the civil service and statutory boards. He wanted the best brains to head the various government ministries and agencies. There is nothing wrong with that but perhaps he did not realise that the road to heaven is not always filled with good intentions.
This is because graduating scholars had their careers mapped out for them and promotions came fast and easy for many. In the SAF, many did not have to go through the tough rigours like the rest of us. Although some of them were worth their weight in gold quite a few did not live up to expectations.
The standing joke was there were three classes of officers in the SAF – Farmers (non-graduates), Educated farmers (graduates) and Scholars (scholarship holders).
The sad part was many in the government only viewed scholars as the answer to right the wrongs in government organisations.
Many “Farmers” viewed ourselves as people who were necessary cogs to keep the wheels churning. In the SAF, worse was to come when we had some very mediocre Defence ministers who knew little about how to lead military organisations in a civilian capacity and who intensified the scholar progamme with great vigour.
The majority of SAF scholars were on a dual-track career and went on to head government boards and later became ministers. There is no doubt they are extremely bright. But sadly, many lacked the aptitude, EQ and spirit of our first-generation leaders, some of whom were also scholars in their own right.
They “progressed” into government leadership positions simply because they were anointed as the chosen few by some of their elders who also happen to be scholars. They did not come in by working the ground or a passion to serve but on the coattails of others.
People find it hard to stomach lectures from young untried and untested ministers who have not earned their spurs like our first-generation leaders.
Many in my generation took umbrage when despite the sentiments on the ground, through a quirk in the election process it was ordained that the only suitable President was the one that the ruling party found suitable. Many feel a political sleight of hand made the PAP favoured President a shoo-in for the post.
More hard knocks were in store when two ministers (one a relative newbie at that) started talking down to participants during the Select Committee Hearings on the government’s stand on what constituted fake news. The high-handed attitude of ministers during the hearings left a bitter taste in us as it showed an intolerance for dissenting or dissimilar views.
Senior Minister Goh flung cake in our face when he made a public statement that our Ministers should be paid more in salaries rather than less as we can’t afford to have mediocre people in government. His point of reference – people who earn more than S$1 million annually will probably not be mediocre. Which side of the moon did this man come from?
Our PM did not make matters any better when he tried his hand at being a financial advisor when with good intentions he dispensed advice on how to save your pennies at the National Day Rally..
I guess he missed the point on what the grumbles are about on the ground – the high cost of living and the fear of insufficient savings to see us through to our retirement years. The public consensus is many of our ministers with their humongous salaries cannot possibly understand the trials and tribulations of the ordinary man on the street.
The rumblings of the status of HDB public housing units also does not look like it is going to go away soon. Many who own HDB apartments are not convinced that they are true blue owners of the units unlike owners of private condominiums and apartments.
The jury is still out there on the legal entity of HDB units. The government can explain all it wants but could it be we are just arguing about semantics? After all isn’t the HDB a statutory Board who has the right to confiscate your unit if you don’t play by the rules even if it is a fully paid up unit?
Han Fook Kwang is right on the money when he asked if the ground is sour? You bet it is Fook Kwang and it is getting vinegary sour by the day. If the PAP keeps this up, it will spoil everything that the first-generation leaders have built up over more than four score and ten years ago.
By Gérard Ong
29 August 2018
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