The people’s prayer answered

With the three ex PAP Tan’s in the race, it was kind of who was the lesser evil, or who was the least PAP. It was like a GE where the opposition could not come out with good calibre candidates and the people were left with a half past six choice. They wanted to vote opposition but not what were offered on the slate. Some reluctantly threw their votes behind a less than acceptable opposition candidate. Some were forced to give it to a PAP candidate against their will.

Voting for any of the three Tans is something like that. It is like voting PAP when the people wanted something else, someone totally untainted by the culture, values, policies and records of the PAP. Some may say what’s wrong with that? Just listen to the ground and feel the scorn and anger and you will understand the feeling. But one can choose to ignore the ground and bury the head in the sand and called them nonsense, that PAP still represents what is best and good for the people.

While the people were caught in another dilemma, the invisible hand acted, just like throwing in Chen Show Mao and a few gallant and worthy candidates during the last GE into the opposition camp. Out of the blue came Tan Jee Say. He might have been with the civil service, but he was not with the ruling party. Now there is a clear and unambiguous choice for the people.

The angst of the people was heard and their prayers answered. The people have a choice to vote for someone not from the PAP, a virgin of sort. Would the people squander away the chance like they did in the last GE? Or would they have learnt their lessons and take this god sent opportunity seriously?

The fear of uncertainty, of a new and untested govt is not there. The govt is in place. The voting in of a neutral President that can check the ruling govt must be the top priority in the minds of every thinking individual. The blind believers can continue to vote according to their belief and teachings. The rest of the people must now vote wisely. When you can choose between black and white, there is no need to compromise by choosing another shade of grey. When a situation is murky, when awkward explanations and justifications are needed, it is best to go for one that is clear and free from adulterated reasonings.

There is now a non PAP candidate versus three ex PAP candidates. What would the people be thinking, and who would they vote to be the next Elected Presidential that could objectively check on the ruling govt when the nation’s reserves are concerned? Yes, Tony is a nice man, looks very presidential. So is Cheng Bock and Kin Lian, all very nice and will make very good looking Presidents. What is the crux of the matter? What matters most in this election? Is it just personality or the purpose and function of the Elected President?

3 Tans and one more Tan

Tan Jee Say just announced his candidacy for the Presidential Election. With 4 Tans in the contest, this presidential race is going to be exceptionally heavy. By his personal disclosure, he looks like one that should have no problem with the Certificate of Eligibility.

Now the picture changes. 3 ex PAPs against an ex SDP. How would this change the odds and the choices of the people? If they are all anti PAP, Jee Say will be there collecting all their votes. The pro PAP camp will be splitted by the ardent believers for Tony, the old guards for Cheng Bock and the rebels for Kin Lian.

At first I thought it will further dilute the chances of ‘opposition’ biased candidates. But it may look good for Jee Say as the only non PAP associated candidate. But then there is Andrew Kuan. But he will likely be disqualified on precedence. His last application was unsuccessful.

So we have Tan, Tan, Tan against another Tan.

Expensive yo yos

I was at a toy shop looking for some toys to amuse myself. And I must say that adult toys are really getting quite expensive, and many would be just too much to pay for. Just for curiosity I asked the owner of his most expensive toys. He pointed to two yo yos.

I was amazed by the price tags. Unbelieveable! So I walked over to take a closer look. There were testimonials attached to the two yo yos. Mine, great stuff for reading. They were previously owned by top celebrities and had performed in many big events, had seen better days. Despite the price tags, they were a bit worn down and had lost some of their shines.

I asked the owner how long had they been on the shelf. He said quite a while. Some customers came to ask but were taken aback by the asking price. Some thought the asking price was a joke. Looked like they would be left on the shelf for a long while, I thought.

I asked the owner about the chances for the two yo yos to be sold. He grinned. ‘Don’t worry, just wait for some suckers to come by.’ Anyway, by pricing them so high, it made the rest of his stocks looked cheap.

Brilliant sales tactics. I believe he will soon put up a big sales sign claiming 50% discount. That would make the yo yos look like a bargain.

The attacks on Presidential candidates

As expected the attacks on the presidential hopefuls will come in a matter of time. At the moment the guns were trained at Tan Kin Lian. Some smears have already been spread in the internet. Would it work or would it work to the advantage of Tan Kin Lian? The supporters of Tan Kin Lian will not be swayed by such smear tactics and are resolute in their support. They knew that some will have private agendas to bring down a candidate and it is nothing knew. Perhaps some could be mercenaries being paid to do the smearing, or some may have an axe to grind.

There are no saints among mortals. Everyone will have a few warts here and there. And it does not take much effort for the smearers to get hold of any unpleasant gossips to tar anyone. So far Tony Tan and Tan Cheng Bok have been spared the worst. But as the election gets nearer, will shit begin to flow more profusely? Will those who are comfortable with throwing shit dictate how the presidential election be conducted and every candidate walks away smelly and embarrassed? Or will there be some restraint by all parties to maintain some dignity and decorum in an election for the highest office in the land?

Who will set the tone? The first shit has been thrown. Will it get worst or will it end abruptly just like what happened at the Bukit Timah Holland GRC during the GE? The field is quite level. Everyone can play the same game. When the attackers feel that it is free for all and everything goes, it can get really nasty.

And finally Tan Cheng Bock is making his appearance. He has been absent for a while and there were speculations that he was told to back off. This has proven to be untrue. Now the action is just beginning. Would there be smears thrown at him, or at Tony Tan?

Myth 228 - The Myth of changing clothes

The most advanced public administration theory today is that all govt services and govt employees are inefficient and lack motivation to improve what they are doing. Or they basically sit on their chairs, drink kopi and read newspapers. They are lazy and irresponsible. Only know how to collect pay and more pay, but not willing to work. Thus the services they provided will only get worst and worst. They will not try to improve and nothing can be done to them, not even firing them.

But there is hope. The panacea for making govt services and employees become responsible, hardworking and efficient is to privatise them and the organization. So, the same bunch of employees, from the CEO to the office cleaners, all will become efficient and hardworking, and highly motivated, the moment they change their clothes to those worn by private company employees.

The same theory applies reversely. A bunch of private company employees will become lazy, inefficient, lack motivation etc etc, when the company is nationalized and when they put on govt employee clothings.

This is the magic formula of public administration. Just change the clothing and it will work instantly. The only thing they cannot privatise and will remain inefficient will be the govt. If only they could privatise the govt as well, efficiency will go up immediately. And of course, cost will be down.