Ho Ching's Departure from Temasek Holdings
¶7. (C) Comment: Despite the Temasek chairman's denials, the announcement of Ho Ching's resignation seems connected to Temasek's untimely investments in the financial sector and the private criticism of Ho's performance. Although Singapore can be quick to crack down on public criticism of its leadership, the government is sensitive to low level grumbling and often moves swiftly to head off complaints before they become serious issues. It fits the Singapore style for Ho's resignation to have been made public on February 6, while confirmation of Temasek's major losses only came on February 10. The nine-month delay in Ho's departure may be a face-saving measure, designed to reduce any impression that she is being punished for Temasek,s performance while still blunting public anger and criticism over the losses to Singapore's reserves under her watch.
Need for PM Lee to establish himself before LKY demise
¶9. (C) PM Lee seems regularly to pass up opportunities to define himself as Singapore's true leader. In the short and medium term, he may not pay a political cost for this. The economy is humming along, the opposition remains weak and divided, and with LKY looking over everyone's shoulder, it is hard to imagine a rival emerging from within the tight-knit PAP.
¶10. (C) LKY's death will touch off a period of national angst -- he has been in control for so long that few in Singapore can remember life without him. If Singapore or the PAP were to face a major crisis during this period, PM Lee's failure to establish himself as a strong leader in his own right could come back to haunt him. He could be vulnerable and his leadership abilities would be tested like they never have before. If no crisis occurs or the PM handles it effectively, Singapore's well-oiled PAP-led political system may very well chug along with Lee Hsien Loong serving another decade or more as Prime Minister.
PAP wins old-style election in 2006[
¶2. (C) Summary: In the May 6 general election for parliament, the ruling People's Action Party won another landslide victory with 82 out of 84 seats. The election is another mandate for the PAP to continue its successful economic and security policies. It is not a mandate for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who frequently failed to take center stage in the campaign and did relatively poorly in his own district. The PAP continued to rely on old style tactics, from threats of defamation suits to ad hominem attacks, to defeat opposition politicians. Despite winning only two seats, the opposition parties performed credibly, improved their tattered reputations, and laid the groundwork for the future. PM Lee lost a golden opportunity to put his own mark on the PAP and change its style and get out from the shadow of his father, Lee Kuan Yew. End Summary.
Lack of Independence of Singapore Judiciary in political cases
¶4. (C) This latest defamation case offers additional proof that Singapore's judiciary is not independent in political cases. The High Court will likely grant the Lees' motion for summary judgment -- a legal stretch because the very meaning of the allegedly defamatory words is disputed and the Chees have not apologized to the Lees. If the High Court does so, Chee Siok Chin probably will be bankrupted as has her brother, Dr. Chee Soon Juan. Dr. Chee already is effectively prohibited from traveling outside Singapore; the GOS holds his passport and he must seek its permission to travel until he is able to pay his debts stemming from prior legal cases. If the same fate befalls Chee Siok Chin, both Chees will be cut off from most direct contact with the international community and, as bankrupts, be prevented from participating in domestic politics.
Govt does not want more Singaporeans to have degrees
¶9. (C) Singapore boasts a highly competitive and well-regarded primary and secondary education system, but the number of Singaporeans completing a tertiary education is relatively low. Only 23 percent of Singaporean students entering primary school complete a degree at a local four-year university. In other knowledge-economies such as Japan's, around 50 percent of students complete a university degree. However, according to Cheryl Chan, Assistant Director of the Planning Division at the Ministry of Education (MOE), the government does not plan to encourage more students to get a higher education. The university enrollment rate will continue to be maintained at 20-25 percent because the Singaporean labor market does not need everyone to get a four-year degree, she asserted.
¶10. (SBU) Singapore's education system has been criticized for being heavy on memorization and light on critical thinking and creativity. Based on the British model, the system is highly test-focused and separates students (a process referred to as "streaming") at an early age between high, middle, and low achievers. The GOS has slowly begun to introduce greater flexibility into the system by allowing "streaming" in subjects (rather than based on total average scores) and has created new magnet schools focused on mathematics, the arts, and sports. But there are only three such schools, and the overall education system has changed little.
From:
http://singaporemind.blogspot.sg/2011/09/interesting-wikleak-revelations-about.html
Interesting read, the US analysts are pretty good, if only government planners had half their analytical skills, then we won't be heading into such a mess.
