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Singapore - a Nation or an Economy?
- Thread starter scroobal
- Start date
LHL is a TECHNOCRAT/POLICY WONK period. Ironically, even Chua Mui Hoong and Zuraidah Ibrahim seemed to imply as much in their ST articles this week. LHL appears to have never been cut out to be a political leader, he clearly lacks the touch. LKY has the touch, so too GCT in his own 'wooden' football analogy prone manner. LHL's laugh appears contrived, so too the stupid Nokia video stunt, and if he thinks that the discerning public really believe that his mother took home less earnings by allocating more quality time with the Lee family than he really needs to take a reality check.
PS. However I must say one thing in his favour, I agree with Chua Mui Hoong that this NDR08', LHL appeared the most comfortable and relaxed and too a certain extent more human than I have ever seen before.
PS. However I must say one thing in his favour, I agree with Chua Mui Hoong that this NDR08', LHL appeared the most comfortable and relaxed and too a certain extent more human than I have ever seen before.
LHL is a TECHNOCRAT/POLICY WONK period. Ironically, even Chua Mui Hoong and Zuraidah Ibrahim seemed to imply as much in their ST articles this week. LHL appears to have never been cut out to be a political leader, he clearly lacks the touch. LKY has the touch, so too GCT in his own 'wooden' football analogy prone manner. LHL's laugh appears contrived, so too the stupid Nokia video stunt, and if he thinks that the discerning public really believe that his mother took home less earnings by allocating more quality time with the Lee family than he really needs to take a reality check.
PS. However I must say one thing in his favour, I agree with Chua Mui Hoong that this NDR08', LHL appeared the most comfortable and relaxed and too a certain extent more human than I have ever seen before.
Agree in the main. Would however like to see policy with his prints on it. To date I can't recall any. I however remember the 2 instances where he was very determined to have his say 1) the scrapping of the people mover ti Sentosa which sent the industry into a tizzy and 2) pricing of singtel IPO. During both episodes you could sense his steely determination.
I suspect that his cancer might have triggered him to think about life.
Looks like Hen is the last man standing.
Yes, he was relaxed and calm this time around.
did i recall wrongly or was it reported that some MPs are taking this term as their last?
Dear Porfirio
An officer is trained, a scholar nurtured , a gentleman taught, but a ass kissing, baby smooching, candy stealing politician ? Can that be taught in any form ? Can leadership or a mandate to lead be handed on a silver plate or does it have to be earned through the crucible of political battle.
LHL to put it mildly is as inspirational a political leader as tepid warm water. He is however no worse or no better than the current generation of leaders bought forth by the PAP. In my humble opinion the PAP quest for absolute dominance has resulted in a situation whereby its recruits cannot win or are unable to win except under the most favorable of circumstances. The rewards are high, the risks low, and the punishment for being a "political idiot" or saying or doing the wrong thing almost zero. Politician's in almost winning or in winning by a slim margin learnt to appreciate each vote, each voter and the need to lead and inspire for each victory. GRC's , mandated designer victories say much for bringing technocrats to leadership positions, but say very little about leaders as a whole. That is what defines and seperates the first and second generation leaders from the current, the lack of a real battle.
He was a "Kennedy", born a "kennedy" and raised a "kennedy" but with such a background he as PM should be out ass kissing every week. He might care for Singapore and Singaporeans but as a politician seeing to care matter's as much as actually caring and in this he seem's conspicuously absent in setting and leadership or moral direction. Btw a sushi dinner with the first family is in my mind one of the worst political PR campaigns ever.
Locke
An officer is trained, a scholar nurtured , a gentleman taught, but a ass kissing, baby smooching, candy stealing politician ? Can that be taught in any form ? Can leadership or a mandate to lead be handed on a silver plate or does it have to be earned through the crucible of political battle.
