You know, people keep talking about needing world class salaries
to attract world class people...and having people with a proven
track record.
In light of those concerns, and in keeping with our foreign talent
policy, I propose that we invite the Right Honourable Prime
Minister Tony Blair to be our prime minister.
Hold on! I can hear you screaming and howling, "Is he on drugs?!!
What a preposterous Idea!" Hear me out. This is an issue of great
importance. So just hear me out.
Tony Blair, throughout the last nine years, has shown himself to
be:
- A person who believes in the free market. For
instance, once in power, he allowed gordon brown to set the Bank of
England free from political control. This means that the BoE can
plan for the long term, instead of having to follow the short-term
policies of politicians. This has been hailed by many economists as
a master-stroke. Of course, this might not work for SIngapore. But
that is besides the point. The point is that he has demontrated a
free-market ethos. Under him, the UK has boomed, and has continued
to boom. This makes him very suitable to lead Singapore.
- A person who can balance the demands of Human and Social
Rights with the demands of Law and Order. This can be
demonstrated by looking at the legislation and policies he has
implemented. In 1998, he Passes the Human Rights Act and the Crime
and Disorder Act. One the one hand, he has guaranteed fundamental
rights to UK citizens by incorporating the European Convention on
Human Rights into UK law. On the other, he has introduced a raft of
measures designed to deal with antisocial behaviour and low level
offending.
- A great orator and greatly respsected by the
World, in particular the United States of America. Thus,
having him as our leader can only be a boon to Singapore. If he is
our PM, Singapore's international Status will no doubt be
elevated.
- He is available. Circumstances have made
employing him something within the realms of possibility as opposed
to something that is mere fantasy.
- Costs can be Cut. It is a truism that the
government has a responsiblity to spend taxpayers' money wisely and
prudently. Accoring to the Guardian, in 2002, his annual salary was
in the region of £200 000. That makes its about S$600000. Say we
increase his pay to S$1.5 million. Surely he cannot resist such a
pay rise!
Yes, he has made mistakes. Going to Iraq was undoubtedly a
disaster, in terms of international relations. However, I do not
thinkit is fair to judge him on one incident. It was a mistake and
he had to make a decision. It was, on hindsight, a wrong decision.
We should not allow a moment of weakness to detract from his other
acheievements. On balance, therefore, I think it is clear that he
is the man for us. With him as our PM, Singapore will and can
progress economically, socially and politically.
Think about it.
