Netizens criticize ask pm lee panellists for only asking stupid questions

[h=1]NETIZENS CRITICIZE ASK PM LEE PANELLISTS FOR ONLY ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS[/h]
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5 Sep 2014 - 9:53am





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On yesterday's ASK PM Lee session, Former NMP Nick Fang was one of the hosts of the show but many netizens felt he did not do a good job.
Netizens felt he wasted time on useless comments and questions and did not get to the core issues.
Others felt also that all the "public" questions had been filtered and made simple prior to the "live" show.
Here are just some of the many thousands of comments on the show from last night:




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Did you think it was a useful show that answered some of your pressing questions?
It certainly seems to have been more of a PR exercise to show that PM Lee is "down to earth" with favourite superheros and experience in changing diapers.

Related:
PM Lee during Ask PM Lee 2014: I don't really like batman, I prefer Superman
Ask PM Lee - Comedy Show or a Q&A with our Prime Minister?

[h=1]PM LEE DURING ASK PM LEE 2014: I DON'T REALLY LIKE BATMAN, I PREFER SUPERMAN[/h]


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Post date:
4 Sep 2014 - 10:32pm









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PM Lee went on air "Live" to answer questions from the public on a range of topics this evening in the 2014 Ask PM Lee segment.
Several questions about growth, cost of living and retirement came up during the session and PM Lee took some time to address these concerns. Another major topic was education and the shifting focus on non degree holders.PM Lee also gave responses to more casual questions about his personal life and also went on to answer questions about Singapore's future.
Below are some of the highlights of PM Lee's responses to questions from the public.
Cost of Living
Expectations have changed. Today people have fewer children, but people put more pressure on themselves and for their children. Cost of living is on many people's minds. Yes, things have become more expensive, but incomes have gone up faster than prices.
Growth and what kind of growth Singapore wants
Growth that creates good jobs, that Singaporeans can benefit from. We used to grow more than 10 per cent a year when we were taking off very fast, then we slowed down. Looking forward, I think we have to get used to maybe 2 to 3 per cent a year.
Possible changes to the retirement age
We would like people to work as long as they are healthy, to stay active and stay connected. We have pushed the re-employment age to 65, and we would like to push it further. On a voluntary basis, we would encourage companies to keep re-employing people as long as they are fit. We are working towards raising the retirement and re-employment age, but that may take a few years.
Australia has made the age 70, and they are taking many years to phase this in, it won't happen till 2030. I think Singapore can take a similar approach.
CPF
We want to make sure everyone has the basic provided for in CPF, which is why we said if you want to you can take out 20 per cent, but you don't have to. We should allow people to put more into CPF if they want to.
Education Matters: PSLE
We have been grappling with the PSLE for a while. It's important because we use it to know how well we've done, and which secondary school you can get into. In other countries with no PSLE, the school exam is important and pressure is there. We have one good exam, PSLE, to decide which secondary school you go to, but we try to make every school a good school. PSLE won't be the last time you have to prove yourself. But beyond the PSLE, other things come into play.
The value of a degree
When you study for a degree, you have to be sure the degree is rigorous, and there is a market demand for it. Government universities, we make sure the standards are there, and the right courses are there in the right numbers. In private universities, you have to be careful. We can't say every degree or diploma is worth exactly the same and will be able to guarantee you a job. What counts is what skills you have, what contribution you'll be able to make.
Glass ceilings for non degree holders
It should depend on your performance. Whether you are a graduate or not should not be so critical - for many jobs degree- and diploma-holders work side by side.
The possibility of more non-degree holder MPs
I hope so. We will try very hard to look for them. Whenever we find a good man or woman we will field them. Charles Chong, Liang Eng Hwa - we didn't choose them because they were poly graduates, we chose them because they were good. We are casting our net very wide, we are inviting a lot of people to tea.
Casual questions on parenting
I did change diapers, and in those days we used safety pins so you have to very careful. As the child grows up you have to be his friend, his guide, his role model. Spend time with them, engage them. It's a very trying time for your wife when the baby is born, so support her.







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PM Lee's favourite Superhero and his childhood dreams
In Primary 3, I wrote an essay about being a pilot. Each time I go on an aeroplane I peek in the cockpit and wonder what it would be like. Maybe it will be my hobby. My childhood heroes included Superman and Tarzan. I didn't like Batman very much.
On Developing Singapore in the future and the land shortage
We have ideas for putting plants, factories underground. We will explore that further. We cannot keep everything undisturbed, but important things we have to keep - like Chinatown, Little India. From time to time we have to make tough choices. We have to build in Bukit Brown, but we can try to disturb fewer graves.
Redevelopment of Mandai
We have something in mind to make the zoo much better, and bigger. There is space - land is available next to the nature reserve. If you can extend the zoo to those parts, I think that would be very interesting. We have something in mind - green, improved, that will enhance the nature reserves while not infringing on it. Why not move the Jurong Birdpark to where the zoo is? You want an attraction like Gardens By The Bay, with public areas where you can wander around, watch the sunset. It can be a very beautiful place. By 2020 we should see something. We have been talking to some of the nature groups, and I'm sure they will help us to refine and improve the plan.
The Future
We are a small country. We used to say we are a sampan, now maybe we are a boat with a motor, self-propelled. The seas are unpredictable. We didn't expect to come this far. In the next 50 years, we hope to go as far. Things can go wrong, and we must be be prepared for that. You must have that steel in you. We have to take the setbacks, and move on, and move on together.

