Former ISD director on Hypocrisy in PM Lawrence Wong’s message of success

[Hightech88]

https://www.tremeritus.net/2024/06/29/hypocrisy-in-pm-lawrence-wongs-message-of-success

It must be the biggest guff ever uttered by a prime minister that can be the apex of hypocrisy.by a stateman. How can a sane (maybe questionable) PM Lawrence Wong spout such egregious crap in his message of emphazising the need for a broader definition of success in Singapore to move away from the SC's - cash, car, credit card, condominium and country club - citing their adverse effects.

What kind of abject hypocrisy is that when the prime minister and his cohorts are wallowing in luxury with their obscene astronimical pay while the plebeian Singaporeans are struggling with a high cost of living? PM Lawrence Wong has not even touched on the neccesity of reducing the obscene ministerial pay when there is now a torrent of of demand to start looking into the urgency of modifying down the astronomical ministerial salaries which PM Lawrence Wong may ignore at his peril.

There is a very caustic article in the Independent Singapore website today by Academic Prof Donald Low of Hong Kong University which calls out PAP's hypocrisy, blatant double standard and self-righteousness which he derided as contemptible..He does not mince his words in admonishing the PAP to stop its preaching and talking down to the people and check its hypocritical holier-than-thou attitude. Prof Low was the Associate Dean executive and education at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore before he resigned in 2018. He now teaches at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

His pungent critique covers the period from Lee Hsien Loong as prime minister and extends to our parvenu prime minister Lawrence Wong who started promisingly as an iconoclast but seems to slide into disorientation, especially on the critical matter of reducing he obscene ministerial pay. He seems to be enraptured by Lee Hsien Loong's affluent luxurious livelihood and the thought of relinguishing it is now an aversion to him, notwithstanding whether the queston of plundering the people's wealth can be a denouement into something more ominous now or in the future to force the hands of PM Lawrence Wong to concede to public demand.

Yoong Siew Wah
Mr. Yoong Siew Wah was the Director of Singapore’s Internal Security Department (ISD) from 1971 to 1974. He was Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in the 1960s, and had a distinguished career in the Singapore Special Branch in the 1950s.
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[k1976]

This so-call Ex-Big Shot Sir must have mental issue?

 

[nabeifuckpap]

100% correct should claw back more than 70% of their pay and refund it to citizens over promise under deliver

 

[k1976]

Boss John, Kym?

 

[Papsmearer]

100% correct should claw back more than 70% of their pay and refund it to citizens over promise under deliver

and make it retroactive claw back

 

[eatshitndie]

“elites makan steak and lobster. coolies makan insects.” and “you die your biz.”

 

[True Believer]

100% correct should claw back more than 70% of their pay and refund it to citizens over promise under deliver

Mercenaries would never agree to such a pay cut since it is precisely $$$ that drew them to the job in the 1st place.

 

[True Believer]

The Pappies' definition of success and their definition for the masses

 

[True Believer]

“elites makan steak and lobster. coolies makan insects.” and “you die your biz.”

 

[True Believer]

It is clear where ESM Goh Chok Tong's heart was when he said: "To any one of us here, $1 million is a lot of money. So where do you want to get your ministers from? From people who earn only $500,000 a year, whose capacity is $500,000 a year? So (when) I look for ministers, anybody who wants to be paid more than half a million, I won’t take him. You are going to end up with very very mediocre people, who can’t even earn a million dollars outside to be our minister. Think about that. Is it good for you, or is it worse for us in the end?"

 

[Hightech88]

PAP's definition of success....:

 

[k1976]

 

[glockman]

Autocrats and dictators will pay themselves whatever they want. Because they can. And sinkies do not mind that, judging by the fact they keep voting for the pap.

 

[glockman]

This so-call Ex-Big Shot Sir must have mental issue?

You referring to the author of the article? Why you say he has mental issues?

 

[k1976]

You referring to the author of the article? Why you say he has mental issues?

Do u feel we have over empathsize on materialastic factors in our society?

Are we sending right message to our kids and setting a good example.

TBH, i am very supportive of PM Wong idea to move away from 5C. Our country need to think and chart a road for substainable future...rather than falsed prosperity mirages like Tiongkok had encountered

 

[birdie69]

Mercenaries would never agree to such a pay cut since it is precisely $$$ that drew them to the job in the 1st place.
View attachment 204287

MP Tin Pei Ling would be the 1st one disagree, she might threaten to do more job.hopping if her MP pay reduced

 

[glockman]

Do u feel we have over empathsize on matetialostic factors in our society?

I agree! It has become such a big part of sinkie life, which is so sad. Yes we need money to lead a comfortable life. Beyond that, it's useless. The pap can start the ball rolling by taking a pay cut. Then there'll be a trickle down effect.

 

[jw5]

He should have investigated them when he was at CPIB and ISD. It's too late now.

 

[JohnTan]

Yoong Siew Wah
Mr. Yoong Siew Wah was the Director of Singapore’s Internal Security Department (ISD) from 1971 to 1974. He was Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in the 1960s, and had a distinguished career in the Singapore Special Branch in the 1950s.

It's sad that even a former ISD director can go over to the dark side.

 

[Willamshakespear]

It is clear where ESM Goh Chok Tong's heart was when he said: "To any one of us here, $1 million is a lot of money. So where do you want to get your ministers from? From people who earn only $500,000 a year, whose capacity is $500,000 a year? So (when) I look for ministers, anybody who wants to be paid more than half a million, I won’t take him. You are going to end up with very very mediocre people, who can’t even earn a million dollars outside to be our minister. Think about that. Is it good for you, or is it worse for us in the end?"

It is an interesting perspective from our former PM & ESM Goh Chok Tong....

Do allow me to share a personal experience....

The insignificant nobody me once met up with old friends known since as kids at a cafe for breakfast, & thru the years, they matured & became CEOs & executives of blue chip stock companies, to close a deal. The deal went thru, they left, & I was left alone to work out the finer details of the deal thru my laptop.

It took me several hours, & by lunch, was feeling hungry, & even nostalgic as a rare gathering of known friends thru the years, as teens we would book a chalet at East Coast park, BBQ chicken wings & share discussions, had happy times, even right up to our NS service, a bond unbroken.

So within the shopping complex, I found an outlet that boasts BBQ buffalo chicken wings. Sadly, it tastes nothing like BBQ wings, even after eating 1/3 of it. I just smile at the cashier, paid the bill for rather expensive but tasteless food, & left instead to go to Chatterbox chicken rice at Mandarin Orchard, as it often evokes nostalgia, not just great & legendary food, even if not BBQ...far more expensive but a kind of COMFORT food to some...

I am not a fussy eater or an epicurean. Food to me is just to fill a BASIC need. As I am often busy, even a $5 cai peng at a hawker stall will serve my BASIC needs.

The point of this post is - nothing is for free in this World. Pay peanuts & one gets monkeys. It is good to give others a chance, but under situations of needs in a perennial world of conflicts & Humanity shortcomings , should one go for the untested or the tried & tested?

I humbly apologize to anyone who may be offended by my this post. It's not about ministers salaries, but about WHOM, although imperfect as NO mortal is perfect, can best meet our needs & lead us as an evolving Singaporean society & civilization.