Yushui Village in Lijiang, Yunnan, with snow mountain backdrop and cascading waterfalls.
4/05/2011
What’s happening?
Chok Tong made an announcement that in future ministers can only serve two terms to make way for new talents. The only exception is that PMs may be allowed to stay longer. To me this is funny indeed. Many countries would want to limit the Number One executive’s term to two terms for obvious reasons. Here, uniquely Singapore, the Number One executive can go on and on while the minister’s terms are limited.
This funny thing does not stop here. When asked about Chok Tong’s remark, Kan Seng said, ‘That’s his opinion and we’ll leave it at that.’ You see how funny this latter remark is? Was Chok Tong giving a hint of the party’s position on self renewal or was he making a personal remark that has not been approved by the party? What was Kan Seng trying to say, or what was Chok Tong trying to say?
It means Goh Chok Tong wants Wong Kan Seng to step down.. but Wong Kan Seng doesn't want to step down :)
ReplyDeleteNothing much is happening.
ReplyDeleteIt means shorty doesn't like what the tall guy is saying.
They are opposites of each other.
Hmmmmm..........interesting exchange.
Hehe.
Don't waste your time trying to decipher the ramblings of two village idiots having a difference in opinion.
ReplyDeleteGCT soon will get military support via former COA....WKS lost his home affair...so who's more powerful...joking lah
ReplyDeleteMore PAP MPs can therefore qualify to receive million dollar salaries.
ReplyDeleteBut, Char Tau looks big and talk big only. He is impotent and powerless, just posturing. Wong Kan Seng and Mah Bow Tan outranked him by a mile.
Maybe, just at the right time.
ReplyDeleteIf he said that and with the grandmaster still insisting on staying on, Char Tau will become charcoal.
Don't bother, it's only a joke. Like the joke about Swiss standard of living, 2010 World Cup qualification, a second team of so called PAP opposition MPS, etc. That guy doesn't know what he says, that's scarry and sad (for S'poreans) for somebody who's paid $3mil a year.
ReplyDeleteOver the years they have repeatedly been telling us that they could not find enough talents to groom as ministers. A very rare specie. Therefore they have to pay sky high salaries to attract talented people to join the Government.
ReplyDeleteNow, it seems they have so much talents in waiting, they must limit ministers to two terms.
If that is so, does this mean that they no longer need to pay sky high salaries to attract talents, since ministerial talents are so plentiful. Therefore, by logic, ministers should not be paid so much.
I know. Wait long long or Tunggu lama lama or Tang ku ku. How do the Indians say to that?
Maybe he thinks he is still calling the shot. Maybe he is no longer calling the shot.
ReplyDeleteAnother own goal, scored by Wong Kan Seng.
ReplyDeleteThere are basic flaws in both the governance and the political system of Singapore. They need to be addressed and corrected if Singapore is to survive as a national independent entity. The fate of Singapore should never be dictated by just one man as the case has been for the last many decades.Important decisions must be approved by the people through a referendum. Take for example the presidency. If he is only a titular head then he should assume the presidency without incurring financial burden to the state. A titular president can be represented by any respectable prominent citizen who is financially independent and be paid only an honourarium for the honourable position. However if the presidency has executive power and is paid a handsome renumeration then no qualifying limits should be set on any person worth his salt who thinks fit of standing for the elected post. Let the electorate decide on the candidate. An elected president should not be a puppet pulled by the strings of a puppeteer.
ReplyDeleteAll ministers including the prime minister and members of parliament should not hold office for more than two five year terms. Renumerations drawn by the ministers should be comparable to that of other countries in Asia or granted to Europe and America and not to that of prominent and successful businessmen or CEOs of banks or lawyers, doctors or accountants.
Important decisions affecting the state should be approved by the people through a referendum. No minister should be allowed to have the audacity to invite a foreign super power to interfere in political issues or disputes among other Asian countries.
GRCs should be scraped and dumped into the dustbin forever. GRCs is a form of cheatocracy when the ruling party keeps on changing the electoral boundaries to its own advantage and where many mediocre candidates enter parliament by the backdoor in a dishonourable manner.
GRC was meant to bring in minority representatives into Parliament. Now it is also used to bring in little girls and defeated politicians into Parliament.
ReplyDeleteMe think SM will not be in the lineup for the GE. Also no chance to be MM.
ReplyDeleteNo other country on Earth has this laughable exercise of "nurturing" future "leaders" by getting them into parliament in prams, sucking their teats.
ReplyDeleteAs someone suggested in the ST forum, put them in single wards and let's see if they have the mettle to fight it out like true politicians getting elected and not giving well worn cliche speeches telling us how they are going to do big things for us when they can't even take care of themselves.
