7/27/2020

Cabinet Reshuffling - Old Wine In New Bottle

The announcement of the reshuffling of the cabinet yesterday by PM Lee Hsien Loong was an anti-climax, a great disappointment.

Though several lucky individuals have strike lottery jackpots and will soon join the Multi-Millionaires Pyramid Club, on the whole the insignificant significant event did not produce any orgasm whatsoever.

Many had expected it to be a big fanfare to usher in the 4-G leadership with an Oomph, setting in motion the gears and wheels of succession, to strengthen public confidence in the future leadership of the PAP and Singapore.

Alas! It was not to be. It was just a normal cleaning up and re-arrangement of the same musical chairs, with a few new colorful smaller chairs added in and a few old chairs sent to the junk yard.

It is quite clear that there was a crisis of confidence in the 4-G leadership - a loss of trust in their competence and capabilities even by the Power Supremo himself.

It is quite clear that PM Lee Hsien Loong has intended to stay on to hold the reins "until the economy has recovered", a situation similar to what the previous PM, Mr Goh Chok Tong had responded (he had like to stay on as PM until 2007 until the economy recovered), before being elbowed out to make way for DPM Lee Hsien Loong in 2004 at that time.

GE2020 had appeared to many voters as a referendum for the acceptance or rejection of the 4-G Leadership, and in particular the leadership of the PM-Designate DPM Heng Swee Keat.

There are several key factors that run counter to the wisdom of choosing Mr Heng to lead Singapore into an unknown, uncertain and unstable future due the devastations caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The following are four of the key factors :

1. Mr Heng clearly has a speech problem in delivering speeches both in the Parliament and in public. This could be the residue of the side-effects that followed the stroke he had suffered not too long ago. For a PM to have such a problem does not enhance Singapore's image and standing internationally.

2. Mr Heng does not inspire confidence in the masses. This has been displayed by the pathetically marginal 53.41% of votes he has managed to garner in his East Coast GRC, despite running against a weaker team from the Workers' Party, led by a young woman. If not because of the predominance of the beholden new citizens mainly derived from the CECA-imported Indians residing in East Coast GRC, I think Mr Heng could have easily lost the race to Nicole Seah. In 2011, when Mr Heng first contested under the umbrella of Minister Mah Bow Tan in Tampines GRC, PAP lost 11.29% of votes, scoring only 57.22%.

3. The way Finance Minister Heng spent money in his 4-budgets Budget, dishing out more than $90 billion of hard-earned taxpayers' money so freely like water, not only left some in awe but many taxpayers in serious worries. The big chunks of that huge sum of taxpayers' money went to huge organizations like SIA and foreign banks like Citibak, but only a meagre sum has been distributed to those who are really struggling to survive in this unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic. Not only that, Heng's freebies have not bought him much popularity nor effective enough to check the free reign of the COVID-19 Pandemic, that still inflict 400 to 500 victims per day relentlessly.

4. DPM Heng does not seem to command the total and full respect and loyalty of the other PAP MPs and Ministers, including the PM himself. For example:

When asked whether the 4-G leaders had reviewed their plans about backing DPM Heng Swee Kiat, PM Lee Hsien Loong swiftly tai-chee (deflected) the question to Trade & Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing (ex-Army Chief). Mr Chan was taken aback but, after composing himself, he gave this unconvincing deflective reply:

"We are entirely focused on helping the country in overcoming the economic challenges and saving the jobs at this point of time. We have no plans to do otherwise and we have no plans, no discussions on any change in plan."

Mr Chan was implying that they are too busy to discuss the important leadership succession issue at this juncture. What Mr Chan did not reveal was that there had been a soul searching deep into the nights during the post-mortem conducted after the election. Can anyone believe that there was no discussions on the performance of the various constituencies and their respective leaderships?

Agonisingly, they could not find any soul left! All the souls are gone. So, the only choice left is for them to wait until the 'All Souls Day' to try and search for them again.

Whatever it may be, the game of musical chairs have been played once again; leadership transition has been put on hold; and daft Singaporeans have to LIVE WITH the consequences of choice, with open eyes, in the next five years suffering in silence till the bulls shit on their heads or keep whining until the cows come home.


By SSO - 26 July 2020.

PS. Posted on behalf of SSO.

14 comments:

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

When a country is spiralling down to the abyss,like the USA, all the factors that would contribute to its doom will appear. The country would be plagued with serious problems but no one would want to address it, but worse, even helped to make it worse.

Then there will be a lack of leadership brought about by having clowns in charge, like Donald Trump, or incompetent leaders that could not lead.

The USA is in this stage of development, moving towards history. The evil Empire has outlived its mandate and doomed to extinction. Its decline and fall is unstoppable with evil men and clowns in charge, when they only think of their self interest and self preservation.

Is Singapore in a similar stage of decline?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

What are the serious problems Singapore is facing?

