QUOTE=Goh Meng Seng
...If you are not those ardent WP supporters who will defend WP and whack other parties, then my apologies to you (kudos for being a gent...)
I have been seeing lots of such people around for the past years and getting tired of them. I am all for social and political activism, even if some of these people have even scolded me vulgarity in public or private (actually yeah, you poor thing.. some of the abuses have been excessive) I don't discount or brush aside their contributions, however little it may be. (see? 'however little' is so uncalled for, reveals always your sense of misplaced superiority)
But the arrogance of WP people really puts me off and I only put up the shortcomings of WP to show that there are things WP chose not to do (for whatever reasons they might have) while others pick it up. But to turn around and put down other people's contributions and hardwork, that is really totally uncalled for. (fair sentiment, where the difference lie is some felt those contributions & hardwork are not altruistic in nature & have self motivtion & vested interest as well)
Frankly speaking, even for me, when I first know about Minibond, at first impression and sight when some bank tellers were trying to sell it to me, as finance and economics trained person, I also thought it was just a big piece of bonds (bonds are usually in the tens or hundreds of thousands ) being split into smaller sizes and sold as such. I didn't know much about the risk swap and such things. It was a very clever trick in using the misleading word "Minibond" to project a safe financial instrument. But I didn't fall for it because the so call 6% return looks very suspicious to me. Instinctively, my philosophy is no risk no gain.
Anyway, the point is, even if I am not too familiar with such things or issues, I could well do my own research and read up many other writings. Internet is such a wonder thing that you could practically get yourself educated in almost anything you want. If you have the heart to help out, the strong mind to uphold the most basic fundamental core principles and values, there are ways for you to do so by working hard on the research.
TKL and his team, walked into the Minibond activism with basically inadequate but basic knowledge and information. It is only later when we do a closer study on this monster Minibond and structured financial instruments that we found so much injustice in the whole thing....basically, investors have been totally fooled. It took us many man hours to figure out what the hell this monster is about. I have my more comprehensive understanding by reading the newspapers in HK which did a detailed and comprehensive dissection of Minibond.
Thus, I emphatize with investors like your niece and nephews for being fooled into this scam and we fought on. However, as I have said, if it is not through the team effort of putting up massive information and showing the truth and facts of the nature of this scam, there won't be any pressures on the govt and banks/financial institutions to own up and compensate.
The govt, particularly MAS, didn't make good of its accountability of letting such a scam to get into the financial system and harm unsuspecting investors. They kept quiet and distance themselves from any blame. Even in HK, which the Legco's report has just recently released, pointed out that the HK govt has to take up part of the responsibility for allowing this scam to past through their gatekeeping. Particularly, the previous head of financial regulation has been censured. This is only possible when the opposition in the Legco pressed for thorough investigations. (okay, wow, thank you for that background, largely true i presume minus your own opinions laced within)
HK is a better free democracy than Singapore even though it doesn't have universal suffrage. But such freedom is not taken for granted. It took many people of many efforts and contributions to uphold its core values. But in Singapore, we have people who, for their own selfish interests, try to belittle other people's efforts and hardwork. This is a very sad thing to me. Basically, they don't understand that it takes all kinds of people to keep the Democratic movement to move on. WP alone, isn't going to be effective.
(The crux is this: all these years since madcow soc.culture days, you struck me as a citizen with conscience & courage
albeit lacking raw nous. Since you left WP, became Sec-Gen NSP, became active in blogs, coining 'minister-specific'
strategy if ever there is such a thing, going on TV in CNA etc ... it became clear that you have let your ego & false sense of
superiority complex destroy you. You pride yourself on your intellectual ability to analyse & postulate. In addition, your
pettiness & moral self-righteousness is most vexatious especially the constant harping on perceived hypocrisy of the
YCL/LTK culpability & the Moulmein forfeiture & quibbling over the inferior lineup of the WP candidates..... in the above
post, you correctly pointed out some things WP don't do (for whatever reason they know best), things which you feel a
pubic-spirited Opposition should take on. Again, therein lies your political naivety (LTK choose his causes). Putting
criticism aside - you would obviously disagree - , consider objectively the following:
(1) since with your insightful observation, YSL's less than stellar moral behaviour should have been obvious all along & by your insinuation, LTK is either too dense or don't give a shit, then what about you - the righteous one who love the Opposition Cause. Did you blow the whistle or play nice guy - none of my business leh...
So stop, in Chinese parlance, 50 steps scoff at 100 steps. Hougang BE is long over, rest your pet angst over YSL .
(2)
I agree probably WP should embrace some issue which if they did not, I can understand.
If you feel WP did not play Opposition role well enough, stop criticising their way.
Make it !
Enter Parliament & do it your way, show us your conscientious and courageous ways of Opposing!
That is the sore point why most forummers here are after your ass.
Instead of doing what you should - no half-fucked pursuit - you not only resign from NSP, self-appoint 'political commentator/observer/analyst' & snipe from the sidelines still lamenting WP poor sport, never give way to other Opp Parties. Please, even within Opposition Camp, nobody owes anybody anything !!!
3-4 or even 5 corner fight, let the voters decide as in the case of the PE !
I remind you: the quality of Opposition Parties & members are so 'varied' to put it mildly, it is just like little Timor Leste demanding that everyone should treat them 'equally', as equally as US or Russia is treated, simply because everyone is a UN member.... hello! WAKE UP!
You are not stupid nor heartless - just very self-centered, stubborn & love to occupying yourself with logic & intellectual arguments.... the last two is not everything and sometimes even your application of them is most
quaint...)
Mind you, did I abuse you with vulgarity here, Meng Seng ... please reflect in the right spirit what is posed above. Thank you )
Goh Meng Seng
