1/30/2006
singapore, what's next?
Lee had anticipated more qualified Singaporeans joining opposition parties to challenge the PAP after he's gone....
Speculation abounds as to why Lee is keen to remain in control. One theory is that he first wants to see the 18-month-old leadership under Lee Hsien Loong firmly settled in.The first priority: To ensure that he gets a strong mandate.Lee's presence is assuring to the younger leaders as the PAP faces one of the strongest election challenges for decades.
Lee may be reluctant to let go for fear that if he does, the Singapore that he helped to create will slide. This partly stems from the fact that he has such a high assessment of good leadership that few people can fit in....
He sees the need to free up on Singapore so that it can become a creative world city, but the steps taken have been relatively few and small - insufficient to make a major impact.The general thinking is that as long as he remains in the government, the Lee Kuan Yew era looks set to continue, irrespective of who the prime minister is.
His mere presence in the Cabinet will tell Singaporeans they can expect no major political change within the ruling party. Everything will be played according to what is set out - at least for a few more years.
Jon Huer, a professor of sociology (University of Maryland University College Asia), said the post-Lee era is fraught with uncertainty."After Lee dies, Singaporean stability and dynamism may encounter turbulence, as Lee's larger-than-life dominance of Singapore may leave a void that no successor can fill."That means trouble. Voices demanding change may rise, and the harmony and peace among different ethnic groups that are so uniquely Singaporean may shatter.
(This article was published in The Sunday Star) by seah chiang nee.
when lee kuan yew and his bunch of innocent and inexperience young men took over singapore, there was literally a dearth of local talents that could run the country. keng swee, raja, chin chye and himself were as fresh and brash as undergrads. but they pulled it through, learning and experimenting as they went along. but the basics were right. for the people and for the nation.
today if we fear that there will be a dearth of talent, it is a bad joke. 40 years of nation building, at least 30 batches of the best brains were educated and trained overseas and have all the years to learn the ropes. if these bunch are useless brats, then singapore has failed and will be doomed. it will be the greatest failure in leadership.
there is no denying that there are many able people, very talented, that will be capable to take over the reign of singapore. their only shortcoming is that they will not run singapore the way lky ran it. they are not lky. whether that is good or bad is a matter of perception.
there will be trouble too. and trouble from having too many good brains who want to build their own empires. there will be more contest for leadership and how to run the nation. it definitely will not be a case of a dearth of talents.
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28 comments:
Hi Redbean,
Now that the CNY is over and soon Singaporeans will focus their minds on the approaching GE, it will be interesting to hear the voice of the marketplace. Will it be exactly similar to the GE of the past, I wonder? I suspect it will be. I will be an interesting point of discussion when the result are out. Looking forward to that!!
hi speed,
this election is a confirmation of a new era. hsien is fighting his first battle as a pm. and he can count on mm and sm as additional vote gatherers.
the thing is that there are so many issues waiting to be aired. many things which pap thinks are ok and well managed. i will put a post on that, what pap thinks. the earlier view on the strength and weakness of pap and opposition were my interpretation. i will try to second guess their minds and thoughts.
If MM does pass away... I sure hope we are ready and strong enough to enter the fray and balance things up.
Else things will go quite ugly.
Problematic Singapore... Wish I won't be around in Singapore by then.
What uncertainty will there be? A havoc is kinda confirmed. Will have to try stabilize the situation.
elfred,
the pap is never so confident of winning. this is the first time that so many goodies and good news will be offered.
the opposition has fumbled on their first step, by delivering a timebomb.
Winning or not in this election is merely one issue, and a small one.
The most important thing is 'How'.
MM Lee's expectation is actually confirming he sees the downfall of PAP after him. In his jargon: Professional People means victory; which is one might expect that the tide will change...
Because if you understand Mr Lee... Professionals should mostly be in PAP...!
What he could be implying is politician=professionals, and should that happens... PAP would be fundamentally weakened.
MM can't be bothered about this election... because he obviously ain't expecting PM to follow him to the grave. Me too. I can't be much bothered with this election.
On PAP's side, what I am observing is the selection of new leaders. SM Goh's call for SCC to find candidates worries me... There are two types of people in politics which worries me: Bankers, following by businessmen.
I suppose that's easily understood.
