9/03/2009
Landslide or freak election, Army will not move in
Catherine Lim asked LKY yesterday if he would send in the army should there be a freak election. And the answer is no. So opposition parties can feel safer now, that the army would not do the unthinkable, or no one would do the unthinkable.
LKY's reassurance was based on the serious thought that this govt had put in to design a near perfect system with the President as the last man to protect the money in the reserve. The President will be there to block any attempt to spend the reserve, as if this is the only threat to the nation should an opposition party comes to power.
The underlying assumption is that the President is infallible, a man of unquestionable integrity and will not change side and join the new govt to loot the country's coffer. I am not referring to the incumbent President. There are many Presidents that will come our way.
Should Singaporeans sleep well, that this assumption is good enough to save the country when that day comes? If Presidents are immortals or demigods, I think everything will be fine. The only problem is that scoundrels can come and pass themselves off as saints.
Maybe sending in the army is a more pragmatic option.
Wah, i think the army will definitely do a better job than the President, especially if the Prez is over eighty year old.
ReplyDeletepatriot
The Prez is over eighty that's true. But he is assisted by a Council of Presidential Advisors who are all fighting fit and rearing to go into action should the need arise.
ReplyDeleteWa! I very happy that the country's reserves are still locked from the naughty hands of those crazies running amok with our hard earned money.
i believe that the electorate of the illiterate ah pek generations are diminishing and fading away. the new electorate are mostly educated and will not vote blindly.
ReplyDeletealso, any opposition that is voted to power will be professionals with some credibility and will act responsibly.
the assumption that a bunch of crooks will be voted to power and run away with our reserves is a possibility but not a high probability. our reserves can be squandered away quite easily without the presence of a reckless govt.
ONE PUPPET PRESIDENT SIMPLY MAKES MOCKERY OF THE WHOLE GOVERNMENT OF SIN.
ReplyDeletepatriot
'...new electorate are mostly educated and will not vote blindly..'
ReplyDeleteHmmm, those illiterate ah peks must have all been voting blindly all these years.
What good is an educated electorate if they are politically uninspired?
Catherine is being mischievous, which is always great.
ReplyDeleteThe president should be given AS FEW POWERS AS POSSIBLE. What folks are forgetting is that in a republic, the power comes from the people themselves, and this is EXPRESSED through elected representatives -- i.e. MP's etc.
Therefore the presidents role is that of a figure head -- cut ribbons, make speeches, open parliament. He is Head Of State, but the state is administered by representational government.
Once you get a president with absolute powers, elected by popular vote it is a big fat mess.
In the above article, what LKY and Cat Lim are missing is that they've forgotten that THE PEOPLE GET THE GOVERNMENT THEY DESERVE. There is no escaping this truth.
I pray that the Armed Forces of Singapore are not blind and muddle headed.
ReplyDeleteThe Leaders should know how disadvantaged the Males suffer from National Service.
patriot
who says that PAP has only 2 more terms left????
ReplyDeleteThey way elections in Singapore is controlled and conducted, the opposition will need a miracle to be able to oust the PAP. I think PAP will never be displaced. If they feel insecure they will think of some other way to "fix" the opposition. Maybe more GRC, larger GRC or make GRC so expensive no opposition will be able to afford to contest.
At this point they have almost defanged the opposition completely, so no point talking about a freak election.
ReplyDelete10 years down the road it may all be walkovers, what with the exhorbitant deposits, boundaries redrawn just before an election, more constituencies created to be contested and more GRCs. They make the rules, so how can a freak election be allowed to occur.
This is another one of the old man's bag of tricks collected over the years to threaten the electorate into subservience to the PAP.
Redbean,
ReplyDeletethe army is just the last resort. Before the army, it is the police and civil defence force. Yes, army will not be moved first but police and other kangaroo-law keeping org will be activated.