<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>No wonder the Familee has banned demos in Peesai all these years.
Good govt needn't fear demos: SM
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Li Xueying
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Meeting residents to get feedback on PM Lee's National Day Rally speech are Marine Parade GRC MPs (from left) Dr Fatimah Lateef, Mr Lim Biow Chuan, SM Goh, Dr Ong Seh Hong and Mr Seah Kian Peng. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE sight of demonstrators barging into the office grounds of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, in a bid to oust his government, had a telling effect on MP Lim Biow Chuan.
The incident on Tuesday led the Marine Parade GRC MP to declare last night: 'I'm not in support of allowing protests at Speakers' Corner.'
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>'One school of thought is, make car ownership very expensive, through COEs, etc. Then roads are less congested. The MM favours this solution. Because politically you are creating a problem for yourself by having car ownership spread across all the population. But the PM believes it's fairer if you can spread car ownership. Philosophically, the PM is right. In a practical sense, the MM is right. But then the problem is, the middle class can't own cars, only the rich can. So the PM is right philosophically, and I think it's the fairer approach. But then more road congestion, and so ERP.' - Mr Goh, on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's takes on Singapore's transport strategy
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But his fellow GRC MP, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, took a different view.
If a government is good and fair, he said, it need not fear such scenes. So, in turn, it need not worry about opening up the political space like allowing demonstrations at the Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park.
'There will be some demonstrations here and there, but with a fair and transparent government, it won't get out of hand,' he said at a dialogue with grassroots volunteers in Marine Parade.
On the other hand, if a government is incompetent and corrupt, people are not likely to confine their demonstrations to the park.
Instead - never mind what the laws are - they would march down to Parliament House to change the government.
So, said Mr Goh, what is ultimately important is good governance that produces results.
'Once you do that, you can allow people to demonstrate in Hong Lim Park.
'What do demonstrators want? To get public attention to a cause which they have, maybe the animal lovers' cause or the green movement.'
And while there may be initial public and media interest, this will eventually die down, he added.
Mr Goh, with the other four MPs of Marine Parade GRC, were at the first public discussion by a senior leader to garner reactions to the National Day Rally last Sunday.
For more than two hours, they discussed the four main topics that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had raised: cultivating a gracious society, procreation, the economy and political liberalisation.
Asked by an undergraduate if the move towards more political openness was done out of 'necessity', Mr Goh replied: 'Necessity, in a way. Because to be relevant as a government, you must know the aspirations of the people.
'We can control you, oppress you. But we'd lose you - you'll move elsewhere. So we have to move with the times.'
Other participants were concerned about rising prices.
They were most excited by a point made by Mr G.V. Nathan, 56, from Kaki Bukit.
Aiming it squarely at MP Seah Kian Peng, managing director of supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice, Mr Nathan said: 'FairPrice sometimes is not fair.'
When he buys milk powder for his granddaughter from different FairPrice outlets, the prices differ, he said.
Mr Seah denied it, prompting a loud chorus of 'no' from the audience.
He explained that the chain practises standard pricing, except when its various outlets offer their promotional prices at different times.
When the topic turned to the parenthood package, the lack of paternity leave and the need for better-quality childcare centres took the spotlight.
Mr Nukoorsha Kadir, 33, lamented the shutdown of the childcare centre at his workplace.
Mr Goh suggested that employers team up to provide childcare centres, with the help of government subsidies.
And the last issue - how to cultivate a more gracious society - was one which the SM endorsed as most important to him. 'If you have all the wealth and all the babies, but all very ungrateful and ungracious, then this is not the place for me.'
Good govt needn't fear demos: SM
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Li Xueying
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Meeting residents to get feedback on PM Lee's National Day Rally speech are Marine Parade GRC MPs (from left) Dr Fatimah Lateef, Mr Lim Biow Chuan, SM Goh, Dr Ong Seh Hong and Mr Seah Kian Peng. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE sight of demonstrators barging into the office grounds of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, in a bid to oust his government, had a telling effect on MP Lim Biow Chuan.
The incident on Tuesday led the Marine Parade GRC MP to declare last night: 'I'm not in support of allowing protests at Speakers' Corner.'
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>'One school of thought is, make car ownership very expensive, through COEs, etc. Then roads are less congested. The MM favours this solution. Because politically you are creating a problem for yourself by having car ownership spread across all the population. But the PM believes it's fairer if you can spread car ownership. Philosophically, the PM is right. In a practical sense, the MM is right. But then the problem is, the middle class can't own cars, only the rich can. So the PM is right philosophically, and I think it's the fairer approach. But then more road congestion, and so ERP.' - Mr Goh, on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's takes on Singapore's transport strategy
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But his fellow GRC MP, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, took a different view.
If a government is good and fair, he said, it need not fear such scenes. So, in turn, it need not worry about opening up the political space like allowing demonstrations at the Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park.
'There will be some demonstrations here and there, but with a fair and transparent government, it won't get out of hand,' he said at a dialogue with grassroots volunteers in Marine Parade.
On the other hand, if a government is incompetent and corrupt, people are not likely to confine their demonstrations to the park.
Instead - never mind what the laws are - they would march down to Parliament House to change the government.
So, said Mr Goh, what is ultimately important is good governance that produces results.
'Once you do that, you can allow people to demonstrate in Hong Lim Park.
'What do demonstrators want? To get public attention to a cause which they have, maybe the animal lovers' cause or the green movement.'
And while there may be initial public and media interest, this will eventually die down, he added.
Mr Goh, with the other four MPs of Marine Parade GRC, were at the first public discussion by a senior leader to garner reactions to the National Day Rally last Sunday.
For more than two hours, they discussed the four main topics that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had raised: cultivating a gracious society, procreation, the economy and political liberalisation.
Asked by an undergraduate if the move towards more political openness was done out of 'necessity', Mr Goh replied: 'Necessity, in a way. Because to be relevant as a government, you must know the aspirations of the people.
'We can control you, oppress you. But we'd lose you - you'll move elsewhere. So we have to move with the times.'
Other participants were concerned about rising prices.
They were most excited by a point made by Mr G.V. Nathan, 56, from Kaki Bukit.
Aiming it squarely at MP Seah Kian Peng, managing director of supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice, Mr Nathan said: 'FairPrice sometimes is not fair.'
When he buys milk powder for his granddaughter from different FairPrice outlets, the prices differ, he said.
Mr Seah denied it, prompting a loud chorus of 'no' from the audience.
He explained that the chain practises standard pricing, except when its various outlets offer their promotional prices at different times.
When the topic turned to the parenthood package, the lack of paternity leave and the need for better-quality childcare centres took the spotlight.
Mr Nukoorsha Kadir, 33, lamented the shutdown of the childcare centre at his workplace.
Mr Goh suggested that employers team up to provide childcare centres, with the help of government subsidies.
And the last issue - how to cultivate a more gracious society - was one which the SM endorsed as most important to him. 'If you have all the wealth and all the babies, but all very ungrateful and ungracious, then this is not the place for me.'
