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It isn’t possible for ordinary Singaporeans to absorb and fully understand all the arguments and implications
After the Straits Times’ Opinion Editor, Chua Mui Hoong, wrote on Sat (9 Feb) to ask Singaporeans to accept the Population White Paper “for what it’s trying to do” (‘ST Editor asks S’poreans to accept the White Paper‘), Straits Times’ Managing Editor, Han Fook Kwang, wrote on Sun (10 Feb) saying that Singaporeans must put their trust in the Government cause the Government’s solutions are in the best interest of Singapore.
Mr Han said, “Ultimately, they must put their trust in the Government, that it understands the issues and that its solutions are in the best interest of Singapore. If they don’t, the best-argued case will not wash.”
He acknowledged that currently, there appears to be a lack of public confidence in the Government, and particularly that the people do not think the proposals are in their best interests.
He said, “This is evident in the quick way many dismissed the White Paper even before reading its contents.”
“Tackling this erosion of confidence and trust must be a top priority of the Government or it will face even more problems from a sceptical public,” he seemed to be sending a signal to the Government.
Mr Han continued, “It is unfortunate that this has happened because the issues raised are critical ones that have to be tackled now or Singapore will suffer the consequences in the years ahead. The problems of a low fertility rate and rapidly ageing population are real and will not go away no matter how Singapore or the world develops.”
Taking an elitist stand, he alluded that the problems are complex and ordinary Singaporeans may not be able to fully understand all the arguments and implications. Hence, he is indirectly asking the Singaporeans to trust our scholar ministers who presumably will have the mental capacity to deal with such complex problems on behalf of ordinary Singaporeans.
He said, “And because it is a complex problem with many issues in the mix – demographics, the structure of the economy, immigration policy, even questions regarding what it means to be Singaporean – it isn’t possible for ordinary Singaporeans to absorb and fully understand all the arguments and implications.”
By making such a an elitist statement, the managing editor has essentially belittled us “ordinary” Singaporeans. If our scholar ministers are so good, would we be facing say, the infrastructure problems now? Would PM Lee need to say “We’ll do better next time” over and over again? Mr Han seems to think that we “ordinary” Singaporeans are all idiots who cannot think and understand issues.
And these days, Singaporeans do travel a lot and work in many first world countries. Low fertility rate and ageing population affect many countries and not just Singapore. Singaporeans can see that many first world nations do not indulge in wanton importing of foreign workers to boost economic growth because their governments know that excessive import of foreign workers will affect the lives of their own people. Hence, it’s delusional for Mr Han to think that “ordinary” Singaporeans are merely “simpletons” who cannot think and understand the enormous repercussions the White Paper will have on us.
Mr Han then talked about how the old PAP was able to solve the many problems for Singaporeans.
He said, “Indeed that was how it was in the early years when the people were prepared to let the Government solve their problems. The problems then were as life-threatening, and would have seemed at the time to be as intractable, perhaps even more so than the population issue today.”
He reminisced that Singaporeans in the olden days trusted the PAP Govt completely, “But Singaporeans, by and large, accepted that the Government knew what it was doing, and, more important, believed these policies were in their interest… It is commonplace these days to say that it was easier in the early years for the Government to have its way because people were less quarrelsome, more compliant or homogeneous.”
“People who say this forget that the political environment in the 1960s and 1970s was more competitive, vigorous and pluralistic than it is today, GE 2011 and Punggol East notwithstanding. It might seem easier today but that’s because the Government at the time had earned the trust, respect and confidence of the majority of the people.”
By making this statement, he is trying to reason with the Singaporeans of today that they should likewise, trust and respect the PAP Govt to address their issues like those in the 60s and 70s.
But Mr Han forgot that the main difference between then and now is that the problems in the 60s and 70s were inherited by the old PAP Govt. They did not create them in the first place. The current problems facing the Singaporeans of today are entirely created, directly or indirectly, by the Lee Hsien Loong Govt. And that is, the over importation of foreign workers into Singapore.
He concluded his article by giving a heads-up to the Govt, “Now that the population discussion has moved out of Parliament and into the public sphere, it is even more imperative for the Government to strengthen the people’s trust in it, that it is acting in their interest.”
Wonder what Mr Han would have said if he had not been working in his iron rice-bowl job at the state-owned SPH and instead, eking out a living outside of the “system” like the rest of us “ordinary” Singaporeans?
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