9/06/2012

The enlightenment of Tharman



Front page ST material. Tharman says, ‘Inclusive growth needs govt hand…Market forces will only widen S’pore’s wealth gap.’ Many of his colleagues could not see this. And it is refreshing and promising to see Tharman finally came to this realization, that market forces can not be counted on to take care of the people across the board. I hope this light of wisdom will spread to his equally brilliant and well meaning peers so that they can now find the answers to serving the people at the lower end of the economic strata, to tilt in favour of those with less.

‘Singapore’s social compact cannot be left to market forces because these will only widen disparities in wealth and income.’ Tharman added. Obviously they could not see anything like this in Lim Chong Yah’s shock therapy which is exactly about tilting in favour of those with less. Maybe Tharman could impress among them that what Lim Chong Yah said made sense. Let the light of his enlightenment embraces those that are a bit duller or a bit dense, and viola, the govt will bless the people with more people centric policies.

Tharman is now convinced of goodness of a more equitable society when wide income gap is not meant to be a necessary evil. Govt intervention can close the gap and there are four components to make it happened. ‘First, an activist govt focused on social mobility and on guarding against extremes of wealth and income.’ For Tharman to raise this point means that he has some misgivings about this, that there were lapses in this area. His second point about childhood education when some had a head start is valid only partially. The head start can only get them up to O level. Pass that the intellect embedded in the child will take over and no amount of head start can do much subsequently. But it is good that every child should have an equal footing to start with. His third point is individual effort and responsibility. Today wealth is gained by many by not working but sitting on inheritance in property. The rage of property prices is killing not only enterprise but draining the resources of the ordinary Sinkies through high cost of living. The fourth point about community initiative and activism is a bit wishy washy and is like those youthful idealism.

The crux of the matter is still his enlightenment, to finally realize that market forces have to be curbed and not be the master of the people’s economic well being. It is so difficult to understand this perplexed idea but good that he now knows. Please enlighten your dull and dense colleagues and Sinkieland could be a better place for the lower half of the population.

PS. Shit, I deleted this article at the same time.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

No need to wait for Tharman and Morons-In-White to get enlightened.

Just vote Opposition.

Anonymous said...

Tharman is englightened. But not LHL.
The two have divergent views as clear and as b/w as the pandas.

Anonymous said...

All Pro Alien Politicians lead back to the old man.

Your only hope is to vote Opposition to protect yourself and your family.

Anonymous said...

Redbean,
what you did not realize that who is mastermind behind the market force and who is exactly control the force all along ?

It is none other than PAP. The market force is PAP and PAP is the market force so what difference does it make ? Isn't cheaper, better and faster workers apply to lesser mortals but not to PAP elites ?

PAP allows market force to pervade because it bring in billions to PAP, and so PAP can blame it on market force for every hike, but if PAP takes handle it, it still run as Singapore INC with profitability, kiasu, kiasi in mind, don't it ?

I still remember clearly that LTA did not give license to third-party service bus service (you can check online citizen archive) because it will bring cheaper service, and not because of quality issue. So didn't this show that the govt is controlling the market force ?

Anonymous said...

The great white hopes of the Pro Alien Party.
===========

There is always this myth.
That there is a "liberal, pro people clique within the PAP;
Who will one day emerge to make PAP a more people friendly government.

Some of the names that have been thrown up before as being pro people are;

George Yeo (What is high and what is low);
Vivian Bala (3 meals in a hawker center, food court or restaurant);


Sinkies.
Get real.
Our only hope of salvation lies with the Opposition.
Vote wisely.

patriot said...

Me am afraid that Redbean is over the cloud just because DPM Tharman sounded liked he had been enlightened by Bloggers' latest enunciations.

If DPM Tharman is seen trying to go with the flow of the Bogging Community, it is just merely trying to placate the Netizens. Whether or not he spoke with his heart shall depend on the action that follows.

Somehow, some bloggers get thrilled whenever a little lip service is given by people in power. And will later complained that words are said and things not done. Let's not be too quick to feel happy, unless words are translated to action, please be measured.

Just not too long ago, Blogger Fish was very positive about Heng Swee Kiat being appointed to start a conversation with the people initiated by the PM. A day later, he(Fish) realized that he had acted too fast.

Since we are talking about DPM Tharman, he seems to have a few who worship him. Could it be his shining head that caused people to read him superficially?

patriot

Anonymous said...

"Since we are talking about DPM Tharman, he seems to have a few who worship him. Could it be his shining head that caused people to read him superficially?"

Agree. His polished and shinning balding head can be so bright and shinning that it causes others to be blinded upon looking at it but not me because i wearing sunglass to block those harmful deceitful brightness.

Redbean, can you please wear your sunglass before you look at those disgusting shinning bald head of tharman ?

I don't have problem with others' bald head but this particular tharman's bald head seem to cause weird hallucination to some bloggers.

Anonymous said...

Cannot be left to market forces? Does that mean more regulation? What are the side effects and who bears the brunt of negative regulatory measures?

