- Joined
- Dec 30, 2010
- Messages
- 12,730
- Points
- 113
The People’s Action Party’s (PAP’s) 32nd conference held on Sunday morning offered Singaporeans little of value, because PAP leaders failed to address the urgent issues confronting our citizens.
In his keynote address, PM Lee Hsien Loong, who is the PAP Secretary General, said that the government is adjusting the balance between its key goals to achieve Singapore’s future objectives. (CNA, 02 Dec)
In particular, Mr Lee highlighted the need to achieve not just a vibrant economy but also a harmonious society; a meritocratic system along with special effort to assist the underprivileged; and a Singapore where citizens feel as one but which also welcomes foreigners.
These are cliches that have been hashed and rehashed over the years. The actual results over the years, however, have been less than stellar.
It is true that, in a very broad sense, all these are ideals that we should work towards.
However, the PAP government so far has not demonstrated that it is walking the talk, or that it is indeed committed to these goals.
Fundamentally, the PAP approach to nation building over the past two decades has been flawed. There is a simple reason. The PAP policies of importing foreigners and adding value to our homes have been pushed to the extreme. They have become too skewed, and the favour the wealthy elite of society whilst punishing the lower and lower-middle income classes.
Let us take the foreign worker policies for example. Too many white collar foreigners are coming in with skill sets that Singaporeans already have, and are not complementing our workforce but merely pushing down our wages.
The infrastructure to house blue collar or transient workers is also inadequate, resulting in not just physical hardship for these workers, but also inconvenience for Singaporeans who feel that the workers’ presence, in large numbers, has encroached on their personal space or even personal safety.
The recent PRC bus drivers’ strike is an example of how the PAP government’s skewed foreign worker policies can backfire in a dramatic fashion. By engaging in a vicious cycle of exploitation and wage suppression, the government has been planting the seeds of discontent and has disenfranchised both local and foreign workers alike.
Now, there are national security concerns arising from having too many foreign workers employed in essential services. What if a foreign government were to make use of these workers to disrupt key infrastructure? The over-employment of foreign labour in essential industries has created a security loophole and has exposed us to vulnerabilities that we did not think existed before.
The first worker strike in decades has also caused divisions in Singaporeans, some of whom feel strongly that more workers must be punished, and others who feel that the government must be taken to task for failing to ensure that all workers are treated fairly.
The truth is that government policies have placed a great strain on both the national infrastructure and the social fabric.
PM Lee said we need to have a harmonious society. But how can we work towards this goal when policies are so lopsided and create massive dislocations in society, ranging from a rapidly widening income gap, to the formation of a permanent underclass, to overcrowding, and exploitation of our human capital?
How can we feel as one, when government policies divide us and pit us against each other?
Society must continue to be based on meritocracy
Mr Lee also said that meritocracy is a fundamental principle of the PAP, and that “we must still base our society on merit, but with wide definitions of merit and success”.
I would like to see PM Lee putting his money where is mouth is, and start by overhauling the government scholar system which has produced technocrats and administrators, but not good leaders who can bear adversity.
Over the years, many government scholars are co-opted into politics or into GLCs like SMRT Corporation. But as we have seen, the leadership quality of these scholars leaves much to be desired.
For the classic example, look no further than Mr Desmond Kuek Bak Chye, the current President and CEO of SMRT Corporation who took over the reigns from Saw Phaik Hwa’s disastrous leadership.
He is an Overseas Merit Scholar who became Chief of Defence Force, and later Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR).
For all of his stellar accomplishments, Mr Desmond Kuek was found enjoying a vacation when he should have been handling the workers strike from day one. He demonstrated little leadership and was never a guiding voice in the crisis. He visited the workers’ dormitory only when the whole issue had been settled.
For other classic examples of scholars turned ineffectual political leaders, look no further than the current PAP ministerial lineup. Mr Chan Chun Sing (President’s Scholar) and Mr Tan Chuan-Jin (SAF Overseas Scholarship) come readily to mind.