If weak MPs (and worst, weak ministers) appear again... Amitaba to PAP. :D It just the same, on how it reflects Mr Lim when Eunice is chosen. I rather someone uglier and not a queen but could be politically viable rightfully for the parliament.
This election shall determine how the turn of future will be. If there is even one political thinker onboard, PM will be more consolidated.
On the other hand, the oppositions must make it a preparatory election. Their performance will determine their potential to make it in such heavenly blessed (of many issues, and more will come in years to come) environment.
I need a platform myself. So I am also observing the opposition.
WP has expressed critical flaws...
The point is, as Soharto and Mahathir... victory today guarantees nothing tomorrow. Real political leaders, however, always prepare for victory for the long term.
Don't forget... We still have the AMK drama... :D
elfred,
you either sound so cheam or so philosophical. i am getting confused with what you are saying. but after filtering it a little i think i know what you mean. whew. you are speaking in riddles.
??? Riddles...?
Put it this way, when you wanna build a building, you may need to pound on something... call the foundation.
But when one is pounding, you'd pound harder when you have more funding, vice versa.
But when you pound, one thing is confirm, no matter how you pound, only god knows what the hell will the building look like you have intended...
Of course, only that the pounding is correct, that such will success be met. Got it?
It's the same for both parties. For those who knows construction, you'd know whether a building would stand or not after all the pounding. Both sides wanna build grand buildings, so we observe.
Easy.
Besides...
PM's main issue in this election is not just to gather vote, and MM would have minimum impact... If people hate MM, they'd hate PM. If people loves MM, they'd give PM a chance. MM is there, he is there as a discounted factor.
Simply focus on the type of elements the great enlightened leader would have their eyes on, which would also determine what sort of perception and wisdom the leader has, and what will become of Singapore.
Take note, hence.
quite strange actually. and quite amusing. fighting an election with daddy.
Frankly, I don't find it any stranger... I'd find it strange only if MM is the father and he left PM with open flank.
I sometimes envy PM of such father.
Come to think of it... I'm really a man of wrong times... which is in short: Tough luck.
You know a Wei Zhen and Fang Xuan Ling during Tang Dynasty? Even the emperess is instrumental in assisting the emperor to keep the best officers. (Otherwise, Wei Zhen would have been long gone...)
So it doesn't really matter at times. But... the only issue is, is PM really an appropriate leader... If SM Goh also brings in his doctor son, it's still whether his son will be a good leader. Otherwise, both MM and SM will end up sinister crony-makers.
Which is probably why all the more important MM could be searching for the best guards for PM. Or maybe not. :-
all parents are alike. their sons are the best. but they also have one problem. their sons will always be their sons. never grow up.
and the irony is that the more protective they are, the more problem they will create for their sons.
But when you need protection, you'd need to be protected.
The second option is to leave PM stuck. Do you want a the bull to leave the calf unguarded in a time when dangers come?
I clearly doubt so, especially when the stake is so much higher.
true elfred. the calf will always be protected.
but do you need to protect a prize young bull? shouldn't the young bull be allowed to fight and become a champion?
Reddie, the most critical part that rendered mankind's success is nurturing the young with parental care when the young is vulnerable... and help the ood but weak to strengthen within a society.
Your thinking is wrong, I have to say. Politically speaking, even Singapore claimed assistance from UN, from Isreal even, when it was weaker.
To be fair, look at my miserable self. With the right support, I could be a prominent white knight... But this is basically the mentality and attitude of my father and government which promote the other... creatures...
I don't know how hard it is to understand, but when you have the absolute power absolutely to help the vulnerable son or good, it is eventually a win-win situation. If my father has not that sort of thinking, his only righteous son would have be stronger to fend for him...
But so said, if MM is wise to fend for his son, why has he been so... funny to left the sons of Singapore to their own struggle, stucked in the can of increasing number of worms?
Doesn't he so enlightened to realise simple issues as such? Emm...
Reddie, just think over it.
elfred,
life is full of contradictions. when li kashing's son was doing very well, everyone praised him. when he fumbled, people called him an idiot.
for mm to help his son is a natural thing to do for a father. and it looks good at this point in time to do so. but whether it is good tomorrow because of this is a different thing.
personally, if hsien loong at 53, cannot stand and fight for himself, then he is in serious trouble.
have you heard of the fishbowl syndrome? looking from the outside into the fishbowl, everything is clear. when you are a fish swimming inside, many things you can't see.
