Originally posted by 84mmrr:
The Press Secretary critisied Mr Brown for his article
"S'poreans are fed, up with progress!" that appeared on last
Friday's TODAY. If you missed his article, here is the link:
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/127762.asp
MICA's Letter (in full)
Press Secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and
the Arts
Jul 3, 2006.
"Your mr brown column, "S'poreans are fed, up with progress!" (June
30) poured sarcasm on many issues, including the recent General
Household Survey, price increases in electricity tariffs and taxi
fares, our IT plans, the Progress Package and means testing for
special school fees.
The results of the General Household Survey were only available
after the General Election. But similar data from the Household
Expenditure Survey had been published last year before the
election.
There was no reason to suppress the information. It confirmed what
we had told Singaporeans all along, that globalisation would
stretch out incomes.
mr brown must also know that price increases in electricity tariffs
and taxi fares are the inevitable result of higher oil
prices.
[b]These were precisely the reasons for the Progress Package - to
help
lower income Singaporeans cope with higher costs of
living.
Our IT plans are critical to Singapore's competitive position and
will improve the job chances of individual Singaporeans. It is
wrong of mr brown to make light of them.
As for means testing for special school fees, we understand mr
brown's disappointment as the father of an autistic child. However,
with means testing, we can devote more resources to families who
need more help.
mr brown's views on all these issues distort the truth. They
are
polemics dressed up as analysis, blaming the Government for all
that he is unhappy with. He offers no alternatives or solutions.
His piece is calculated to encourage cynicism and despondency,
which can only make things worse, not better, for those he
professes to sympathise with.
mr brown is entitled to his views. But opinions which are
widely
circulated in a regular column in a serious newspaper should
meet
higher standards. Instead of a diatribe mr brown should offer
constructive criticism and alternatives. And he should come out
from behind his pseudonym to defend his views openly.
It is not the role of journalists or newspapers in Singapore
to
champion issues, or campaign for or against the Government. If
a
columnist presents himself as a non-political observer, while
exploiting his access to the mass media to undermine the
Government's standing with the electorate, then he is no longer a
constructive critic, but a partisan player in politics."
[/b]
the progressive package was given to all singaporeans, not just
the poor.
