Temasek Review - January 25, 2010
Written by Our Correspondent
PAP MPs rallied to the side of Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew
after a citizen asked Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen last Friday
during a dialogue session with NUS Alumni on why he is not stepping
down. (read article
here)
Dr Ng replied that his constituents at Tanjong Pagar are free to
vote him out if they feel he is not “adding value” to
Singapore.
Chinese tabloid Shin Min daily responded swiftly with a
blatantly one-sided article defending MM Lee quoting from a few PAP
MPs all of whom implored Lee to stay on.
Fellow Tanjong Pagar MP Baey Kam Keng claimed that Lee is still
“very popular” with his constituents.
Nee Soon Central MP Ong Ah Heng said:
“MM Lee should not retire and should stay on as he is adding
value to both Singapore and Singaporeans.”
Another MP Lee Bee Wah (previously a Malaysian) whose opinions
are now “highly” sought after by the Chinese press added:
“MM Lee has a lot of foresight and is concerned about
Singapore’s future. He will think of what happened 20 and 30 years
later and he doesn’t mind introducing unpopular policies.”
Lee admitted to an audience of Japanese business leaders lately
that he is “not doing much work except forecasting”.
Unfortunately, Lee’s “forecasts” are mostly wrong. In 2007, he
boasted unashamedly that Singapore would enter a “golden period”
for the next few decades. A year later, Singapore became the first
Asian country to enter into a recession and is still barely out of
it.
As Chairman of Government Investment Corporation which managed
Singapore’s national reserves, he or his team made a few dubious
investment decisions which caused Singapore to lose billions of
dollars last year, the exact amount of losses remained unknown to
this very day.
Though he proclaimed himself to be taking a backseat in the
cabinet, many Singaporeans still believe that he is the real power
behind the throne.
A former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee is the oldest MP in
Parliament at 86 years of age. Now assuming the position of
“Minister Mentor” which is unheard of anywhere in the world, Lee
draws an annual salary of about $3 million dollars, or more than 6
times that of U.S. President Barack Obama.
While Lee still have some blind supporters from the previous
generations, many young Singaporeans are either indifferent to him
or are strongly opposed to his continued role in the Singapore
government, judging from the comments posted in the internet
chatrooms.
Lee’s growing unpopularity among the young voters may prove to
be a liability for the PAP in the next general election. He
recently peeved off an entire nation with his insensitive
remarks about Singaporeans in an interview with National Geographic
magazine.
He told the journalist Mark Jacobson that though he was aware of
the fact that “many Singaporeans are unhappy with the influx of
immigrants”, he continued to insist that it is for “good” of the
nation:
“Over time, Singaporeans have become less hard-driving and
hard-striving. This is why it is a good thing that the nation has
welcomed so many Chinese immigrants.” Lee was quoted
saying.
Lee described the country’s new subjects as “hungry,” with
parents who “pushed the children very hard.”
“If native Singaporeans are falling behind because the spurs
are not stuck into the hide, that is their problem,” he
quipped.
[Source:
The Singapore
Solution]
EDITORS’ NOTE:
The Temasek Review is of the view that MM Lee not only does
not add any value to Singapore or Singaporeans, he is becoming a
liability to the nation with many flawed and myopic policies which
caused tremendous suffering to ordinary Singaporeans. We call on
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to heed public opinion especially
from young Singaporeans and ask his father to step down by the next
election or risk the PAP losing votes.
Do you agree with the PAP MPs above that MM Lee is adding
value to Singapore? Share your views with us at [email protected] and
cast your vote on the polling station on the right hand
sidebar.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Understandable that PAP ministers are not for LKY to
retire. Nobody would dare to tell his or
her boss to retire.
What is missing is they keep saying he adds value but did not
state how he adds value.
Bottomline is we are the ones feeding LKY and the PAP ministers,
the people of Singapore should have the last say and should be
taken seriously. We are the boss of LKY and all PAP
ministers. Without us, it is impossible they get paid
at all. Who dare not to listen to the boss? hahahah