LHL to put it mildly is as inspirational a political leader as tepid warm water. He is however no worse or no better than the current generation of leaders bought forth by the PAP. In my humble opinion the PAP quest for absolute dominance has resulted in a situation whereby its recruits cannot win or are unable to win except under the most favorable of circumstances. The rewards are high, the risks low, and the punishment for being a "political idiot" or saying or doing the wrong thing almost zero. Politician's in almost winning or in winning by a slim margin learnt to appreciate each vote, each voter and the need to lead and inspire for each victory. GRC's , mandated designer victories say much for bringing technocrats to leadership positions, but say very little about leaders as a whole. That is what defines and seperates the first and second generation leaders from the current, the lack of a real battle.
He was a "Kennedy", born a "kennedy" and raised a "kennedy" but with such a background he as PM should be out ass kissing every week. He might care for Singapore and Singaporeans but as a politician seeing to care matter's as much as actually caring and in this he seem's conspicuously absent in setting and leadership or moral direction. Btw a sushi dinner with the first family is in my mind one of the worst political PR campaigns ever.
Locke
Locke,
I suggest LHL take heed of Balji's latest op-ed in Today. Less technocrat/policy wonk more heart, compassion and empathy, especially when Singapore appears to have become lender of last resort to certain western banks while its own people are suffering real pain during this unexpected period of inflation.
As for the Santoro Li episode, fortunately for LHL neither he nor his wife made an appearance, not sure whether this was intentional though? This was in shocking bad taste, never thought I would see the day LKY partake in such an event on public television, just shoes how out of touch he is with the public.
How to win the perception battle
P N BALJI
editorial director [email protected]
.
IF POLITICS is an art that combines practice and perception, then the Prime Minister and his team have their work cut out.
.
Devoting nearly one-third of his National Day rally speech to what is really an old story — what the Government has done and is doing to help you fight inflation — one could almost notice a sense of exasperation in Mr Lee Hsien Loong’s voice when he thought aloud: How come some Singaporeans don’t appreciate all the goodies that are being given to them?
.
Or, in keeping with the spirit and tone of his three-hour speech on Sunday night: Why money no enough?
.
The PM had some answers. The Government does not make a song and dance of the help dished out. The help is indirect, not as direct as putting cash in your hand. And many don’t connect it with the prices of essential items that are going up atunstoppable speed.
.
These make up only part of the story. The other part is both fundamental and core to the way Singapore is governed.
.
It has to do with the way the goodie box is given out. Most of the goodies have caveats attached to them. To get the Workfare Income Supplement, low-skilled older workers must first contribute to their CPF Medisave accounts. To qualify for the Home Ownership Plus Education scheme, poor families cannot have more than two children, the wife must be 35 years old and under, and there must be no divorce.
.
Underpinning this approach is the belief that the government should not be seen as a Santa Claus. It has worked for Singapore as it bulldozed its way from a sleepy backwater fishing village to amodern metropolis.
.
In the process, the country moved from one that was careful with money to one that began to slowly loosen its purse strings.
.
This year alone, $3 billion was given out. This is no small sum but to the average heartlander trying to keep his head above water, the figure is not something he can grasp, let alone imagine.
.
You can go down to the ground and try and win the perception battle by explaining, like the PM did very patiently and very graphically on Sunday.
.
You might get a few converts but when they come face-to-face with the harshreality of a shrinking dollar, rationality will take a back seat.
.
What also needs to be done is to see how the giving, at least for those who need immediate pain relievers in extraordinary situations like today’s, can be done in a give-now-talk-later fashion. Move away as much as possible from aid that is tied to too many conditions. And don’t pay out in instalments, please. Wherever possible, hand out money in one lump sum.
.
For these to happen, the Government needs to move away from relying on the “What If ...” questions. What if he considers it free cash? What if he spends it allon unnecessary things?
.
Those questions can be asked when times are good, not when what many are looking for is quick and easy relief. That will call for a further tweak to the way Singapore has been governed all these years. .
In his fifth Rally speech on Sunday, traces of that approach were still evident. The PM talked about getting Singaporeans to meet and, hopefully, get hitched. He also spoke about how Singaporeans should be more gracious.
.
Both bring back memories of years gone by and should really be left in the realm of individual and independentaction.
.
What we also saw on Sunday night was a modern-day PM not just showing his mastery of the nuances of policy making but his display of connectivity with a handphone doubling up as a video camera, live phone chat with our man at the Beijing Olympics, charts ... the works. Even the words he chose — lobang, for instance — showed his willingness in wanting to connect with the ground.