Things cannot be looked in such manner... It is now quite apparent why Singapore is obviously lacking of political thinkers. I suggest you write in such argument to the MM and wait for his reply.
Age doesn't matter. You are succumbing to the problematic side of Stray Cat's immature thinking.
Reddie, you mentioned that the people is the government's responsibility somewhere here. Now, are people over 53 or under 53 not supposedly to be the issue for the government because they should be independent already...?
PM Lee at 53yo doesn't mean he doesn't need assistance. In the entire Singapore now, he has none better other than MM. Credible help is all too vital. This is also the essense of why mankind survives without much natural defenses.
As I have said, you gotta seriously think about it.
As for the matter after MM passed away... I know not for PM, but I'd be around to model his pattern to entertain you guys. :D
All in all, it boils down to a barbaric nature of thinking of Singapore.
age sometimes matter sometimes don't. familiarity can be good and also bad.
these are all very subjective things.
at 53, if hsien loong still needs help then not only he is in trouble, but singapore as well. but agree with you that help is just there and why not accept it. ok. nothing wrong with that either.
Emm... I understand you kinda rather still repulse the other side of the thought...
Let's just say, if one fine day, there is only one bloody job for you in Singapore when you are 43yo which is to operate on PM Lee. But you no surgent so must undergo training. Would you start operation independently once you finish all the textbooks and theories without any help at all?
I mean, logically speaking, who in the right mind would let you do that? :D It's always the same... Lest no choice, you go without help. Going solo=playing hero. Many things can't be gambled. So mankind hasn't, that's why we exist till today.
how many pms have the privilege of understudy for so many years?
You cannot just see things as such. It doesn't matter.
Alright, my personal opinion/observation of this PM is this: This dragon needs wings to fly.
He is not entirely stupid. But political wise, he is lacking in certain compartment. He is smart, but in order to get as established as his father in such a time... Whichever is the case, it is only more beneficial to have MM as his wings for the time being.
If he cannot use this lull time to develop his acute senses, he might end up drowned by his own pool. I have to be fair, and this is NO defence over this matter for anyone.
Even if it's not MM and PM Lee, if you were to run the country, you will need very apt lieutenants to assist you. It's always the case. Which is the case why during MM's time, Dr Tony Tan was indispensable.
I have to declare this, regretfully, I do have my reservation on this PM's 'enlightenment' level.
Just understand certain things, Reddie, and don't just think like another commoner.
hahaha, elfred.
shakespear in twelve nights made this statement. 'some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them.'
the natural leaders will swim from the very first day. some will take 10 or 20 years and will still be learning the rope.
I tell you this...
When you are the potential person for the job, you don't need to join the race. Because when the right hands come, you'd have a place.
When you are not the right hands, all the winners from the race can stop the decline. :D
It's a simple philosophy in politics. But many dynasties are killed without it. :D
sorry elfred,
i lost you on this one.
It's so simple.
Assuming you need an animal to guard the house, between a dog, a chick, and a baby, you naturally get the dog.
When a wise choice is made, it's always by a wise chooser. There is no need to compete or climb the ladder.
There is no importance in assessment of natural leaders. You know it, you'd know. Swimming from the first day or in the last day doesn't matter. Leaders come into history at various stages of lives. Lu Xun, Zhuge, Cao Zhang and Ma Chao all came into service at their tender age. Sai Shu, Jiang Zi Ya come into service when they were very old.
In one word: Luck.
In a higher fashion: Situation.
Even higher: The wisdom.
Using Zhuge Liang's case.
If Liu Bei is not stucked around Zhuge's home but somewhere in Xi Liang, no luck.
If Liu Bei is not in time of historical crisis, no situation.
If Liu Bei slight Zhuge as Cao Cao did, no wisdom.
The conclusion: Zhuge would be forever a farmer, Liu Bei will be destroyed. And my favorite literature will be just another unexciting, uninspiring waste of papers... :D
Forget Shakispear, I rather you listen to me on this. :D
tian yi nan wei.
I never go against heaven's will. I'm suffering because of its will. If I run away, maybe the suffering will cease.
My friend lucky, his father helped send him out of Singapore...
Now... how can I leave this place...? I am giving myself one shot, so must go over more.
there is no escape from life. tao bu liao.
just believe that you are here for a reason, be it a cleaner or a prince.
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