5/17/2014

Tony Tan’s presidential address in Parliament




Tony Tan said many things in Parliament in his opening address and there will be many follow up comments on what he said. He wanted the govt to do many things. What he has laid out are the bones, a broad framework and the govt would need to flesh them out with the details. That is the frightening part and I already have seen one, flashed in the media like Santa Claus in coming to town six month early. All I can see is nothing good. I will write about it subsequently in another post.

What Tony said in brief is that the Govt has screwed up big time and need to reflect on the failed policies and to rework on them. And he has laid them out, the areas that the Govt must redeem itself, to address the ills it has created in recent years. Ouch, no one sees it this way, and all were thinking that everything was fine and Tony was just reading a brief written for him and means nothing.

Another thing Tony made it very clear is that it is all about Singaporeans. In his speech, he has never mentioned a single word, the most offensive word in today’s context, about ‘locals’. Tony has made it doubly and triply clear, that it is about Singaporeans and those jokers that have been sputtering the word ‘locals’ better take heed. I hope Tony really meant what he said and the Govt takes note of this and erase the word ‘locals’ from their vocabulary and reports.

What else did Tony said? Oh, he touched on the political debate that is going on, where else but in TRE and cyberspace. He acknowledges that it was good and healthy for a constructive debate to improve the lives of Singaporeans. Destructive and crude attacks are not the right thing to do as they would distract the readers from the real issues. When people start to attack other people personally and viciously instead of addressing an issue, the debate ends there. The other party will just ignore what is being said and walk away. For a constructive debate to carry one to a fruitful ending, both sides must feel comfortable to engage. Confrontation politics is bad and must be discouraged.

Now this last sentence is a tricky one. Some opposition politicians have stood up to defend themselves. And some ruling party politicians have spoken smugly and derisively about opposition politics as if Tony was telling the opposition politicians off. Wait a minute. Is Tony addressing this confrontational politicking at the opposition? Who are the real culprits that have been indulging in confrontational politics? Who have been hitting below the belt, using all means and power to attack viciously at their opponents? Don’t look at me. Read Tony’s comments and ask yourself, are you the guilty one? Don’t always presume that it is always the other party that is at fault. Historical evidences and facts pointed to one direction, when politics were confrontational, vicious and destructive, you know who came up on top and who were the victims. Like that also cannot see, or still so thick, thinking that only other people must be at fault, and self is always an angel.

Tiok boh? Or did I read Tony wrongly?

Kopi Level - Yellow

26 comments:

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ TT via RB:

>> Destructive and crude attacks are not the right thing to do as they would distract the readers from the real issues.

Fuck the motherfucker lah. Who the fuck is or can be the judge on what is destructive or constructive? What's the problem with "crude attacks"? Got free speech or not, cunt breath?

>> Confrontation politics is bad and must be discouraged.

Fuck spider lah. Whether or not you like the TRE, it is a place where emotions and opinions are expressed under a framework of individual freedom of expression. You simply can't ask people to SHUT UP jsut because you don't like what they say, or how they say it.

Anonymous said...

"Tiok boh? Or did I read Tony wrongly?"
RB

Who care whether u read Tony wrongly or not?

Even if u were WP Teochew Ah Hia, I also don't care, let alone u.

I only care when a Sinkie opposition leader announce that his party is going to contest 100% seats next election.

Anonymous said...

I don't know whether I can trust Tony Tan.
He may be our President.
But he was also PAP before he resigned his PAP membership a few months before the Presidential elections.

So just like that?
One day he is PAP.
And the next day he is the impartial, non-partisan President?

Anonymous said...

Tony Tan addressing our parliament.
Isn't this just like the TV Forum 'CONversation with PM Lee?

Another wayang.
Where most of the audience are PAP members?

Anonymous said...

Another wayang.
Where most of the audience are PAP members?
Anon 12:18 pm

What do u expect, when Sinkies have an opposition which is not ready to be govt?

Anonymous said...

Dear Tony.
We are deaf to all criticisms.
Signed:
Limpeh Swee Say

"Background noise"
Ex-President Nathan.
Singapore's first accidental millionaire.

Anonymous said...

Dear Tony

I believe you, but what you said will always be a problem of 'tan' or 'wait' - long long one lah, even though you said it yesterday!

Your predecessor made us wait for 10 long years, what we Chinese call 'La tan' which also means wait long long or something like that lah. When the late President Ong asked for information on GIC/Temasek, they told him wait 5 years which we thought was long enough. After he left office, another decade with 'La tan', we still are in the dark about GIC/Temasek.

Now, we just wait and see, you knowing that 2016 is not far away.

Anonymous said...


Petty thieves who steal out of innocence and necessity for survival are thrown into prison. The real robbers, the grand thieves and plunnderers who legalised their takes are found mostly in high society and in poplitical circles and in parliament. Just look at how the peanut president Chiang Kai Shek and the Kuomintang in which he usurped power had created great havoc for China before they were thrown out by the Chinese patriots
When can and when will the ugly stain found in the presidency be forever removed..