1. Invaded by millions of foreigners of dubious backgrounds, mostly fakes and cheats.
2. Unceasing high cost of living, and spiralling upwards, unstoppable.
3. Addicted to selling properties in a small island short of land.
4. Addicted to bring in more and more foreign labour to support the unproductive economy.
5. Ever increasing cost of govt by ever increasing new appointments leading to a very expensive and bloated govt.
6. The impoverishing of the Pioneer Generations, the retirees that have no income but have to survive and pay and pay to rising cost of living.
7. The increasing joblessness of Singaporeans, the marginalising of Singaporeans.
8.
9.

Anonymous said...

The Cabinet is now filled with 37 millionaires, including 3 DPMs, not counting the mayors.

If this trend continues, it is possible to see 3 PMs, 9 DPMs, 20 senior ministers, 30 ministers etc etc and maybe 50 mayors.

This is quite like my grand father's company.

Virgo 49 said...

Jobs Security Supplementary Subsidies should NOT be also allocated to those Foreign MNCs.

Their Headquarters and Offices are in their Own Countries and they are here to make monies.

So, they should be salvage or save on their own.

Ultimately, if they had not making profits here and elsewhere, they will also retrenched or fired the workers or even close down.

The Billions should be to help the local companies that are here employing our own rather than them.

As the Opposition said about three quarters are our own SMEs that needed help to pull thru.

After Oct, the last subsidy many will have to fire their workers as the travel industries and other related tourism industries looked bleak.

Pity my favourite 707 travel agency, which most of them are running their businesses overseas and looked like only 2021 may have a headbstart in starting their businesses.

Between now and 2021 a period of nearly six months, many of them will go bust.

So, the millions or billions saved on subsidising their favourite cannot afford to fall entities like SIA and their own built white elephants airports should not run precedent over these struggling local SMEs who are the backbone of employing our local workers.

In their self interest of saving Tummy Sick and their lack of foresight of over building of the Air Terminals thinking that good times are forever and their wrong projections.

Number One in Asia with their never ending expansion of Air Terminals.

Anonymous said...

Christmas oredy ah. Santa Claus is oredy in town.

Anonymous said...

Did they give free money to PRs that are not Singaporeans but citizens of other countries?

Virgo 49 said...

PRs of Singporeans families long term residents had Sin 300.00

Cheers

KT said...

Singapore citizens are owners of this Red Dot and 61% just signed a five-years contract to the contractor (Parti Against People Ltd) on 10 Jul 2020. The 61% agreed to pay the contractor, billion$$$ tender fees to allowed them to hire the most expensive team in the world. The contract has been sealed and nothing can change until the contract expiry in 2025. Cowpeh cowboo oso no use.

Anonymous said...

Haha.....

Sin Voters like vintage wine, be it in old or new bottle.
The older the wine, the more Sinkies are accustom to them.
Cheers.

Anonymous said...

Possibly of votes being manipulated behind the scene is very high. Needs a Sherlock Holmes to get to the bottom of it.

But Daft-land does not have anybody of Sherlock Holmes calibre.

Daft-land only have cowards (kiasu and kiasi). This kind of kiasu and kiasi NS soldiers can fight war meh?

If can fight, don't need to depend on US of Ass already.

Why PAP leaders so carry Uncle Sam's and Uncle Muthusammy's balls?

LOOP said...

By continuing to grip power tightly within his bosom, PM Lee Hsien Loong:

1. Shows that he personally
does not have full confidence in the 4-G Ministers to deal successfully with the double whammy of the COVID-19
Pandemic and the serious national economic problem.

2. Thereby, as a result of this action, he undermines whatever little confidence that is left with the 4-G leadership.

3. Also undermines his own better judgement in the selection of the 4-G leadership team.

4. Most of all, he undermines his commitment, conviction and courage. Commitment to the people of Singapore. Conviction in the competency and capabilities of the "best" 4-G team that he has assembled. Courage in allowing the 4-G leadership to run the country on their own.

What he should have done is to let the 4-G run the country while he is still able to guide them from behind. Who knows how long his failing health will last as he continues to take the stress of the heavy loads?

What is he afraid of, really? His son Li Hon Yee's future?

LOOP said...

Or his wife?

patriot said...

Is Hsien Loong able to guide anyone to keep Sg in one piece ?
Be it the Current C-19 Outbreak or the Long Running Public Transport, Public Health, think of Dengue, Hepatitis, Tb and other diseases running out of control, had Hsien Loong have the Slightest ldea to handle any of them,
the Problems would have been contained.
Now,
a new unsolvable problem,
the Economic Viability and Survival is adding fuel into the Fire.
With all the Problems festering, must respect Hsien Loong for not leaving his responsibility to his 4G Leaders to deal with them.
Will
Hsien Loong be able to overcome any of the lssues at hand ?


Anonymous said...

Had PM Lee Hsien Loong been capable of solving any of the problems, he would have proven his mettle to show the World.
Who would not want to show the World of ones capability. More so if one is egoistic and vain.