Harvey Neo: Shanmugam Is Goondu Or What?

[makapaaa]

<TABLE class=forumline border=0 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=row1 vAlign=top width=150 align=left>Starosl



Joined: 07 Feb 2008
Posts: 208

</TD><TD class=row1 height=28 vAlign=top width="100%"><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%"> Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:26 pm Post subject: He understands what WP's slogan means</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap> </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>ST Forum
Apr 22, 2011
He understands what WP's slogan means

I FIND it perplexing that Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam pressed the Workers' Party to come up with a country or system which is referenced by the latter's concept of a "First World Parliament" ("WP should justify its slogan: Shanmugam"; Thursday).

First, slogans are often meant to be aspirational. Indeed, when a senior People's Action Party (PAP) member talked about Goal 2010 some years back, he did not mean that our national football team will definitely qualify for the World Cup by the year 2010.

Second, taking specific countries as models has been done to almost abject failure by the PAP in the past.

For example, one still wonders where exactly is the "Swiss standard of living" heralded by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong when he was prime minister in the 1990s.

I hope Mr Shanmugam will not be drawn into such a game of semantics.

An ordinary citizen like me understands exactly what the WP meant when it used the phrase "First World Parliament". It is a Parliament where there is real debate of ideas and one in which the ruling party does not bulldoze policies through or change the Constitution by its sheer dominating majority.

Ultimately, it is the choice of the voters whether a single party dominance is the kind of Parliament befitting of a developed country like Singapore.

Harvey Neo</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[glockman]

Even I, an ordinary citizen, understands what the WP slogan means. We're so screwed, we have an idiot for a law minister. When he said that we're not a country but a city, I was concerned. Now its confirmed, he is a fucking idiot.

 

[Brightkid]

Even a 87-(88 now ?) year-old man said the Singapore Pledge which all school kids were made to memorize is an aspiration, not a goal!

Either the Law Minister is trying to act blur or is really not sync with his master.

With this standard as Law Minister, it is way past time to kick out the PAP.

 

[SneeringTree]

I like how he has taken a dig at PAP.

 

[Einfield]

Let me educate this PAP prick.

Our Parliament is 4th world, it is stuff with YES man from PAP and over the last 50 years. our Constitution was raped by them over and over again.

Another example on how this 4th world Parliament work.
Old fart's wife is in critical condition, they quickly abolished the Estate Duties law.

Now Mr Shanmugam, you understand better what WP mean by 1st world Parliament? You idiot!

Even I, an ordinary citizen, understands what the WP slogan means. We're so screwed, we have an idiot for a law minister. When he said that we're not a country but a city, I was concerned. Now its confirmed, he is a fucking idiot.

 

[yellow_people]

An ordinary citizen like me understands exactly what the WP meant when it used the phrase "First World Parliament". It is a Parliament where there is real debate of ideas and one in which the ruling party does not bulldoze policies through or change the Constitution by its sheer dominating majority.

For the slogan "First World Parliament" to become a reality, the key issues will be the TYPE and QUALITY of opposition MPs in parliament. It cannot be oversimplified into a numbers game.

WP stalwarts LTK and SL's performance has been less than satisfactory, with SL agreeing with JayaKumar's assessment and concluding Singapore laws are fair and with LTK refraining from answering a direct question from LHL. In fact some of the PAP backbenchers and NMPs had asked tougher and more thoughtful questions in parliament since 2006.

There is no reason to believe WP's hype that having more WP numbers in parliament is going to make any difference. In the end its the quality that matters not quantity.



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[GoldenDragon]

An Ah Neh and legally trained, be very careful.