.
The next step is to show how his Government will stamp its mark by getting his ministers, MPs, civil servants and grassroots activists to fight the perception battle and win it.
It is not just the Singaporean’s mindset that needs to be changed.
I suggest LHL take heed of Balji's latest op-ed in Today. Less technocrat/policy wonk more heart, compassion and empathy, especially when Singapore appears to have become lender of last resort to certain western banks while its own people are suffering real pain during this unexpected period of inflation.
As for the Santoro Li episode, fortunately for LHL neither he nor his wife made an appearance, not sure whether this was intentional though? This was in shocking bad taste, never thought I would see the day LKY partake in such an event on public television, just shoes how out of touch he is with the public.
How to win the perception battle
P N BALJI
editorial director [email protected]
.
IF POLITICS is an art that combines practice and perception, then the Prime Minister and his team have their work cut out.
.
Devoting nearly one-third of his National Day rally speech to what is really an old story — what the Government has done and is doing to help you fight inflation — one could almost notice a sense of exasperation in Mr Lee Hsien Loong’s voice when he thought aloud: How come some Singaporeans don’t appreciate all the goodies that are being given to them?
.
Or, in keeping with the spirit and tone of his three-hour speech on Sunday night: Why money no enough?
.
The PM had some answers. The Government does not make a song and dance of the help dished out. The help is indirect, not as direct as putting cash in your hand. And many don’t connect it with the prices of essential items that are going up atunstoppable speed.
.
These make up only part of the story. The other part is both fundamental and core to the way Singapore is governed.
.
It has to do with the way the goodie box is given out. Most of the goodies have caveats attached to them. To get the Workfare Income Supplement, low-skilled older workers must first contribute to their CPF Medisave accounts. To qualify for the Home Ownership Plus Education scheme, poor families cannot have more than two children, the wife must be 35 years old and under, and there must be no divorce.
.
Underpinning this approach is the belief that the government should not be seen as a Santa Claus. It has worked for Singapore as it bulldozed its way from a sleepy backwater fishing village to amodern metropolis.
.
In the process, the country moved from one that was careful with money to one that began to slowly loosen its purse strings.
.
This year alone, $3 billion was given out. This is no small sum but to the average heartlander trying to keep his head above water, the figure is not something he can grasp, let alone imagine.
.
You can go down to the ground and try and win the perception battle by explaining, like the PM did very patiently and very graphically on Sunday.
.
You might get a few converts but when they come face-to-face with the harshreality of a shrinking dollar, rationality will take a back seat.
.
What also needs to be done is to see how the giving, at least for those who need immediate pain relievers in extraordinary situations like today’s, can be done in a give-now-talk-later fashion. Move away as much as possible from aid that is tied to too many conditions. And don’t pay out in instalments, please. Wherever possible, hand out money in one lump sum.
.
For these to happen, the Government needs to move away from relying on the “What If ...” questions. What if he considers it free cash? What if he spends it allon unnecessary things?
.
Those questions can be asked when times are good, not when what many are looking for is quick and easy relief. That will call for a further tweak to the way Singapore has been governed all these years. .
In his fifth Rally speech on Sunday, traces of that approach were still evident. The PM talked about getting Singaporeans to meet and, hopefully, get hitched. He also spoke about how Singaporeans should be more gracious.
.
Both bring back memories of years gone by and should really be left in the realm of individual and independentaction.
.
What we also saw on Sunday night was a modern-day PM not just showing his mastery of the nuances of policy making but his display of connectivity with a handphone doubling up as a video camera, live phone chat with our man at the Beijing Olympics, charts ... the works. Even the words he chose — lobang, for instance — showed his willingness in wanting to connect with the ground.
.
The next step is to show how his Government will stamp its mark by getting his ministers, MPs, civil servants and grassroots activists to fight the perception battle and win it.
It is not just the Singaporean’s mindset that needs to be changed.
Excellent point bro. You connected the dots well and conversely the disconnect that the Govt show is rather glaring.
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