Activist bodies? Your laws are under siege, how just can it be?

At the end of the day, people in power are sitting in a pile of money. They can afford to be fickle without losing its sovereign will. Another change of leadership, the rules can also be upset. Where is the peace and assurance in all these?

Anonymous said...

Next better thinker.....

Gintai_昇泰 said...

Hopefully, his shinning pate will deflect the light of enlightenment to all his cabinet colleagues and thereby uplifting all of us lesser mortals to heavenly bliss! Langgar!

Anonymous said...

There is no....dove.

Anonymous said...

Tharman cannot change the policies from within the PAP. He should join an opposition party to contest the 2016 election if he truly believes in his new found wisdom.

Until then, what he says is just words without action and is worthless.

Anonymous said...

PAP Jokes
=========
Q: What did the MIW name his daughter?
A: Sue.

Q: Did you hear about the new sushi bar that caters exclusively to MIWs?
A: It's called, Sosumi.

Q: How can you tell when a MIW is lying?
A: His lips are moving.

Q: How many MIW jokes are there?
A: Only three. The rest are true stories.

Q: What do dinosaurs and decent MIWs have in common?
A: They're both extinct.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Anon 5:19's PAP equals market force is so profound that people often forgot that this simple truth is really the whole truth.

Even Tharman with his enlightenment and halo would not see it. Does it need a wise man to know that a wide income gap is bad? What do you people think Lim Chong Yah was saying and why does it take so long for it to sink in? Simple, very thick.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

The great thing about inequality is that those who are really good at making marketable stuff tend -- over time -- to pull away from the rest.

Anyway good luck on trying to make the world "equal". Those who are rugged individuals will still kick the hoi-polloi's asses, but at the same time create the goods and services, which everyone will benefit from, PLUS the EMPLOYMENT of human capital (i.e. jobs, motherfuckers, jobs).

This fucker has the gall to look for a scape goat, when it is the governments own policies which caused skyrocketing prices and social dislocation in the first place.

Got temerity?

Anonymous said...

I think you are being a bit generous with Tharman by terming what others would simply call common sense, "enlightenment" on his part. It's been fairly obvious to anyone in recent years that massive liberalization of the job market coupled with weak political will to intervene in the market has created an increasingly unequal society.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

The truth, I am not even generous. I am extremely generous. Actually I am so cynical about the whole shit they have dumped on the heads of the average Sinkie.

Anonymous said...

Our socio eonomic system is waiting to rip apart. It is unsustainable and will implode. Just wait.

Anonymous said...

Wiseman Tharman has no more credibility with me who respected him lots when he joined PAP,his talk is just BULLSHIT.

Anonymous said...

When dealing with govts. It is never what they say that is important. But what they do or don't do.

This is jugular.

Let's wait and see how Tharman articulates his new found realization that the old way of doing things may not actually produce a better tomorrow for most natives in Singapore.

From there. We would be able to gauge the full extent of his commitment or lack of it.

But to simply take words from a politician and just run with it, has to be very silly even under the most forgiving circumstances.

These days in the age of hype and spin when PR firms are advising politicians what words they should use to what wardrobe they should be wearing. Talk has simply become a very cheap and worthless thing.

Let us all wait and see whether Tharman comes up with anything concrete and tangible in his shift.

Darkness 2012

Anonymous said...

redbean,
I been stressing this government is pretentious dude.

Why ? How come this Tharman can also be enlightened and realized only certain obvious issues but not even some important issues. So joyfully selective as they wish and like ?

How about addressing issues :

- Gerrymandering
- creative accounting of gic/th
- voting for Pap for housing upgrading (what is cpib is doing ?)
- ISA threat on political disagreement
- Finspy server in Singapore to spy on citizens.

these are just few of the issues hihglighted.

What cock of govt is that pretending that those are not important and yet talk about national CONversation ?

What should we let them set the agenda of what to talk about and enlighten about ? We pay them millions, and not they pay us. Get that right.

Anonymous said...

stupid sheep lor

patriot said...

Me just like to remind those hopeful for one or some in the PAP Pack to work for the people by going against their PARTY AGENDA AND POLICY. There was claim that the Late President Ong Teng Chong did it at his ending moment, there was wishes that Ex-Foreign Minister General George Yeo will do it from within. I like to say all those fat hopes wete just wishful thinking.

Anyone who now wishes DPM Tharman to leave PAP to work for the people shall have to wait for the Sun to set to the East. All forgotten how he and Minister Vivien Bala were before they were PAP Members???

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

This guy receives millions of tax payer dollars as "payment" for his "services" to the cuntree and its sheeple.

"disparities in wealth and income."

Indeed.

The higher the earnings the the private sector go, the higher go the govt salaries to maintain "parity".

Ministerial salaries are pegged to the upward movement of "market forces" in the private sector.

I would say there is a HUGE, WIDE "wealth gap" between Mr T's pay and your average Singaporean.

Got cheeky?

Anonymous said...

The Man is a deity to some.
Do not play play but can pray pray.

Keep praying !