Written by Ng E-Jay -sg.politics
In his keynote address, PM Lee Hsien Loong, who is the PAP Secretary General, said that the government is adjusting the balance between its key goals to achieve Singapore’s future objectives. (CNA, 02 Dec)
In particular, Mr Lee highlighted the need to achieve not just a vibrant economy but also a harmonious society; a meritocratic system along with special effort to assist the underprivileged; and a Singapore where citizens feel as one but which also welcomes foreigners.
These are cliches that have been hashed and rehashed over the years. The actual results over the years, however, have been less than stellar.
It is true that, in a very broad sense, all these are ideals that we should work towards.
However, the PAP government so far has not demonstrated that it is walking the talk, or that it is indeed committed to these goals.
Fundamentally, the PAP approach to nation building over the past two decades has been flawed. There is a simple reason. The PAP policies of importing foreigners and adding value to our homes have been pushed to the extreme. They have become too skewed, and the favour the wealthy elite of society whilst punishing the lower and lower-middle income classes.
Let us take the foreign worker policies for example. Too many white collar foreigners are coming in with skill sets that Singaporeans already have, and are not complementing our workforce but merely pushing down our wages.
The infrastructure to house blue collar or transient workers is also inadequate, resulting in not just physical hardship for these workers, but also inconvenience for Singaporeans who feel that the workers’ presence, in large numbers, has encroached on their personal space or even personal safety.
The recent PRC bus drivers’ strike is an example of how the PAP government’s skewed foreign worker policies can backfire in a dramatic fashion. By engaging in a vicious cycle of exploitation and wage suppression, the government has been planting the seeds of discontent and has disenfranchised both local and foreign workers alike.
Now, there are national security concerns arising from having too many foreign workers employed in essential services. What if a foreign government were to make use of these workers to disrupt key infrastructure? The over-employment of foreign labour in essential industries has created a security loophole and has exposed us to vulnerabilities that we did not think existed before.
The first worker strike in decades has also caused divisions in Singaporeans, some of whom feel strongly that more workers must be punished, and others who feel that the government must be taken to task for failing to ensure that all workers are treated fairly.
The truth is that government policies have placed a great strain on both the national infrastructure and the social fabric.
PM Lee said we need to have a harmonious society. But how can we work towards this goal when policies are so lopsided and create massive dislocations in society, ranging from a rapidly widening income gap, to the formation of a permanent underclass, to overcrowding, and exploitation of our human capital?
How can we feel as one, when government policies divide us and pit us against each other?
Society must continue to be based on meritocracy
Mr Lee also said that meritocracy is a fundamental principle of the PAP, and that “we must still base our society on merit, but with wide definitions of merit and success”.
I would like to see PM Lee putting his money where is mouth is, and start by overhauling the government scholar system which has produced technocrats and administrators, but not good leaders who can bear adversity.
Over the years, many government scholars are co-opted into politics or into GLCs like SMRT Corporation. But as we have seen, the leadership quality of these scholars leaves much to be desired.
For the classic example, look no further than Mr Desmond Kuek Bak Chye, the current President and CEO of SMRT Corporation who took over the reigns from Saw Phaik Hwa’s disastrous leadership.
He is an Overseas Merit Scholar who became Chief of Defence Force, and later Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR).
For all of his stellar accomplishments, Mr Desmond Kuek was found enjoying a vacation when he should have been handling the workers strike from day one. He demonstrated little leadership and was never a guiding voice in the crisis. He visited the workers’ dormitory only when the whole issue had been settled.
For other classic examples of scholars turned ineffectual political leaders, look no further than the current PAP ministerial lineup. Mr Chan Chun Sing (President’s Scholar) and Mr Tan Chuan-Jin (SAF Overseas Scholarship) come readily to mind.
Written by Ng E-Jay -sg.politics
