5 Chaps who tried and failed to take on the Establishment.

[Lee Hsien Tau]

Waah! The ang-moh never show his tua kee can reach 4700 page views?

 

[yourdaddy]

Re: Defence portfolio and PM

Thank you, brother.
May I ask, who amongst the present Ministers have been a Minister of Defence or Second Minister of Defence, TCH and NEH?

TCH is the current minister of defence and NEH is the 2nd minister of defence.

 

[yourdaddy]

How is it that someone of Yu Foo Yee Shon's calibre, who speaks like a roadsweeper, was made MOS by PAP? Honest question that puzzles many.

 

[elephanto]

Khaw is not running at the next GE.

At last I manage to locate this post & note the post date :1 Jan 2010.

That is the date I first heard anyone mention Khaw may not run in the next GE.

I expressed my incredulity & other bros chipped in with their views - then a subsequent thread was started on the likely identity of the possible successor to Khaw.

Last week, from the gallery, came comments reported of Khaw in Parliament.

After deflecting the inane question of how he managed to look young, Khaw was reported to ramble on .... mentioning some lines from 金大班的最后一夜, getting philosophical & quoting from I-Ching or something .....

Scroobal, looks like whichever little bird you got yr info from .... there may be some truth to it.

My guess is: he probably will still run in the next GE, after retaining his GRC, PM will announce post-election that he respects Khaw's wishes to move on ..... then Khaw will serve part of a new term & move on to his true heart's content. And of course, no by-election will be held for that GRC...... OR after relinquishing the Health Ministership, Khaw will be a backbencher before exiting like how Lim Chee Onn & Yeo Cheow Tong end their political careers.....

Any takers for my scenario above ?

 

[scroobal]

NTUC threatened to revolt and Chee Onn had EQ issues. Yeo was under investigation and had to go. Does not sound like Khaw to cheat the voters. Khaw pension from civil service is more than 20K a month and there is no reason to carry on. There is nothing else to aspire as he is already a cabinet minister. He is also on the trajectory where people after a certain age find the spiritual path more rewarding.

At last I manage to locate this post & note the post date :1 Jan 2010.

And of course, no by-election will be held for that GRC...... OR after relinquishing the Health Ministership, Khaw will be a backbencher before exiting like how Lim Chee Onn & Yeo Cheow Tong end their political careers.....

Any takers for my scenario above ?

 

[kingrant]

Revolt is a rare word to be found in a compliant Union. SIA union tried it and was hammered by the Old Man with a sledge-hammer. What form could/would it have manifested in? Only the Old Man can put the SG there. Union elections are just rubber stamps.

After the Jack neo saga, Georgie Boy may get the chop too?

NTUC threatened to revolt and Chee Onn had EQ issues. Yeo was under investigation and had to go. Does not sound like Khaw to cheat the voters. Khaw pension from civil service is more than 20K a month and there is no reason to carry on. There is nothing else to aspire as he is already a cabinet minister. He is also on the trajectory where people after a certain age find the spiritual path more rewarding.

 

[scroobal]

There is difference between a revolt involving an individual and an establishment. SIA had 5 unions and all of them were not affliated to NTUC for nearly 3 decades. It got so bad that they finally appointed the then NTUC Sec Gen Lim Boon Heng to the Board of SIA but that to failed. That is the reason why SIA unions have repeatedly waged war with the establishment.

For years because of the compliant press, people assumed that all unions are affliated to NTUC.

Revolt is a rare word to be found in a compliant Union. SIA union tried it and was hammered by the Old Man with a sledge-hammer. What form could/would it have manifested in? Only the Old Man can put the SG there. Union elections are just rubber stamps.

After the Jack neo saga, Georgie Boy may get the chop too?

s

 

[elephanto]

Does not sound like Khaw to cheat the voters. Khaw

A most unfortunate inference caused by my misleading use of examples.
Agree Khaw is not in their category.

Merely wanted to highlight for whatever reasons, it seems the gradual PAP way for ministers to gracefully exit the scene is to leave cabinet remain backbencher then stand down as MP finally. That way they reduce risk of fresh face or do away with by-election totally.

 

[kingrant]

Tks Scro. . I see my SIA example was a red herring, but what I wanted to know really was how NTUC revolted, which you omitted to answer.

There is difference between a revolt involving an individual and an establishment. SIA had 5 unions and all of them were not affliated to NTUC for nearly 3 decades. It got so bad that they finally appointed the then NTUC Sec Gen Lim Boon Heng to the Board of SIA but that to failed. That is the reason why SIA unions have repeatedly waged war with the establishment.

For years because of the compliant press, people assumed that all unions are affliated to NTUC.





s

 

[elephanto]

Tks Scro. . I see my SIA example was a red herring, but what I wanted to know really was how NTUC revolted, which you omitted to answer.

'Revolt' may be too strong a word, but they sure register their 'unhappiness' with Devan & Old Man.

That they got their way I believe because this may be the founder group of trade union leaders who forged special relationships with PAP throughout the 60s (against SATU first then next post-65 when labour relations act was amended to be pro-biz & pro-investment).

I am sure they have personal respect from Old Man & Devan who see them as fellow comrades who have demonstrated crucial support.

So, even if Chee Onn is not fully at fault, given to choose between the Labour Old Guard & a young gun, of course Old Man knew which side his bread is buttered.

 

[scroobal]

The PAP remains the same.

 

[SpareTyre]

It cannot be denied that they seem to have a command of the language and quite predisposed to politics.

One should be mindful that all these chaps are actually minorities within minorities - Sri Lankans, Malayalees, Sikh etc who had to find their way in life and did not get handouts like the other major races. Alex Au is also a minority as he represents a small segment of society attempting to find a voice and a place in society. We all as a society benefit from these chaps.

Can't put it better.

As a country, we need to value our outliers and anamolies. These guys have a valuable arms-length view of society.

For many years, I have lived in societies which are 99% white and I am usually the only minority race who didn't come in as a political/economic refugee.

You view the world through a different lens that way

 

[steffychun]

Strange only Vivian is still around

 

[SpareTyre]

My only fear is that old man seemed to have lasted longer than some chaps. Eu Chooi Yip and Samad Ismail have been lost to history. Both had the deepest secrets but Eu as part of his conditonal return to Singapore could not say. He however broke one other important conditon and that was to meet his former comrades. Samad refused to talk. I was hoping that Eu might have passed the details to his daughters but old man was smart enough to put them in SPH. Devan too is dead but thought he was highly critical of old man until his death, interestingly he did not spill one iota of those secrets which surprised me. I was hoping that Lim Hock Siew would have completed his memoirs which he had planned but his health did not allow him.

I however have this feeling that because of their kids, no one will break the omerta. Even Said Zahari, did not reveal anthing except of those that passed away and even that was limited.

The intrigue of the 70s and 80s will be more revealing when old man kicks the bucket.

I sure hope someone, maybe you, will write the definitive LKY biography one day

 

[GoldenDragon]

It had to do with the unceremonious intended eviction from Istana to Command house and there was series of silly incidents created by his family including a playboy son at the

Yes, playboy son used to chiong at a Jap niteclub along Middle Rd in the 90s.

 

[steffychun]

If Vivian tried to take on the establishment, thne why is he a Minister?