Fair is Foul AND Foul is Fair
Hover through the filthy air
Hopefully you and I and society
Will not be continually ensnared.

EAGLES EYES

Anonymous said...

Don't tell us what great things he is going to do for Singaporeans... show us what he has accomplished.

Nothing to show after all this time but talk and talk?

Anonymous said...

It has been quite hard to get convinced by his address...as the current policy has been inherited from the last generation of leaders, and he was one of the core members at that time. For instance, population and infrastructure policy were not made and decided over night as that require a long term planning.

To sum up, the root of today issues is checks and balances system has not been built-up in Singapore.

Anonymous said...

His achievement was to make billions for the two SWFs under his watch.

patriot said...

Damn touched by his pious sermon. But wait, whence his Sermon last evening is used to gauge on the performances of the Rulers, their deeds never matched nor tallied with the Exhortations Tony Tan made. He himself was a Cabinet Member for decades anf je still is in it.

Should Sinkies trust what he addressed?

Btw, I share Matilah Singapura's View posted here.

patriot

patriot said...

Correction to my earlier comment.

He himself was a Cabinet Member from PAP for decades and he is still in the Regime.

patriot

Anonymous said...

Accountant General said it takes 56 man years to list out all of Singapore's reserves.
So Tony Tan.
What's the latest update?
How many more man years before you can give us a list of our reserves?

Anonymous said...

Tony Tan.
Stop acting lah!
Your President's office is non-executive ... i.e. no power. For show or wayang only.

PM Lee's PAP government is not obliged to follow your instructions.
Stop trying to con Singaporeans.

Anonymous said...

The is the end stages of the PWP when foreign and local population are no longer differentiated. The local population will be absorbed and replaced by the new citizens.

Anonymous said...

The local population will be absorbed and replaced by the new citizens.
Anon 6:23 am

Of course, and why not, since the new citizens have much more economic value for GDP growth and the local Sinkie opposition is also not ready to be govt.

Anonymous said...

Actually hor, to be honest, if I were PM Lee, I would also do the same, as long as the strongest opposition is not ready to be govt.

As a human being, it is irresistible not to do it.

And PM Lee, me or whoever are the same in that sense.

Anonymous said...

Opposition not ready to be government?
PM Lee not ready to be Prime Minister?
Tony Tan not ready to be presidential?

Did LKY leave behind a big mess for all of us?

Anonymous said...

That depends on how well they are going to integrate, if at all.

After all these years, with campaigns galore, the basic issues are still there, Jobs, overcrowing on trains, living spaces, healthcare facilities and the consequent rise in cost of homes due to increased demand from foreigners etc. Campaigns like procreation and anti-littering, to name just two, all failed to work and I guess the 'bonding with foreigners' campaign will fail just as well.

It is not a simple question of asking Sinkies to bond with foreigners, or love them, or welcome them with open arms and think that the problems are solved.

Sure, the Government can always pass new laws and make use of the law enforcement agencies to control any semblance of conflict, but the problems do not just go away, They just simmer under the surface, just like race and religion. Just look at Myanmar before and after they tried opening up. A spark will ignite the fire, when locals lose out more and more on bread and butter issues.

We are not America or Australia, where foreigners and locals can have the luxury of space and can be unseen by each other. Step out of your HDB flat and chances are one in three persons you meet are foreigners. We have no hinterland to lessen the overcrowding and housing issue and all this affects the locals when they have to compete with foreigners.

Anonymous said...

I think PAP knows that no matter how much Sinkies anger simmering under the surface,

majority Sinkies still remaining in Sinkieland are still happy and satisfied with PAP and

Sinkies will never, never protest illegally, let alone in huge numbers and with violence.

So it's OK to take in more foreigners. And given the above, whether they can integrate with Sinkies is also secondary and doesn't really matter.

Tio bo, u tell me lah?

Anonymous said...

No wonder lah, PM Lee is very zai (steady).

In fact so zai that he can even afford to make Sinkies, especially Sinkies who served NS, even more angry by saying Sinkieland belongs to all, including foreigners.

Anonymous said...

Tio!

Very the Tio!

Well said and

very the Accurate!

patriot said...

口不对心的言论没有说服力。

言论者也不会得到尊敬, 因为
那是言不由衷。

Sweet and comforting words are meaningless if they are spoken with no accompanying action. Or worse actions that flow against the Spoken Words.

patriot

patriot said...

Another way to put it is

言行不一

Actions that do not match, concord or accord with words are insincerity.

patriot

Anonymous said...

His post is like a redundant one. If he drops dead one fine day, I believe no one will ever be affected. But we want to know exactly why we need to pay millions for such a jiak liao bee post ?

Is it not created specially by first to jaga our wealth with an imaginary key but it looks as if it is more likely he is paid to cover his big mouth lest he acts like our previous beloved OTC to let out some secrets. That is why die die no other person can ever qualify for this post except for their kakiliang just like Ho Jinx.

Looks more like a scam now especially when he now talks cock for nothing ? Why continue to lie to us again & again ?