There has been a tendency to become over-pragmatic and
over-presumptuous in everything government does because of the
nature of the government - autocracy.
Under autocracy, the MPs do not question policy assumptions and
rationale and are too afraid of penalty for disagreements to
disagree.
So one by one every policy made for good purpose and intention as
stated became the bible or rule book and got carried away in
implementation ad nausem and people end up suffering.
Meritocracy which was good in intent and purpose originally suffers
badly today from over-zealous implementation to such an extent that
it has reared its ugly head as elitism or snobbery smacking right
on the face of people as witnessed by the Wee Shu Min
episode.
Over-zealous corporatization of essential public services into
various GLCs have resulted in double-charging on lands and
infrastructures in the case of Power Supply and Hospitals resulting
in raising the costs of living and losses of our economic
competitiveness as experienced by PSA.
Now Foreign talent is becoming a runaway unruly horse in the hand
of the civil servants who are likely to push it so hard for years
that many local talents are suppressed instead while foreigners of
tom dick and harry enjoy their bull run at the expense of the
locals.
GST is going to be the same. People listen to some ministers
explaining its rationale. Some innocent intellectuals pretend to
know better and add some fuel to the fire. At the end, all agree
and the civil servants will come in and propose GST increases year
after year until it reaches unbearable proportion of 10-15%.
Come on, let us not be carried away about GST. Foresee one thing
from past experiences. If people do not have a view and do not
debate sufficiently, the leaders will take it for granted and the
civil servants will cause an overrun or auto-piloting of policies
until they really hurt the economy.