6/10/2014
Singapore’s changing political landscape– From ‘boh tak cheh’ to fallen talents
It is quite unbelieveable today for a barber or ‘chee cheong fan’ hawker to stand for election in a GE. That was how we started in those days. But in those days, where many were illiterate, received very low education, the lack of education of the politicians was not a measure of their intellect. Many were highly intelligent individuals though uneducated or educated only up to primary school level. And they were elected as the people’s representatives to Parliament. The people believed and trusted them to be good enough to be in the Govt.
As we progressed, more tertiary educated and professionals stepped forward to join political parties. They were the elite of the time when less than 3 per cent of each cohort of students made it to university. Tertiary graduates from the universities and polytechnics were hard to come by.
Then we progressed further, scholars were touted as the best talents for govt. Successful professionals were proclaimed as super talents. And we needed super talents to raise the quality of govt. And super talents must also be paid like super talents. And there were very high expectations from the super talents.
It did not take long before the super talent myth was deflated. We are all witness to what the super talents could do and how many became mediocre in politics though they were tops in their professions. It came so sudden, the stark reality that super talents are not really super talents when come to serving the people and working for the interests of the people. They looked like fish out of water in politics.
The grand slam came in two by elections in Hougang and Punggol East. The rest is history. Super talents are out. The people want leaders with a heart and not just exceptional academic talents. And too clever politicians may be too clever for their own good and not good for the people.
From moving away from the ‘boh tak cheh’ politicians, the people are now moving away from the super talent politicians. Just give us some good men and women. No need to be outstandingly clever in academics or making millions in their professions. Good honest and decent men and women that think first of the people are more desirable than super talents that worried more about how many more millions they should be getting for their big sacrifice. These people are too busy with their jobs, making really good money, would they have time to roll up their sleeves, to dirty their hands on minor and mundane little problems of the people?
Kopi Level - Green
The South Korean Fairy Disaster
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"The captain of the ship, Lee Joon-seok, 69, and other crew members have been arrested on negligence charges. Lee was also charged with undertaking an "excessive change of course without slowing down".
SOURCE
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/22/us-korea-ship-idUSBREA3F01Y20140422
Any lessons for Singaporeans here?
The South Korean Fairy Disaster
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Several crew members, including the captain, left the ferry as it was sinking, witnesses have said, after passengers were told to stay in their cabins. President Park Geun-hye said on Monday that instruction was tantamount to an "act of murder".
Many of the children did not question their elders, as is customary in hierarchical Korean society. They paid for their obedience with their lives.
SOURCE:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/22/us-korea-ship-idUSBREA3F01Y20140422
Any lessons for Singaporeans here?
“Once again please do not move from your current location.”
ReplyDeleteInstructions to students over the loudspeakers before the South Korean fairy sank.
http://womennewsnetwork.net/2014/04/29/south-korea-ferry-disaster-discussion/
Any lessons for Singaporeans here?
"...people are now moving away from the super talent politicians."
ReplyDeleteRB
Sure or not? In GE 2011, the motley group of Sinkie opposition parties together contested almost all seats, yet they lost more than 90% of seats contested!
And those Sinkie oppostion candidates were definitely not the supertalents per your description, as compared to those from PAP, tio bo?
So where got moving away from the supertalents from the PAP, u tell me lah?
And I am talking about GE, which is what really matters and not BE, OK?
Tiok.
ReplyDeleteIn fact the opposition which challenged Lee Hsien Loong in AMK GRC in GE 2011 is among the least of the non super talents among the opposition. And did the majority Sinkies move towards them?
Heard of Png Eng Huat and Lee Li Lian?
ReplyDeleteHeard of scholars Desmond Choo and Koh Poh Koon?
Here is an excerpt from Dr Michael Barr about the super talent son of LKY -
ReplyDeletehttp://therealsingapore.com/content/dr-michael-barr-culture-elite-governance-lee-hsien-loongs-singapore
@RB:
ReplyDelete>> Good honest and decent men and women ...[...]
If people are good, honest and decent, why would they get into politics?
The character of a politician is to appear to be good, honest and decent, but if it is necessary, they have got to change into ruthless, deceptive and evil.
>> These people are too busy with their jobs, making really good money, [...]
Unlike redbean, I don't blame these folks or attempt to "guilt trip" them into giving up their Golden Geese.
Making a good living is RESPECTED in Singapore...actually more than that it is REVERED. That is the CULTURE lah, dumbo. So if you expect people to work in govt. for small money, you are really "wishful thinking".
Anyway, I take the sg.gov anytime over the idiot Abbot govt of Aust. As 'tu lan' as Ah Loong and his cabinet make you occasionally, at least they do a decent job. Abbot & Co OTOH are a national embarrassment!
Any reason why we have so many ex armed forces folks in parliment?
ReplyDelete>>1011
ReplyDeleteAbbot is much better than AhLong. Abbot is running a big country not a petite one like AhLong. Moreover, Abbot speaks real queen english not the fake one AhLong is always spotted with. Of cos, both of them are not perfect and made mistakes as are all humans.
Anyway, super old talent LKY made several mistakes in his life and one of them is appointing his son to be the pm rather than ombudsman. He simply just sacrificed his son happiness for his own ambition. His son will be a much happier person if he is an ombudsman. Talents or not, they all made mistakes and talents made bigger mistakes than nontalents.
Any reason why a government cannot be made up of members of different strata and trade?
ReplyDeleteIn every country, the rich, poor, educated and uneducated from all trades and professions should be represented by those in the jobs.
It is claim that all citizens are equal, why should any government be only for the elites and professionals? It is reasonable to have higher educated or those with proven qualities to be cabinet ministers. Those that just represent the constituents should be just streetwise and have commonsense. No need for any highly paper or professionally qualified but are rote learners to do the Job of backbenchers. And worse if these backbencher s are bootlickers of their Superiors, namely the Ministers. And this is exactly what we have in Sin, except those from Alternative Parties.
Ah Bengs and Ah Lians got brains too.
You know?
patriot
>>all citizens are equal
ReplyDeleteunfortunately, some are more equal.
'Boh tak cheh', unschooled/ubeducated, does not mean 'boh now', brainless.
ReplyDeleteA lot of 'lao pan', successful businessmen and philosophers are self make.