is this a good sign or bad sign? from the positive angle, mm is still hands on, still active and committed and full of energy to take on a difficult task.
from another angle, i am getting worried. are we saying that no one is capable to handle the sia unions except mm? what next if he is not around? what happens to all the highly paid super talents?
it is a worrying sign.
Frankly, I don't see any problem about him handling the SIA issue.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing to be worrying about. The only worry is who would be taking over after him.
At the moment, he's probably the only person able to stabilize the powerful entities there.
After him, I really doubt there'd be that kinda heavyweight. It's not only me seeing that, obviously. Such a critical weakness exists even via assumed renewal process because it's as if replacing rotten red apples with rotten green apples...
In a way, we can't just hope he'd be gone so soon. Anything could happen then...
exactly elfred. we don't have anyone that can do the job he is doing now. and that is frightening.
ReplyDeleteMost people who can do his job are in private enterprise.
ReplyDeleteWho in their right mind wants to work for the government?
Only neurotics and power-crazed self-loathing insecure dicks, that who!
;-)
I feel uneasy that MM is handling the SIA issue.
ReplyDeleteHe has already retired from the government and the shouldn't intervene in most matters.
By handling SIA, he gave the impression that he is still in charge at the top.
hi abao, welcome to the blog.
ReplyDeletemm's action has many implications. you are right to say that he has retired. leave it to the new leaders to fight their own battles. that's the only way to prove themselves. no matter how good mm is, he must let go. the changing of guards had taken place long ago. this is the job of the new ministers.
matilah,
one of the reasons why hsien loong took on the job is that if he doesn't, you may get an ass coming in to tell him what to do. political leadership is a unwanted necessity. if a does not want it, b or c will. hopefully the guy taking up the job is a decent guy.
unfortunately, the nature of politics is such that it will attract a very different kind of guys in peace time as against a time when the key issue is survival of a people or nation. in difficult situation people may be selfless.
under the present situation, many are just fair weather politicians and may not be around when things get tough.
Well, that's true. But I don't suppose you can train and bring in Heavy-trait just like this.
ReplyDeleteCan we train a Reddie to obtain 'MM Lee' trait? I don't suppose so.
I shan't refute certain things as yet.
But if you got a what cert, probably from the LKY School of Policies... maybe some people suppose it can be done.
Certs... It'd kill Singapore. It's killing us already.
you are right elfred.
ReplyDeletethe schools can only tell the students that this is how people do it. but they cannot replicate the situation or the personalities involved. neither can they tell you what are the resources needed to be successful.
one funny subject is to teach people to be entrepreneurs by people who have never been in business themselves, and definitely not an entrepreneur. but they claimed to know how to do it. why didn't they try to replicate it?
This is part of the stuckar attitude and mentality developed into some form of Singaporean wisdom that's so... incredibly insulting.
ReplyDeleteI attribute it to MM's slight of this problem. Things were hot, and celebrations there were... But certain things hit the extremes, including control patterns and such evolve into a horrible mutant we must face today. The first guards seem to belief that politics is merely attaining power... but winning elections from Labor fronts or BS is merely a small part of political well-being. Governance would test the party down to the last gear. And governance and political leadership ain't a bunch of systematic toys!?
It is notable that very few, if any, defence from the public in good intensity for PAP has been garnered at the grounds for recent happenings. 冰冻三尺非一日之寒.
It appears that the people have maintained a distance from the party. The phase is established. The next phase would be... unimaginable. Leaders who don't have the population's ears are shaky prospect. Population will always have leaders, and if the population is not buying from them, they are buying from somewhere else.
Sigh...
elfred,
ReplyDeletewhen the first guard or old guards went into politics, the missions then were different. there were a lot of ideas and fire. independence from colonial rule, taking charge of our own destiny, nation building etc. they were a bunch of selfless people fighting and risking their lives for the people and country. today, the difference is so glaring.
the people who deserve to be be paid in the millions are the old guards.
the other point i would want to mention about your comment is that we are adopting the american style of politiking. we tell the people the story we want them to hear and see.
just like the americans in iraq. they kept saying that the world supports them, and they are winning the war. 20 years down the road the americans, if they have not pulled out or been defeated in iraq, will still be saying the same thing.
Reddie, there is no such thing in this case and manner to put 'if'. It's every leader's role to push what is possible, and most importantly, what's not so possible.
ReplyDeleteYou should probably say 'if' President Bush is indeed a leader, he would have convinced and bla bla bla...
Look at Isarel, are their terrorists any lesser in ferocity than Osama's? US is on their side.
Terrorism... Yeah. There's no way to see politics. Nothing is definite. The right time, the right man, and people might be cheering for such an Iraq war. That's politics.