The whole weight of the PAP and the Prime Minister bore down on Low Thia
Khiang in Parliament. Hsien Loong gave him a lashing in the most
‘constructive’ way after this term was made famous by Tony Tan in his
Presidential Address. Hsien Loong could not make it any more
constructive than what he did to Low Thia Khiang. This shaken Low’s
confidence for a brief moment but he recomposed himself and stood there
bravely to rebut everything Hsien Loong threw at him. He would not let
any unwarranted remarks go unanswered and he took his time to rebut
every one of them, not missing any.
Low Thia Khiang has shown his mettle expected of an opposition leader.
He was not going to buckle under the spotlight. He held his ground and
even Hsien Loong had to turn on a little smile on and off from his
lecturing posture. Mind you, you had a Cambridge trained scholar
speaking in his ‘mother tongue’ Queens English that he was most
comfortable with and with a full vocabulary of choiced words in his
finger tips. On the other side of the bench was a Chinese educated
Nantah graduate, born and bred in Teochew and Mandarin but retorting in
English, a language that was as good as alien to him. Low Thia Khiang
not only spoke well and in good grammatically correct English, he fought
back like a tiger. Imagine if the debate were to be conducted in
Mandarin, the result would be quite different even though Hsien Loong is
also a Mandarin speaker. Maybe next time Low Thia Khiang shall speak in
Mandarin when taking on Hsien Loong (or anyone in Parliament) and let
Hsien Loong have the choice to reply in English or Mandarin.
I think many who have glued to the TV to watch the drama would have
stood up and gave him a standing ovation. Despite all the handicaps,
underrepresented, 7 against 80, despite having to struggle with an alien
language, despite having only limited resources, and in the face of a
hostile and cynical dominant party whose candidates have occupied
Parliament like their familiar living room, Low Thia Khiang stood tall,
alone to face them. He did himself proud, did his party proud. And I am
sure many of the PAP MPs must be quietly admiringly the way Low
‘articulated’ his positions without any fumble.
Many who watched the debate are giving Low Thia Khiang the nod as a
worthy opposition leader in Parliament. His performance was a good
example for his MPs to emulate and must have shown them that that’s the
way to stand up against the hostile stares of intimidating opponents
without having to give an inch, like a tiger. At least that was the
impression Hsien Loong had of the WP leaders, turning into tigers and
heroes. When your worthy opponents like the mighty PAP acknowledged your
worthiness, you deserved it.
Kopi Level - Green
"Tiger", really? More like a pussy the way I see it, dodging and flip-flopping on major issues. He should just shut up if he knows what's good for himself and his party.
ReplyDeleteSad state for this batch of opposition.
Oh IB Raymond is back!
ReplyDeleteJust keep voting Opposition.
ReplyDeleteThanks to PAP's lousy policies over last 15 years, I have gone from loyal PAP supporter to swing voter to Opposition voter to anti-PAP supporter.
Absolutely right. Local Chinese educated graduate beating an English educated scholar from Cambridge in an English language debate is unusual. Kudos to Mr Low. Come to your GRC for a walkabout this weekend and we'll give you a round of applause that can be heard across Singapore ! Who says Singaporeans got no talent ? Only those with eyes fixated on foreigners think so !
ReplyDeleteNow that Mr Low's debating power is known, we'll see if $300m Bala, ex-school debater, dares to raise the town council cleaning issue in parliament again. Try and he may get out-witted, out-debated until he Chui tat Lan ! Malu-ed over national TV !
ReplyDeleteMaybe next time, CNA will not be allowed to broadcast such debates over TV. Keep it behind closed doors so any malu-ness is kept within
ReplyDeleteIf the 9 WP members all turn into tigers & Heroes in parliament, the 80 PAP MPs will be in for serious trouble ! Dumb PM is asking for trouble. Only 1 tiger cannot tame already!
ReplyDeleteLow Thia Khiang was very impressive. The Prime Minister used Queen English, but no substance. He spent much time making personal attacks than discussing national issues
ReplyDeleteThe other tigers and tigresses have yet to show their claws and fangs.
Excellent performance from Low Thia Khiang. Bravo.
Hi anon @9.48
ReplyDeleteThe CNA keeps repeating LHL's speech of right policies, for Singaporeans etc and not this face -off.
Wah piang, better repeat telecast Ms Chan Ee-Ming of CNA, the female newscaster applying her makeup prior before going on air.
The cameras man screwed up to focus the camera on her before time on for the News reading.
Wah, see how the female species applied their makeup and making funny faces on their small mirrors.
Too fast to tape it in time.
