Chitchat PAP Succession Plan in light of HSK's condition

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/analysis-after-hengs-stroke-what-are-pms-033822161.html
ANALYSIS: After Heng Swee Keat’s stroke, what are PM’s options?

P N Balji
P N Balji
13 May 2016

View photos
(Yahoo file photo of Heng Swee Keat during the 2015 General Election)

One of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s worst nightmares came true at 5.34pm on Thursday (12 May) as he saw his Finance Minister and the person likely to succeed him collapse in a Cabinet meeting.

Having been struck by lymphoma in 1992 and having undergone surgery for prostate cancer just last year, the Singapore leader knows how fragile life is. And how all the best plans in the world can go awry when fate strikes without a warning.

Heng Swee Keat, 53, was a clear frontrunner in the race for prime ministership. Just look at his astounding rise since his entry into politics since the General Elections in 2011.

He was made Education Minister almost immediately after, then was given the very important portfolio of Finance.

These are uncharacteristic Cabinet developments in a system that takes its time to blood political talent gingerly, assiduously and purposely for the land’s high office.

But the PM has been on a fast-drive mode as political succession was thrown out of whack because of the difficulty of getting potential ministers into the Cabinet.

Long before Lee Kuan Yew stepped aside as PM, the world knew Goh Chok Tong would be his successor. And even before Goh took the post, it was clear that Lee Hsien Loong will be the next in line.

Such meticulous planning and execution has not found a definitive successor this time round. And now this major hiccup to the PM’s succession plans.

The seriousness of Heng’s condition comes through in the Facebook posts of two senior ministers. Ng Eng Heng, a surgeon, said Heng was resuscitated in the Cabinet room where he collapsed after a stroke.

Law Minister K. Shanmugam gave an insight into the “incredible” load that the Finance Minister had been carrying: From organising a year-long effort across the country to suss out the views of Singaporeans after the ruling party’s poor performance in GE 2011 to introducing bold initiatives to move the education system away from an entrenched exam-based philosophy to finding new winners for an economy that has been losing its shine – all these were put on his shoulders.

And they must have taken their toll.

Shanmugam said as much: “I have been telling him that he was overworking so much that it will affect his health.”

At this stage, we don’t know how serious Heng’s stroke was, but it will take some time before he can resume his duties.

The PM may have to re-examine his succession plans. And he doesn’t have much time. With 2020 set as a target, he has two options:

1. He stays on as the leader after 2020 and puts the succession plans back on an even keel. He may not want to do that as that will lead to speculation that he wants to retain power for a longer period.

2. He appoints one of the two DPMs as an interim PM by 2020, especially if the doctor’s prognosis about Heng’s condition is not favourable.

That will give the Cabinet some breathing space before the next PM is chosen.

The silver lining in the dark cloud is that the PM still has a couple of pieces to move in a chess game that has begun to look bleak.

Checkmate? Not yet.

P N Balji is a veteran Singaporean journalist who is the former chief editor of TODAY newspaper, and a media consultant. The views expressed are his own.

Come to think of it if lhl were to die with his dick inside ho ching's ugly cunt. we are in trouble. An Indian PM is not acceptable whichever way you see it. It will make Mumbai Gardens incident looking like just hijacking an MRT seat.

scroobal said:

Tharman would make a delightful and strong PM and be well liked by many. For him time is an issue as the current PM and his wife are so well mired in Temasek that it will take a while to clean the mess and exit. It may take another GE term to be completed at least. Ho Ching and family cannot be exposed without cover and Tharman or even Swee Keat are the type not prepared to provide them cover especially when it comes to conflict of interest. The only ones that I know that will protect the family are Teo Chee Hean and Chan Chun Sing. Teo will be too old and Chan is digging his hole deeper and deeper each and every day.

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That is why Tharman and Heng Swee Keat are the preferred choices, for those who are not part of the Establishment.

GoldenDragon said:

When you compare HSK with the entity known as the SPF, the latter is a joke!

In the mid-90s, a DSP (non-grad) rated an OMS negatively. It was latter's foundation posting as an investigator. Rating was 100% accurate coz anyone who knew this OMS would know this idiot was a time bomb waiting to explode. The entire Police HQ at Pearls' Hill suffered an earthquake. The DSP was ordered to change his rating on this OMS.

What happened later? This OMS not only under-performed. He abused his power as a police officer outside the SPF. He did the same internally as an OMS. He was known to throw glass ("tim puay') when there were no more drinks on the table in nightclubs. He adjusted his car's odometer reading when he sold his BMW. He was investigated but ............. You can conclude the outcome without my input.

Just before he was appointed Commander, he went around nightspots to inform operators he would be Commander soon. All this took place when he was a Deputy Commander of the same police division. He ignored PGO completely. He went to entertainment outlets and abused his power and these outlets were in the jurisdiction under his charge. No action was taken.

He finally resigned when he was under investigations for an outraging of modesty case which took place in his division.

If Police HQ had counselled him when his boss gave him a lousy rating, things might have turned out differently for him.

So, for HSK to endorse the bad rating of that someone's son, I salute him for his courage.

