6/19/2014
Irrelevance of qualifications and skill sets in politics
There is no specific qualification or skill set needed in political office. The closest in terms of relevance would be some social science disciplines and public administration, but still inadequate as some ministries could entail and demand very specific and professional skills, eg Defence, Home Affairs, Health, Housing, Education etc etc. It would be difficult to cast a specific academic qualification for appointments like the President or the Prime Minister. The presumption that anyone as long as he is an elected politician is good enough to helm any ministry is the biggest flaw in a democratic system.
Hsien Loong is a mathematician by training and he is the PM. Chee Hian is an engineer, Tharman an economics grad, Eng Hen and Vivian are in medicine, and there are some from law, the hard sciences etc etc. In political offices, the academic or professional qualifications needed are non specific except for a few ministries when professional qualifications are very useful like law and health or defence. The common denominator actually is that nothing is relevant.
What then is the qualification or skill set needed to be a politician? In my view, other than a basic academic qualification to show that one has the ability to understand the 3 Rs, the other important attributes are the intangibles. Leadership, trust, integrity, honesty, compassion and a heart of gold, to want to look after the interest of the people are more important attributes than academic qualifications. Our obsession with super talents ended up wasting supertalents but having to pay supertalented pay for skill sets that are totally irrelevant to the jobs.
Political office is about country, nation and people and their well being. From these aspects, it is clear that super talents in the professions are not a necessary requirement and irrelevant in many cases to the appointments. It is the man and his mission and his heart that make a good political leader. Political leaders must be clear that it is all about country and people, to prosper the country and people. It is not about how good one is a doctor or lawyer or engineer or how much one is earning in the profession. It is not about self and how well they should be compensated.
So, what is the relevance in making a case for super talents to be better politicians and demanding ‘out of this world’ salaries? Where is the relationship in a super eye surgeon and a ministry like defence or the environment? Where is the relationship in a super lawyer and the education or health ministry? Broadly, the only relation is a good heart, a good mind and a mission to serve the interests of the people.
A good leader is priceless but not demanding to be paid ridiculously. His value is not in his qualifications or profession but the lifting of the quality of life of the people and the people's interests.
Kopi Level - Green
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OVERPOPULATION:
Using new immigrants to boost the economy was outdated?
Some high quality immigrants to bring Singapore ok?
S'pore is a small island with no resources, with only one of the busiest port in the world?
S'pore previously move ahead from the low base, can't depend on cheap foreign, low productivity labour forever, with rising cost of living?
Small North Europe states, how to empower its local, to produce high quality premium products through free education?
Their leaders show example don't give excuses to overpay themselves($200K), 2016 GE, see likely Singapore moving toward the multi-parties system due to the CPF locked up scheme, much more high quality opposition candidates coming forward?
Now great ideas and tough questions coming forward regularly in the internet, where policies is usually decide and push through in the parliament, like the 77 push through the highly unpopular white paper, with Singapore largest protest?
If the ruling party continue to ignore the population plead it could be out of the govt in 2016 GE, of returning the CPF as promised, and make it less complicated?
2016 is different from 2011, less uneducated older don't have internet connection voting died, a new generation of internet rapidly sharing youth is able to vote?
$200K is reasonable, admin job different from an entrepreneur jobs they got high pay because of performance, their pay is not fix for 5 years like the govt, they will be out of job if their companies lost money?
Recent high competitve Elect President, saw the EP reduced 200 over percent - $4.5million to $1 plus millions?
The ministers rarely out of job for five years in S'pore, there is not much incentives for them to perform, which need to various social problems? Overspending etc?
Singapore land is finite, how many new immigrant they can take only in a small island?
The Punggol East By Election, the new immigrant changing their voting patterns from voting the ruling party to the opposition WP, as their realized they can't take back their CPF, keep increasing new immigrants could take away and depress their jobs and the middle class new immigrants can drive up cost of living and reduce the availability of facilities?
New Singapore Party (SFP) lead by TJS formed, consisting of many high quality and caliber former civil servants, moved to the private sector, concentrate in addressing the population concern like wage gap, birth rate, quality of life and work life balance?
North Europe, with many of their best ideas came from different parties in the multi parties system parliament?
Hong Kong with overpopulation, left many out of jobs and homeless, a few hundred thousands sleeping in cages houses, oversupply cheap ?
North europe address those temp out of jobs through various incentives and free retraining and benefits?
Free tertiary education for the local instead of the foreigners?
Health benefits for the locals and old age?
Massive stimulus to raise the local birth rate? Work Life balance?
Return the CPF to targeted individual for entreprenuership and take care of the grandchildren so more can born babies?
To reduce the job competition of older workers?
RB, another good article.
For matilar, knn I was in China so for some reason can not access RB blog! Upon my return u talking nonsense again. Go write your books lar it's not as if u got nothing better to do mah.
Matilar please note
1) how to boast about sexual power when both tiny are missing
2) the art of incest
3) the guide on how to bull shits
4) how to irritate people and waste their time daily
5) learning to be thick skin and flameproof
6) how to tahan when your ass kena fucked
7) how to act as patriot when you are a traitor
8) how to act and look normal when you are actually insane
9) learning to speak when a cock is stuck in your mouth
10) how to con your sisters and daughters to continue having sex with you without reporting to the police.
11) How to develop multi tasking skill. Sharing of secret on Learning how to type on keyboard posting commentary on blog when there is a hard cock pushing in and out in matilar mouth.
12) How to cook two tiny to be delicious enough that the pigs would eat them.
13) How to brag about your intelligence when you have none and how to tahan when both mouth and ass kena screwed at the same time.
"Where is the relationship in a super eye surgeon and a ministry like defence or the environment?"
RB
A super eye, breast or what not surgeon is very well paid.
A minister is also very well paid.
Therein lies the most critical relationship between surgeon and minister.
In fact one breast surgeon even said he suffered a pay cut by becoming minister, implying that Sinkies are getting more value for money when he became a minister. Of course values are measured by $$ lah.
Just like blog popularity is also measured by kopi lui($) tio bo? Don't believe, just ask RB.
/// There is no specific qualification or skill set needed in political office. ///
Not true. One very important qualification - pedigree. Just look at the following:
1) Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un.
2) Fidel Castro, Raul Castro
3) Tun Abdul Razak, Najib Razak
4) George Herbert Walker Bush, George Walker Bush
5) Sukarno, Megawati Sukarnoputri
etc., etc., etc.
Oh, this one I overlooked. Thanks.
"His value is not in his qualifications or profession but the lifting of the quality of life of the people and the people's interests."
Redbean
Well.
Is it true that LKY has raised the quality of PAP people's life?
If true, then what is so wrong with that?
Who said anything wrong with that?
The wrongs are just beginning and whatever LKY built would be destroyed in the next couple of decades if things continue to go the way it is going.
Think and see what is going on and what is going to happen next.
/// There is no specific qualification or skill set needed in political office. ///
- there is only one thing that matters to a politician - the understanding that nothing is right or wrong, black or white, good or evil; the only thing that matters is power. With power, comes wealth, respect and even longevity. They will do whatever it takes to seize power even dancing with the devil.
Great leaders are those that not only lead by example but also walk the talk.
MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT TO DOUBLE SINGAPORE LOWEST WAGES WORKERS PAY - CLEANERS
With Singapore planning to be a advanced nation, the long term goal is to double S'pore lowest wage workers the cleaners? From $800 to $1600?
Through engaging international consultant to develop training and programs to teach cleaners how to use chemical, automation and multi tasking?
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