[h=1]ASK PM LEE - COMEDY SHOW OR A Q&A WITH OUR PRIME MINISTER?[/h]


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Post date:
5 Sep 2014 - 8:54am









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We didn’t hear much about pressing issues like CPF and HDB. We also didn’t get any hard questions. But hey, now we know who Lee Hsien Loong’s favourite superhero is, and we also know that he knows how change diapers.
In all honesty, at times during the show I didn’t know if I was watching a Q&A session with our Prime Minister or a comedy show. It was, quite literally, a joke.
There have been many questions on social media with the hashtag #AskPMLee over the past week on Social Media, some questions were hard and some were hilarious, like these from SGAG.

I didn’t expect CNA to throw any hard questions at PM Lee, but I did expect him to at least address some pressing issues like CPF, HDB, Cost of Living. I was proven wrong.
The 1 hour segment did start off in a promising manner. CNA announced that there had been 700 questions submitted in total and they presented a Word Cloud with the most common words. This word cloud included words like: CPF, HDB and Retirement – issues which we all wanted to hear PM Lee speak about.


The first question PM Lee answered came from a young Singaporean who asked about the Cost of Living.


It is more of a statement, than a question. But I do agree with what Jun Jie says. I also have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised that this question was fielded. But PM Lee’s answer surprised me even more, in a very unpleasant fashion.
“Yes, things have become more expensive, but incomes have gone up faster than prices.” Yes, he did say that incomes have grown at a faster rate than inflation. In fact, he even had a chart to back his claim up..

According to this chart, the median household income/member has grown by 68% in the past 10 years. I can almost imagine Uncle Leong fuming when looking at this chart. I really wonder where they got the statistics which led to this chart.
Recently, the Economist ranked Singapore as the 4th best place in the world to be born in. When asked what can Singapore do to be the best place to grow up and grow old in too, PM Lee replied that he believes that Singapore is one of the best places to grow up and grow old in.
He also spoke about how he has plans to raise the re-employment and retirement age. Answering a question from a Polytechnic student, he said “You’re 20 plus now, you’ll probably be working for another 40 – 50 years, if you’re lucky and healthy.” In other words, work till you die.
This move to raise the re-employment didn’t sink in well with some employers too, one employer said that he and other business owners were “adamant about not re-employing their workers beyond 63 years.”


He then moved on to talk about CPF.





“Why can’t I tap on my CPF during difficult times?” and What if all you’re left with in retirement to support you is your “meagre CPF savings?”
Pretty good questions eh? Before you get your hopes up, these 2 questions above were just flashed across our screen. PM Lee didn’t answer them. But I hope the voters at home watching did do some reflection on the CPF while reading the 2 questions.
In his recent National Day Rally, Lee Hsien Loong did speak about allowing people to withdraw up to 20% of their CPF. Today, he said that people should be allowed to put more money into their CPF if they want to and that only those who want to withdraw 20% will be allowed to do so.

When a brave young man from First Toa Payoh Primary School asked PM Lee why is PSLE important in Singapore and not in other countries, PM Lee defended the importance of PSLE but he also said that he will “try to make every school a good school.” I wonder what Jurong West Secondary School’s Vice-Principal think’s about this.
While on the topic of Education, PM Lee also said that there might be more PAP MPs from Polytechnics and ITE in the future. In the search for potential candidates, he said that he has cast the net wide and is inviting many for tea.







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An unemployed man by the name of John Tan called in and he spoke about how he believed that as he only had a diploma, there was a glass ceiling in the civil service for him in terms of progression. He also talked about how this was contradictory to what said in his National Day Rally about non-degree holders in the government sector. To that, PM Lee said “(Progress) should depend on your performance. Whether you are a graduate or not should not be so critical – for many jobs degree- and diploma-holders work side by side.”
And here’s where the comedy show starts..
A Father-to-be called PM Lee and asked some tips on parenting. He asked about how did PM Lee impart moral values to his children and maintain a good balance between his time spent in politics and with his family.
To that, PM Lee said he knows how to change diapers and he said that in those days, he had to be careful not to prick the baby while using the safety pins to secure to napkin.
“What other advice do you have for the father-to-be besides not pricking the baby with the safety pin,” the CNA reporter questioned.
“Be good to your wife.” PM Lee replied with a smile.


