4/02/2011

The best Tea Party Assessment System

The best interviewers and touted the best and most stringent assessment system since the Imperial Examination of the Chinese Dynasties, and 260 candidates later, and what did you get. Many were good and some were excellent. But some were questionable or contentious. I would tend to believe that of the 260 men and women, they must be the finest in the country. And the final 20 must be the crème ala crème. Instead of the oohs and aahs, there were immediate controversies the moment their candidacies were announced, which must be telling. It is like announcing the best football team, Pele, Banks, Beckenbaur, Rivelino, Cryuff, Maradona, Pavarotti, oops, what’s that? When the best are not accepted as the best, when there are so many disagreements and doubts and objections about the wisdom in the choices, it must say something. But never mind, betterer to be deaf frogs and scale the mountain. The top brasses from the military, the civil service and the stats boards came through smoothly without ruffling any feathers. What irks the people must be the readiness to embrace new citizens as our political leaders. The controversy of having so many foreigners among us is still a troubling issue, and this trend of new citizens of a few years to lead the country, to rule the people seems to have gone down quite badly. And given the new challenges of a modern economy when the demands of political leaders are much more daunting, to quote Chok Tong, only the best will do. Then came a 27 year old, to many still a child, to learn the rope, and the training fee is nearly $15k a month or more when the perks are included, paid by the people, the noise is quite expected. In the older days when life was simpler, when govt was simpler, chee cheong fan seller, barbers and people from all walks of life were easily accepted as MPs. After all, the voters were just as uneducated and ignorant as the candidates and the one eye Jack shines. Today, the ball game has changed. Many of the adult population are professionals in their own rights, well educated and thinking. Now we have the top brasses and top civil servants, all experienced and holding command positions as candidates and in the mix, what is being added, some ikan bilis? The concoction just does not seem right. Govt is a serious matter and not masak masak. The part time pay for an MP is huge in all measurements and only the best must be deemed worthy to be paid that kind of money from the public coffer. Don’t get me wrong, everyone coming through the stringent tea party interviews must be the best the ruling party can find. But the electorate will have their own views of what is good and what is doubtful. Say that there is a difference of opinion.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The tea served is the best,
the candidates interviewed
maybe the best.
BUT, are the INTERVIEWERS
the best OR at least 'betterer'
than the interviewees?

PATRIOT

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

A few points:



1. Ones basic humanity --and all that the abstract of 'humanity' suggests, is above, so to speak, notions of citizenship and place of original birth. i.e. one is a Human being, first and foremost -- in objective fact, before one assumes an identity of 'citizenship' or 'culture' or 'ethnicity'. We can share each others blood and organs, we breath the same air and our wide varieties of food contains the same nutrients required for everyone of us.



2. The proposition of 'only Singaporeans can represent Singaporeans' can be instantly disproved as erroneous when you consider that an understanding and respect for 'basic humanity' -- which is UNIVERSAL -- is all that is needed to make decisions which affects the lives of others.



Sure 'culture' is to be taken into account. But you can have a grasp, an intellectual understanding of 'culture' without having to 'live as that culture'.


Do you think S'pore culture is so complex it requires one to 'live there to get it'? Don't be silly. Many an expat with marginal intellect and an internet connection has posted their observation of 'Singapore culture in a nutshell' on the net.

Singapore is truly a global city – what the fuck 'cultural' differences are so important? Most people adjust to S'pore life within a few days. The claim that 'foreigners' just won't 'get it' is fatuous and shouted loudly without any proof whatsoever.


3. 'Meritocracy' only works when the latitude for individual choice is large. Afterall, meritocracy is based on the collective judgement of others – not your claim to how good you are., or how fantastic you are doing what you do.


If you make excellent chee chong fun, then the majority of your customers 'vote' with their dollars (Certificates Of Achievement) and therefore you 'beat' your competition only because your customers -- choosing freely -- acted in ways that made that happen.



4. 'Meritocracy' is provisional: just because you did a good job until now, doesn't guarantee you your place in history.

You could have improved thereby elevating your ranking.

Or even though you've improved, someone 'better' appeared on the scene and your customers directed their preferences to the competition, and you've lost your ranking -- despite your best efforts.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Apologies for the retarded spacing of paragraphs above.

Anonymous said...

They may be the best, but what is the use if they are all like the Rear Admirer cum Cyber Sheriff, who now advised Tin Pei Ling to just 'shut out the noise'. So, we are just nothing but noise to them!

WTF, if my MP were just to shut out the noise after entering Parliament, I just wonder what is he or she being elected for. Just to collect his or her allowances? Or is her job to listen to constituents and help to solve their grievances? Or are all the PAP MPs all deaf frogs?

I am beginning to think that the Rear Admirer cum Cyber Sheriff is getting pretty smug with his comments nowadsys.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Chua
Another possibility may be that PAP has difficulty attracting good people to join them.

Civil servants, Uniformed Services ... okay ... no choice ... have to attend tea party. If chosen, probably an offer they cannot refuse.

Private sector. May be big problem. That's why you have some of the candidates that you see.