I think to discuss LHL behaviour as army leader is a waste of
time. The result of what Singapore is today, together with the
behaviour of his ministers is a reflection of his leadership
style.
The PAP leaders are disconnected from the ppl, the ppl
sentiments are ignored and planning for this country is done
in classrooom by the so call 'elites'. How could one chart the
future of the country by not touching the ground, stubbordly
believing every western idologies and having no friends with its
neigbours and the big dragon PRC? The Chinese still remember who
visited Taiwanese Chen SB and irating them in LHL first
oversea trip as PM.
How could LHL have been an army leader of any kind ?
His meteoric rise from 2nd LT to Major, then from Lt Col to BG
was all planned and fixed as was his own place in politics
to be the PM after his father had to have GCT be an interim
seat warmer.
Even when he was in the SAF - he was accustomed to all the
issues being ironed out for him in advance, there will be no issues
with vehicle cock-ups, no ration delays from the cook-house, no
messed up during recall exercises, no firing range mess -
everything is always in perfect state as a well oiled military
should be.
Has he ever had the opportunity to be a problem solver at the
lower level ?
Even his leadership in the ‘Singapore Cable Car Accident in 1983’ - was a
joke, when those who were trapped in the cable car was not rescued
until some four to five hours after the incident began at
6.00pm.
During that agonising period, the rescue effort under his
leadership was dithering over the few suggested options - which
included sending Commandos to pull themselves across the cable to
reach the bubble cars, and lower the trapped person from
each bubble car by rope to the waiting pontoon
below; or with the use of fire engine snorkels with their
long armed platform to reach the bubble cars while afloat on
pontoon.
Even when the decision to use helicopters to reach the
occupants in the bubble cars - was the final option left, he
insisted that Israeli 'dry run' with actual mock-up
models be conducted to test the method before the move
was put into operation.
It did not dawn on the BG that winching rescue operation was
part and parcel of air-sea rescue operation of the RSAF - and
despite the fact that the helicopter pilot was a New Zealander that
was on loan to train the RSAF pilots.
Four to five hours of agonising wait, with some of the
bubble cars hanging very precariously - having one of the
two wheels dislodged from the cable, and already
seven passengers had been earlier flung out of the bubble
cars at the moment of the accident.
In any war, four to five hours would have been more then enough
time for an invading army to walk into Singapore, while the
dithering continue over the best method to be decided.
More then six months after the disaster, and with repeated
public criticism continuing, an European reporter suddenly
appeared to write an editorial contribution that it is normal for
such rescue operations to take such long hours in
Switzerland.
Was the reporter paid to brush up the otherwise burnished view
of the Singapore operation ?
Could Switzerland be so inexperienced when cable car operation
has been in longer operation there and with experiences gained
from earlier cable car incidents ?
One has to revisit one of the famous speeches from LKY in the
1956 - said in the Legislative Assembly - to understand the
true meaning of his words -
"Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled
radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and
steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have
already been done, or if these things are referred to again they’re
conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there
will be no opposition to contradict."