The GE aftermath - Cabinet shake out

Hsien Loong gave his cabinet a big shake out and ended up with a new wardrobe. Two were rejected earlier in the GE, two were out of fashion and retired, two museum pieces were removed, and three unpopular pieces were thrown out. In came two of the latest fashionwear while the whole wardrobe was rearranged with mix and match. The people must be eagerly waiting to see what new clothes would Hsien Loong wear, and hopefully not the same proverbial emperor’s new clothes again. With the superannuation of three of the most controversial ministers, and the big shuffle, Hsien Loong has cleared up everything and preparing a new recipe. The old mindset, the old clever ways and the old sacred cows are expected to be slaughtered. The new men in charge have no need to defend them and not having to answer for them. Can the people really hope for a new and radical change? For a start, no more $8 heart by pass. On the other hand, maybe $8 for a 5 rm flat. If the former is possible, the later should be easy. From all the signals flying around, the great housing success stories are history. The people can expect the whole ministry to be turned upside down, with the past glories turning to past follies. With a new man in Health, would the policies of having world class hospitals be toned down when there are not enough world class patients to pay the world class bills? There is no doubt that the public hospitals are world class and a pride of the nation. Unfortunately many patients would be made bankrupt if they are admitted for a major illness or have to stay in a few days longer. The minister must be reminded of the saying, ‘better die than be sick.’ Transportation is likely to be relooked at. This is a major infrastructure issue that cannot be transformed overnight. It would take longer than 3 to 4 years of building a public flat to restructure the transportation system. But the ineffective use of hiking ERP charges and parking fees that would not change anything may not be applied so regularly as in the past. The immediate issue is to bring down transportation cost before it paralyses a whole nation, with people choosing to stay at home when they find it too costly to take public transport. Changes are expected in all the ministries after the mechanic opened the shining car’s bonnet only to find practically every system in need of a major overhaul. Funny isn’t it? How did all this come about? The voice of a disgruntled people has finally been heard, and the people wanted change, by throwing their support for opposition voices. The popularity vote for the govt is down to a level that if nothing changes, the next election could see the govt being bundled out for good. The voice will be louder with the liberalization of the new media. The gongs and the bells are ringing loud and clear, incessantly. The noise is no longer noise, but anger, frustration, and unhappiness. Clarification, this group excludes those that have already attained a Swiss standard of living, and the believers. The govt would have to take heed or it would not be given another chance. Hsien Loong’s ransacking of his cabinet is a big signal for change. Now the people wait, while the changes take shape, for good or for worst. 5 years is all Hsien Loong got. PS. Originally I wanted to end this article with 'The reign of Hsien Loong starts today'. Looking at the big picture, I changed my mind.

Major cabinet reshuffle

Hsien Loong has announced a new cabinet with major changes. Kan Seng, Mah Bow Tan and Raymond Lim have retired from the cabinet. Heng Swee Kiat is the new Education Minister while Chan Chun Sing is Ag MCYS. Several appointments were shuffled. Watch out for the news tonight.

Are they still in politics or out of politics?

The shocking resignations. Radio Australia reported that both LKY and Chok Tong are out of active politics. What does this mean? Is there such a thing as active politics or inactive politics? Or is it another case of half in and half out? They may have left the cabinet, but they are both elected MPs and are paid politicians. So what are their jobs now that they are no longer inside the cabinet? For one, Chok Tong will spend more time coaching the newbies. But would both of them be serving their constituents in MPS? When they were both ministers, they could claim to be busy, one crystal balling, and one travelling. Now that these heavy duties and responsibilities are out of the way, would they really be meeting the residents and help them with their problems, like how to apply for jobs, how to apply for HDB flats, how to apply for subsidies? As the elected representatives of the people, they have the mandate to sit in Parliament to speak for the people. If they are no longer in active politics because they are now MPs, does it mean that all the MPs are also not in active politics? Are part time MPs in active politics or are they part time politicians? What is inactive or not active politics? Radio Australia, please explain. Sylvia Lim has resigned from her job as a lecturer in the Polytechnic to be a full time MP and be in active politics.

A measure of fairplay and decency

As the TPL storm continues to brew, I want to make it clear that I have nothing against Tin Pei Ling. She can be just anyone’s daughter for that matter. I have tried not to get involved in this issue as it just doesn’t look good making her the scapegoat for the venting of anger and frustration of something much larger. The anger is actually all about how justice is perceived to be unfairly carried out, about how public money is being spent, about a system that the people are rejecting. This storm is not going away even if people try to sweep it under the carpet, trying not to talk about it. As long as it is not settled fairly under the law, it will continue to bug the govt for all it takes. The official news reported that a police report was made and that the posting and infringement of the Cooling Off Day was removed after 20 minutes. The netizens are calling foul. The other party goes on with their life as if nothing had happened. Would 20 minutes be too insignificant, or how long is bad enough? Should 35 sec be considered too long? Or how many seconds are there in 20 mins? The team that was disqualified in Tanjong Pagar GRC was technically or officially declared late by 35 sec. And that was all it took to be disqualified from the GE. The law is the law. Even 1 sec is 1 sec too late, and 20 minutes are 20 minutes too long. Now you know why the netizens are incensed.

Singapore Festival of Arts - Global Warming

Singapore is now hosting the Festival of Arts. This piece called Global Warming, is my little contribution to the Festival. The melting fishes in the photo are symbolic of what could happen if global warming continues and is left unheeded. There are some resemblance to Salvador Dali's melting clock except that this is an actual photo created using the Art of RAR technique, and not a painting. More photos in the Art of RAR Gallery at top right.