One of the tragic illusion that many countries of the 3rd world entertain is the notion that politicians and civil servants can successfully perform entrepreneurial functions.
It is curios that in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the belief persists.
- Dr Goh Keng Swee, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, 1972.
Dr Goh Keng Swee who laid the foundation stones of Singapore’s economy and defence forces, has warned us about allowing politicians to manage our economy, knowing well that they will be clueless about the business of enterprising or what innovation is all about.
Now when clueless politicians start bringing in ex-generals to support their failed mission in governing our country and our economy, we saw how badly prepared Singapore was when the pandemic first hit us....
Without talents and people with real leadership to save the PAP from itself, Singaporeans must wake up to this Hard Truth that if they cannot save themselves from their own follies, how can they save Singapore?
Unless we want Singapore to be ruined beyond hope, let’s appeal to the few good politicians left in Parliament to have the courage to speak up patriotically and start holding incompetent politicians and their failures to account.
As for the ex-generals, let’s give them meaningful mission like cleaning up our roads or helping to clean up our hawker centres etc, things that they can do well.
Joseph Nathan
The above is from an article by Joseph Nathan in TRE. The main contention in the article is that politicians and military officers are bad for business or commercial enterprise. Is this true? Goh Keng Swee would vouch for it as in the first paragraph said it.
But in Singapore, there is a new mantra. A politician or a general is a knows all. They can be turned into businessmen over night. They may not know a thing about business but once they become a politician, or if they have achieved the rank of a military general, they know everything and can do everything. This is how good they are, how talented they are by virtue of their appointments as politician or general. It is like these talents are intrinsic in them and need not be questioned. Once they are politicians, caveat, of the ruling party, or a general, the talent would surface.
Need any training? No need. In born, in bred talent aka knows all talent.
What do you think? Paying the price for going against the wisdom of Goh Keng Swee?