Another 2 Primary School students got air-time and they asked PM Lee about his favourite superhero and being a Prime Minister. At this point of time, I was quite pissed. I don’t know if PM Lee or CNA thought that answering trivial questions from kids would improve the ‘image’ of PM Lee or something, but this definitely did not go down well with those who tuned in looking for hard questions and solid answers from PM Lee. What we got instead were trivial questions and PM Lee talking about Batman, Superman, Tarzan and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (No really, he did speak at length about all four superheros)
Remember how they used to hang the upgrading carrot during elections to sway voters? Now, all this talk about redeveloping Mandai and the Jewel Projects are just the upgrading carrots at a national level. This time, he even spoke about having plants and factories underground. I hope he isn’t talking about a nuclear plant.


All this talk about ‘progress and growth’ raised 2 questions from viewers – one about preserving heritage and the other about how this fixation is affecting us socially.
He didn’t address the second question, but for the first he did say that tough choices have to be made.
And to wrap things up, he spoke about what he thought of Singapore’s future
“We are a small country. We used to say we are a sampan, now maybe we are a boat with a motor, self-propelled. The seas are unpredictable. We didn’t expect to come this far. In the next 50 years, we hope to go as far. Things can go wrong, and we must be be prepared for that. You must have that steel in you,” he said.
Mr Lee said there must be a new narrative for Singapore, where Singaporeans must have a sense of pride in what they have achieved, but also have the humility to know that the country is small.”This is a place where Singaporeans can fulfil their human spirit, a place which is open, where we are open to new ideas and yet we have a sense of where we came from and we haven’t forgotten how we came here.”
M Lee, we too hope to see a new narrative for Singapore, one without PAP. I think the PAP would make a good opposition party, it did well from 1955-59.
It started out pretty promising, but it ended like a joke. I’m talking about the segment, not PAP. But if the shoe fits, feel free to wear it.
Ariffin Sha
*The writer blogs at http://ariffin-sha.com/

dear PM Lee... do you really have a d1ck?

Wow! Most Hated Man of this Country.

None of the PAP Ministers can handled a Question Period like that of the UK Parliament. Our ministers need to be given the questions weeks ahead for them to prepare an answer. Even then, with the time and resources, so often the questions are not answered sufficiently.

When the WP forms the next government, they will change the proceedings of Parliament. Parliament will sit for 10 months every year and there will be a daily question period of 60 minutes where the official opposition will get to ask questions to ministers. Questions will not be submitted ahead of time.

They never ask why he wears pink?

PM LEE DURING ASK PM LEE 2014: I DON'T REALLY LIKE BATMAN, I PREFER SUPERMAN

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Wow, so candid, so down-to-earth, so chummy, so humble! I will definitely support Lee Hsien Loong and vote for PAP!

tonychat said:

They never ask why he wears pink?

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Jiu hu kia, wear pink like your PM right?

Bytheway, the host former NMP Nick Fang voted yes to 6.9 million.

I would like to know where he is going to run road to when he is evetually dumped as PM

jw5 said:

Bytheway, the host former NMP Nick Fang voted yes to 6.9 million.

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This NMP scheme has allow PAP to slip into parliament surreptitiously (aka Trojan Horse) their own MPs without going through the election process.

So, give it a serious thought and vote wisely comes next GE!

xingguy said:

NMPs have voting rights as can be seen in the voting of 6.9m population white paper.

Think whose side Chia Yong Yong would vote when crunch time comes?
What do you think?

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jw5 said:

Bytheway, the host former NMP Nick Fang voted yes to 6.9 million.

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All ka ki lang. That's what propaganda is all about.

PAP thinks we are born yesterday.

Can't believe they still persist with such bullshit after 'Our Singapore Conversation' in 2012 was exposed to be a fraud.

He can only live in the shadows of his own conscience

a compulsive liar has no conscience.

We now know PM Lee changed diapers.

winnipegjets said:

None of the PAP Ministers can handled a Question Period like that of the UK Parliament. Our ministers need to be given the questions weeks ahead for them to prepare an answer. Even then, with the time and resources, so often the questions are not answered sufficiently.

When the WP forms the next government, they will change the proceedings of Parliament. Parliament will sit for 10 months every year and there will be a daily question period of 60 minutes where the official opposition will get to ask questions to ministers. Questions will not be submitted ahead of time.

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UK doesnt have question period. Every week, PM faces 30 minutes of questioning from opposition and own party MPs.

shittypore said:

Wow! Most Hated Man of this Country.

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Not confirmed.
Neck to neck race to finish line with his old man....

Narong Wongwan said:

Not confirmed.
Neck to neck race to finish line with his old man....

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Old man still has his group of diehard fans, especially from the Pioneer Generation (some of whom are lurking on this very forum).

steffychun said:

We now know PM Lee changed diapers.

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Why the person called in to ask him what moral values he imparted to his children there's no reply?
Because the values he passed down are too insidious to tell sinkies?