When I heard of this incident, Leo's name came to mind. Yes, very similar to HSK but not so introverted. These two were talent spotted by the MIW many years ago but resisted taking the plunge when invited. If Leo stays put, my bet is he will be in line for the Head of Civil Service appointment. If Peter Ong can be one, no reason why Leo can't. He is, imho, head and shoulders above Peter.

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Please send me a pm

virus said:

and end up selling tissue papers in mrt station to be chased away by mata... is it worth it?

he may not be so heng after all

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My son and I were watching the TV on this news.

Day One....Surprisingly there was a clip with a live coverage from TTSH. It shows that Mr. Heng is suddenly portrayed as a VIP. This is something quite out of the ordinary.

Day two. We sat by the TV to catch on any new development...No sign of Mr. Heng until the second part of the news after some other nitty gritty news get reported first.

We wondered Why..? was the first coverage too excessive .?

scroobal said:

Sadly it was not just SPF but Mindef and other ministries as well. Their superiors were routinely asked to adjust the PEP for OMS.

It started to break down during GCT's time. He is the one who famously asked the DJ to stop a Coroner's Inquiry when SAF Officers were caught lying en-mass. The cover-ups are numerous. Tony Tan's son was given deferment in 1988 but it was not supposed to be 12 years. When GCT took over in 1990, things were approved when they should not have. It could be that GCT was trying to be a nice guy to build his base. The scholars began throwing their weight around that time. When the scholars were not successful at promotions exercise it became routine to appeal and appeal until they got their way.

When old man ran the show, scholars were routinely thrown out including SAF OMS who did not qualify as a wrangler. He also go rid of all 3 of the original 2nd generation. Under GCT, they began running their own "cabinet" at Sentosa Golf Club. They became detached from reality and one clear symptom was the PS who attended the cookery class in France and talked about it. And who approved his extended leave when workload is supposed to be heavy.

When scholars committed offences the punishment if ever was a tap compared to normal staff who would be sanctioned heavily or dismissed.

PSC has to carry the blame. It has been a disaster. Lee Hee Seng tried his best but he could not contain it and Andrew Chew became a rubber stamp. Look at the recent promotion of the PS in MOH after the transplant death cases. At least a one year delay to show some contrition. So you can guess what Eddie Teo is like. You tell me how someone who had to repeat his A levels can be admitted to the Admin Service.

The only reason that super scale officers began to be charged in court for corruption in MHA was when Teo Chee Hean took over and wanted to clean it up.

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During my NS days in the SAF, two SAFOS (from 1 SIR, whose men in their coy went AWOL), were "supposedly" transferred to the SPF.

Any non SAFOS officer, would have been harshly disciplined.

Those two former SAFOS, became one of the most senior SPF officer (when one retired from being a BIG senior police officer, he was not appointed PS, but ??), and the other was in CID and later as very senior Prisons Officer.

During my time, very very few non scholar SAF officers dare to rate a SAFOS or scholar officer as above average or fully satisfactory, otherwise, they will be asked to review and amend it, and they may eventually report to their once upon a time subordinate officer.

Leo Yip and HSK are the individuals and scholar officers that others should aspire to achieve.

scroobal said:

From day 1 of working life, he knew actually what he was doing and what others were supposed to do. He could spot red tape and bureaucracy a mile away. And he was prepared to take on his superiors in a confident and logical manner. As he progressed thru the ranks, he moved about in a quiet manner without announcing his presence. People would glance when he passed by and were unsure if it was Swee Keat that went by.

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C'mon there are MANY people of HSK's character and demeanor in the REAL private sector.

scroobal said:

Teo will continue to be the custodian of the party and the protector of established interest. On the departure of the incumbent he will be the anointed the kingmaker and the party enforcer.

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Wrong....utterly wrong....The one protector and kingmaker is none other than "Buy-High-Sell-Low". She's the one who will wield absolute power when it is time for Chief Natural Aristocrat to reincarnate as an Ah Neh in some rural village in India.

virus said:

and end up selling tissue papers in mrt station to be chased away by mata... is it worth it?

he may not be so heng after all

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Anyone can recover from a stroke, but it is like you smash a china ( not PRC), you can patch it back, depending on the severity, "treasure" class china's, you can even get experts to restore it back, looking like new ( like the case of HSK), but CHINA's once smashed, however restored, CAN EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN....like humpty dumpty thats sat on the wall...

The "3-leggers", " porlumpers".." c$#%^^k suckers"...be rational.....A STROKE IS A STROKE......psst! it is not like your bathroom pipes bursting...you get a plumber to fix it by gluing it back etc....yes, the neurosurgeon can clip the whatever...but this is the brain, you are talking about...

It is not get well Mr. Heng...it is be of GOOD HEALTH Mr. Heng & hope your mental capability is well too...

scroobal said:

It could be that GCT was trying to be a nice guy to build his base.

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Or it could be that GCT is truly the seat-warmer.

scroobal said:

You tell me how someone who had to repeat his A levels can be admitted to the Admin Service.

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Cannot meh? Who says cannot? You? The admin service is owned by Chief Natural Aristocrat and his appointee can bend whatever rules s/he wants.

