Notable quote by Ong Teng Cheong

“My loyalty is first and foremost, to the people of Singapore. It has always been so, and will always remain so.” Ong Teng Cheong, First Elected President.

Time to face the crisis squarely

All the ifs and buts and maybes must be put aside. We are facing a crisis. There is no where to hide. The country is facing a crisis. The people are also facing a crisis. It is time the man himself calls for a TV conference and talk to the nation. I would expect the man to say, look people, we are in difficult times. The whole world is also in difficult times, and we are not alone. Yes, we have been hit. Some of our investments have gone sour. Here are the numbers. We have so much and we have lost so much. Period. Now we need to go forward together in this crisis. We are family. We will face this crisis head on, squarely. We will do everything we can, for the country and for the people. Let's stand united, lock arms, as one people, one nation. We shall overcome. Thank you and have a good nite sleep. It is not the end of the world.

Obama under threats

The American corporations and thieves are holding Obama at ransom. If he does not give them the billions they are asking, they will bankrupt all the big corporations. What they did not tell him is that if the CEOs are not going to be paid well, they will turn to corruption. But one thing for sure, they are threatening to jump ship and join other companies. Maybe they will come to Singapore. We are probably the only country left in this world that has the money to pay them and is happy to have them. Our headhunters are very busy these days reading their resumes.

Earn that Sir!

This is the title of an article written by Dr Tan Chek Wee in Today. He talked about people demanding to be addressed as Sir even in the community. I have borrowed this title to replace the original title of this article which was 'Dark Clouds over the Istana.' Since our independence as a nation, the office of the Presidency has never been in question or a subject of controversy. All the past Presidents from Yusof Ishak to Wee Kim Wee were well regarded in their ceremonial roles. Then came the Elected President with a more important task to guard our reserves. Other than these nothing changes. And Ong Teng Cheong was highly respected for his role and short stay at the Istana. He wanted to do his job well and took it very seriously. Today we are seeing this huge controversy over the Presidency. The Office is even paid more the the President of the US. For doing what? People are questioning almost everything about the Presidency, from pay to how it is being elected and the effectiveness of its role in guarding our reserves. Why should the highest office of the country be subject to so much cynicism? Maybe we should go back to the drawing board and start all over again. Remove all the elitist barriers and return the right to this office to every Singaporean, rich or poor. Every Singaporean must have the right to stand for election as the President of the country. It must must not be the exclusive right of a few rich and powerful. And we should borrow the American practice of allowing the President to appoint his own team of advisers once he is elected by popular vote. No elected president is allowed to take office by walkovers. Perhaps, when people see that the elected President is able to exercise indepedence by the system that brings him to office, will the controversies go away. An Elected Presdent must be elected by the people, from the people and be able to execute his duties independently. I am not saying that the current President cannot exercise his duties independently. And the public is also not saying so.

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