By Andrew Loh
Being selective
Take for example, MM
Lees dismissal of the rankings and reports by international
agencies Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International and
Freedom House. Implicit in his dismissal of these reports is
that freedom (of speech, press, etc) is not important. It has been
the governments stance for as long as anyone can remember.
The contradiction here is that while he dismisses these reports by
the agencies mentioned above, he also cites other international
agencies favourable reports on Singapore such as
Transparency International, The World Economic Forum, PERC and The
World Bank to defend his governments actions.
He is clearly, using selective data and reports to suit his
arguments.
Yearning for something more
Singaporeans, being more educated, better travelled and exposed to
the world, yearn for
something more something more than just being the best or among
the best in math, science, knowledge, work ethics or having an
incorruptible public service.
This yearning is for something which will inspire the human spirit.
And no amount of pure economic progress will address this. Economic
Re-structuring Shares, Singapore Shares, HDB upgrading, Progress
Package, a 1% increase in CPF interest, etc can only do so much.
They are only temporary antidotes for economic malaise.
Identity
MM Lee said, People in Singapore do not equate their political
leaders with second-hand car salesmen. That may be true but he
must also realize that Singaporeans are also very cynical about
their leaders especially after the ministers salary hike and the
recent talk of a compulsory annuity scheme. Singaporeans may not equate their
leaders with second-hand car salesmen but maybe they equate them
with money-grabbers or mercenaries. Which is worse?
Extracted from TOC http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/10/16/why-are-we-still-being-led-by-one-man%e2%80%99s-philosophy/#more-545