Papsmearer said:

Tharm will never be PM because he is indian and the chinese majority as well as the Malays are not ready to elect an Indian.

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You're racist, are you aware of it? I sincerely hope a miracle will happen and Tharman becomes the Prime Ministar.

You're wrong that the Sinkie PM is voted into office. No, Sinkieland's electoral system is unlike that of my adopted country where electors vote who will become the next POTUS.

Debonerman said:

An Indian PM is not acceptable whichever way you see it. It will make Mumbai Gardens incident looking like just hijacking an MRT seat.

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Sinkie voters do NOT vote so-and-so to the post of PM. They vote a political party to power; in this case it's always been the PAP. By tradition the secretary-general of the PAP becomes the PM of Sinkieland. If you don't like the Sinkie electoral system, I urge you to migrate to join us in the land of the free where you can live the American dream and vote whomever you like to become the next POTUS.

halsey02 said:

Anyone can recover from a stroke, but it is like you smash a china ( not PRC), you can patch it back, depending on the severity, "treasure" class china's, you can even get experts to restore it back, looking like new ( like the case of HSK), but CHINA's once smashed, however restored, CAN EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN....like humpty dumpty thats sat on the wall...

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I believe in miracles and they do happen in the most unexpected of cases, don't you agree?

Wunderfool said:

Well articulated. What's about Tharman ? Is he in the bidding for the PM's job ?

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Tharman is OK but sadly... wrong colour.

NaturalAristocratNoHeart said:

I believe in miracles and they do happen in the most unexpected of cases, don't you agree?

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I BELIEVE in Miracles....have encountered people recover miraculously....but........this one!?.....

Reddog said:

Tharman is OK but sadly... wrong colour.

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He is a darker shade of white.....

Bro, I would have agreed with you even 30 years from now. The exception is Tharman. When old man made it clear why Dhanabalan could never make PM, we all agreed including the Indians but I suspect for various reasons. Primarily it was difficult in an increasingly Sino-centric state with a Chinese majority. The sino-centricity was the result of introduction of Mandarin, SAP schools, racial self help groups, etc with old man's intention to capture the Chinese speaking voters. He even sacrificed his children's early education for it. It was mainly politics. Then we have Dhanabalan as an individual to contend with and this immediately goes downhill.

Dhanabalan suffers greatly from small man's syndrome immensely. The guy is one of the rudest people you would meet. Throws his weight around. All those who worked for him from office boy to PS do not have kind word about him. He would however at a drop of the hat do anything for Old Man. Note he was the only one who gave a character reference speech in Parliament for old man during the Nassim Jade hearing. He is also the one who was used to install Ho Ching in Temasek. His daughter when she was an undergrad was no better in abusing her status. And the father got her a job in DBS where he came from. Nepotism? Would you even consider this guy to look after your golf clubs let alone a country. This is the same idiot that banned TV programmes and magazine articles that had nothing to do with politics, porn etc. And he would call the TV station from his bedroom to berate them.

Tharman came into politics aged 43, by then a PS. He was fielded in Taman Jurong under Jurong GRC in 2001. It is now 15 years. You ask the Ah Sohs in Jurong what they think of Tharman. To them he is the Indian son they never had. They can't get enough of him. They trust him implicitly. I was amazed at his grassroots penetration. Someone told me that it is the elderly that bring their friends to see Tharman on issues because they have faith in him. No one was surprised that Thaman and his Jurong GRC neat LHL and AMC GRC in 2015 in popularity.

He appeals across a wider spectrum than anyone else. From bleeding heart liberals to the conservatives. From the low income to the rich. From the young to the elderly. He is the one that PAP sends down to have a dialogue with the opposition figures in front of the TV. He is also recognised internationally. The guy's father is also respected surgeon with frugal habits.

However it does mean that Indians are ready for PM, Tharman is the exception. If Tharman goes, I doubt the country will be ready for an Indian even 30 years down the road.

Debonerman said:

Come to think of it if lhl were to die with his dick inside ho ching's ugly cunt. we are in trouble. An Indian PM is not acceptable whichever way you see it. It will make Mumbai Gardens incident looking like just hijacking an MRT seat.

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Sat The Straits Times 14 May 2016

blissquek said:

My son and I were watching the TV on this news.

Day One....Surprisingly there was a clip with a live coverage from TTSH. It shows that Mr. Heng is suddenly portrayed as a VIP. This is something quite out of the ordinary.

Day two. We sat by the TV to catch on any new development...No sign of Mr. Heng until the second part of the news after some other nitty gritty news get reported first.

We wondered Why..? was the first coverage too excessive .?

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you watched too much tv. unless he is some SBF or FB fanatics, you will neber know if he is in coma or so energetic and can type off some much lines whilst in some 1/2 dead, lie threatening situtation like $2.50 nasi pandang

Looks like CCS will now be the likely successor, sad........................

Cufflinks said:

Looks like CCS will now be the likely successor, sad........................

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I don't think he can make it to be PM's successor. He doesn't have the composure and charisma of a statesman.