We certainly ain't no teat sucking babies in prams.
Hehe.
Abusing the GRC system. The system can be used to sneak a chicken or a duck into parliament.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewally:
ReplyDelete> No other country on Earth has this laughable exercise of "nurturing" future "leaders" by getting them into parliament in prams, sucking their teats. <
That only occurs in tribes and monarchies. In both, future leaders are 'groomed' from birth.
Singapore's adherence to some odd aspects of Confucian ideology is fucking funny.
It's funny to you but to the beneficiaries it is luxury for life man. They will set up an altar for Confucius for the confusion and for their own wellbeings if they don't mind the silly buggers knowing what is happening.
ReplyDeleteRank has its priviledges. Doesn't matter how that rank was attained.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, the average person won't turn down a life of luxury either. Power tends to corrupt even the most 'moral' of people.
Human nature.
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them. - Malvolio in Twelve Night.
ReplyDeleteThe bard is brilliant.
That's right: there is no such thing as 'equality' or 'fairness' in nature.
ReplyDelete'Equality' and 'fairness' are ideas which can only be FORCED onto people, and the only agency capable of doing that is The State -- better still, a religious state -- more fun because religious states tend to deal with dissent by torture or execution.
The leading leader in the cabinet belittles American governance as naive and stupid for paying US civil servants a dime too low compare to the counter parts in the business world. He laments for and pities the American judges and civil servants and at the same time insinuates that the smart ones go to Wall Street and become stock brokers and bankers. However he missed the facts that at least the American civil service remains intact for scores of decades and continues to attract decent honourable men who earn a decent living doing a decent job; whereas Wall Street though it attracts the best from the top universities like Harvard, Princeton , Yale and New York, these top rate personalities in Wall Street like bankers, stock brokers and the like in other businesses are nothing but high end or top notch crooks and scoundrels who cheat and swindle and cause the world's economic and financial crisis though they continue to enrich themselves with countless hundreds of billions of dollars.
ReplyDeleteHe belittles US presidents who are paid many times lower than Singapore ministers for having to earn their millions in giving talks and lectures after retirement. At least these retired US presidents or ministers earn their honest upkeep unlike the Singapore counterparts who are placed as influential and soliciting directors or chairman in big companies or corporations.
In American History, there was never king or emperor. In Asia, emperors, kings, czars, marshals and agongs were and are the norms.
ReplyDeleteThough many in Asia and South East Asia claim to be Democracies, they are perverted ones.
patriot
Singapore is a cheatocracy under a dictatocrfacy. More honest Singaporeans of a high caliber type should step in to save our belove island state.
ReplyDeleteHey, buddy!
Let me tell you truly
I realized lately
That I also dislike PAP
It is really a Perfectly Arrogant Party
They have turned our country
Into their company
Everything is about money
COE, COV, GST, ERP
Extraordinary charges aplenty
A tiny dot with 30 ministers drawing the world's highest political salary
Paid millions of dollars annually
Yet they are still greedy
Always chasing after GDP
Making S’poreans live miserably
People say, S’poreans are lucky
For our country is corruption free
But when it is ruled by only one party
Can we really trust there is total honesty?
Remember, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”
Kiasu and kiasi, PAP came up with the GRC
So that more MIW can enter by the back door to become MP.
Mistakes after mistakes due to incompetency and complacency
Yet there is no accountability
All because they need not answer to anybody
Only a small country but foreigners there are so many
Government welcomes any Tom, Dick or Harry
And proudly call all of them FT
Giving away PR papers so freely
Hoping they will become citizens and vote for the PAP
Companies happily tell S’poreans to accept low salary
For they have cheap foreigners available readily
FT also took away S’poreans places in the universities
Even in sports we are represented by FT
To win glory for our country shamelessly
Exploiting the government stupidity
Many foreigners become PR just to buy flats by HDB
Resale flats have sky-rocketed due to pro-foreigners policy
So high is the value of COV
That young ordinary S’poreans have delayed starting up a family
S’pore uniquely
A paradise it will be
If you have ‘guan xi’ with the PAP
Never mind you and me or how many are unhappy
Someone already told us we can always go and die in JB.
Very sadly, this is no longer my once beloved country
It is now no more than just a money making company
anon 429
ReplyDeleteFinally something creative, intelligent and humorous.
Put some groove to it, rap your piece and post on youtube.
Post the link here so the old fellas can enjoy it.
If you haven't already, look up the works of people like Walter Whitman and Allen Ginsberg and check out their 'activist' poetry.