10/09/2008
The assumption of virtues
Can virtues be passed down or assumed by the inheritance? Can the new employees take credits for the great works of their predecessors? Whenever we discuss about the govt, often we hear comments that the govt has done a great job and we should be grateful to the govt. Who is the govt anyway? The incumbents are the govt but not the govt that brought us here today. Ok, a few of the oldies deserve all the accolades and we should not dismiss their good work. The govt is just a nomenclature, a term for a group of people running the country. And this group of people changes over time.
The fault here is that the masses tend to get mixed up with the people of the past govt and the people of the present govt and regard them as synonymous. This is far from the truth. Even if the present people in the govt assume or presume that they have done great things, the people should not accept such assumptions or presumptions at face value. Look at each and every one of them and ask what each has done that deserves greatness like their predecessors.
Greatness of the past leaders cannot be passed down or rubbed down to new leaders. They must earn their spurs. And if they have not done anything great, they should not carry that air of greatness around them. Joining the party, wearing that badge or being in the govt does not automatically entitle one to greatness.
Simply ask, what have you done?
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8 comments:
i have done and achieved nothing. zero. Ok!
it is definitely not the result of present govt. that Singapore is where she is today. The vision of our old leaders had been good for Singapore, wheter i agree or not with their politics.
Present govt we will see their result in time. However present govt is rooted in same philosophy of past eventhough time has change.
Mpov- present mem of govt are not great as the past mem. may be a few exception.Threre were very many talented old timers.
Mpov- old timer were wiser in their own time i cant say the same for present generation.
i forgot, old timer were free thinker or their education was different.
Earn their spurs? By getting in through the back door? They have not even got their ears wet. How many elections have JBJ, Chiam and Low fought, one against one, before they really earned their spurs?
Redbean;
at near sixty year old, I do not know to call myself new or old, pardon me.
The Younger Members in the Regime are been blamed very wronfully in my personal view. Most are tied to strings controlled by the First Generation Commanders, is it not?
When Singaporeans pay their obeisances to the First Generation Leaders. Who is the One(s) they have in mind? Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye, Lim Kim San, Rajaratnam, Devan Nair, Hon Sui Sen, Richard Hu, Tony Tan, Lee Hsien Loong, Goh Chok Tong, Jayakumar or any other non-minister MPs?
With the Name List above, dare I say Singaporeans below thirty year old probably can remember only a couple of them. Older Singaporeans may fare slightly better but, very few would be able to recall most. Many First and Second Cabinet Members were not all politically active, leaving most of their publicity affairs to the few most seniors(hierarchy).
And the Most Senior and Oldest Member is still calling the shots and he is the One almost all Singaporeans know. BUT, he is also the One the rest of the Cabinet have to 'listen to' or obey today in another word. What Lee Kuan Yew has made Singapore into, he(LKY) is still at it, making Singapore, with the Rest the Cabinet assisting.
As such, if the First Generation Leaders were to be credited, almost all credits go to one outstanding person. And that person by virtue of the fact that he is calling the shots now, should be accorded the credits for the Singapore of today.
How then, could we respect the First Generation Leaders without paying the same homage to the Present Leadership let by the First Man?
patriot
hi patriot,
we need to give credit to the first and second generation leaders, including the senior civil servants. they made what we are today. we can relate to the good infrastructure, the housing programme, industrialisation, armed forces, the mrt, the ports etc as their contributions.
when i look at the 3rd and 4th generation leaders, i am hard put to place things that i can atttribute to them as their great works. the only thing that they are famous for are: privatisation for profit and efficiency, raise charges and fees for better services and raise taxes and keep the people's money to help the people.
you may be able to name some of their other great works, but these are the best i can think of.
Redbean;
I may disappoint You, for I am going to attribute all the contributions of the 3rd and 4th generations to the GREAT LEADERSHIPS of the First and Second Generations Commanders.
The greatest credit I have to give the Younger Parliamentarians and old but non-minister MPs is their 'qwai qwai', obedient/subservient aptitudes(nature).
For me, all credits in the past and present only go to one and only one man, the MOST POWERFUL MAN IN SINGAPORE, MM LEE KUAN YEW. The Rest are only followers.
Ops sorry!
just to say I made the Oct10 2008 2:35 Comment.
patriot
its ok patriot.
i was trying to be more generous and included many more people in my list. but i can't really disagree with you if you want to place all the credit to one man. he did it in his own way.
even today, let's face it, he is still running the show. he arranged the sound system, insert the cd, and the best music from the best orchestra fills the room. the rest of the musicians were playing their instruments but not plug to the system. so what we here is the recorded music of a fine orchestra played by the best sound system own by one man.
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