If not can keep and play in slow motion to be the Just for Gags.
Cheers
Give Low Thia Khiang a tiger. Salute to Worker Party for their good performance in Parliament in checking the PAP government.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of Low's rebut
ReplyDelete" In any case, I also noted that when the PAP has to make a policy U-turn, they call it policy shift. I don’t know whether that is a shift or it’s a flip-flop."
When others do a shift, PAP call it a flip-flop, when PAP do a shift, it is called a Shift. And the retarded pinky can even ask others to call a spade a spade.
We should call Pinky and his PAP government a RETARDED A RETARDED .
Pinky ask the WP where do they stand ? Stand what ? Why we care where they stand as long as what they do and say is for the people ?
Stand your ass, PAP .
I think its important for Pinky Loong to find out where WP stands.
ReplyDeleteSo that he also can copy and stand side by side with WP.
Because in PAP, nobody is telling Pinky where to stand.
It's command and control.
If Pinky don't know here to stand, then the rest of PAP also don't know where to stand.
Hi Five for LTK. Anyway, Pinky is noway near queen english. Pinky speech at most average. RB should watch more UK parliament debate.
ReplyDeleteDespite being a PM for so long, he lacks the charisma of a true leader. He speaks like an auntie doing her dishes and laundry at the same time. It is time for a new PM and regime after so much screw ups.
Unlike others, LTK and his party are one with character. Let's go his party during the next GE...
ReplyDeleteWhoever and however anyone kicks out the Pink Panther, he/she will goes up in history as hero/heroine. Preferably before the old man goes back to his maker.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait another day for the next general election! To overcome the democratic handicap brought about by the GRC system that resulted in only 7 elected MPs despite the opposition having won 40% of the votes, Spore citizens, young and old, working or in the army, in private or public sector, MUST support and the oppositon with at least 60% of votes, why ?
ReplyDeletebecause anything between esti 50% -55% could well result in a hang parliament, anything below 50% we would still be UNABLE to overcome the GRC hurdle, thus disproportion representation like what we see now.
opposition supporters just simply vote the oppositin candiates in all contested SMCs or GRCs and we shall see the "c" (mati) of the PAP.
DeleteNO NEED TO CRACK YOUR BRAINS AND MAKE CALCULATIONS.
Examples of constructive politics:
ReplyDelete“But we either believe in democracy or we not. If we do, then, we must say categorically, without qualification, that no restraint from the any democratic processes, other than by the ordinary law of the land, should be allowed… If you believe in democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of free speech, of free publication. Then, no law should permit those democratic processes to be set at nought.”
- Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition leader, April 27, 1955
“If it is not totalitarian to arrest a man and detain him, when you cannot charge him with any offence against any written law – if that is not what we have always cried out against in Fascist states – then what is it?… If we are to survive as a free democracy, then we must be prepared, in principle, to concede to our enemies – even those who do not subscribe to our views – as much constitutional rights as you concede yourself.”
- Opposition leader Lee Kuan Yew, Legislative Assembly Debates, Sept 21, 1955
“If we say that we believe in democracy, if we say that the fabric of a democratic society is one which allows for the free play of idea…then, in the name of all the gods, give that free play a chance to work within the constitutional framework.”
- Opposition leader Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Oct 4, 1956
“If you are a troublemaker…it’s our job to politically destroy you. Put it this way. As long as JB Jeyaretnam stands for what he stands for – a thoroughly destructive force – we will knock him. Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, The Man And His Ideas, 1997
“Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle-dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no way you can govern a Chinese society.”
- Lee Kuan Yew, The Man and His Ideas, 1997
“Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they’re conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict.”
-Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956
“…you attack only those whom your Special Branch can definitely say are communists. Then you attack those whom your Special Branch says are aiding communists. Then finally, when you have gone that far, you attack all who oppose you.”
-Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956
“These powers will not be allowed to be used against political opponents within the system who compete for the right to work the system. That is fundamental and basic or the powers will have destroyed the purpose for which they were forged.”
- Lee Kuan Yew speaking in Parliament on the Preservation of Public Security Act, a precursor to the ISA, Oct 14, 1959
Doubt Master Lee Kuan Yew dares speak liked he did in the past. He might be regretful for his bravado during his younger days. Even if he is not remorseful for talking liked a gangster, he shall be in pain to be derided for working for the Japanese Imperial Army together with his Indian Buddy, Ex-Sin President Nathan. For nearly five decades, they were respected like deities and if not, idols. Did they ever expect to be labelled derisorily near their endings?
ReplyDeleteNot only they should regret, the whole World should feel regret for them too.