(as posted to Feedback Unit on 15.4.2006)
Citizens are concerned about jobs, economy, social and cultural
cohesions and many other issues affecting their lives in this
election as MM Lee put it in reply to journalist in recent TV
discussion forum: "Does my vote matters".
If government is good it should try many of the above-mentioned
issues and problems as posted to the Feedback Unit.
Try to recall that in the recent prolonged recessions of 1997-1999
and 2000-2002 2005 the government leaders were in total despair
being unable to solve many problems eg. high costs of living and
doing business, over-regulations, loss of economic competitiveness
etc.
(read the old Straits Times to see that our government has met with
many fundamental problems which they have themselve created due to
their over-pragmatic tax and recover system of running the
country)
Before claiming success please be reminded that the government has
still not yet upgraded the economy to the value-adding technology
driven or knowledge-based model announced in many recent economic
restructuring exercises.
In addition, the government has failed to introduce accountable and
transparent system of government to empower and bring about an
environment to nurture creativity, entrepreneurship and
determination etc.
Government will have to understand new problems in the new age and
new aspirations of the younger population. It owes a duty to the
people to identify the bigger challenges and not to continue with
past tax and recover system to avoid further loss of economic
competitiveness or go into domestic businesses to compete against
its own people.
It is time to ponder whether it should be over-pragmatic to
government the country based the monies it could collect to build
surpluses every year to the exclusion of promoting more desirable
values e.g. creating a pro-people pro-business environment,
empowering the people, mass participation in knowledge application
or morality etc.
As the ministers themselves have frequently told the people we must
build a knowledge-based economy and create new technologies
start-ups. We have to establish an education system which will
mould good character and build a socially vibrant society. Students
must be able to think and solve problems objectively and be
effective in our many quests.
Think again whether the government has solved the above-mentioned
problems which is not covered by MM Lee in his TV forum or the PM
in his new party manifestos.
So government should not be over-pragmatic in taxing and recovering
fees to the fullest market values but be more concerned with
building the heartware or people-software needed to engender
people's loyalty if it wants people to believe its latest manifesto
: "Stay together and move forward".
If we are to live meaningfully together and move forward we must
treasure everyone's contributions beyond the narrow policies like
closing down of blogs or licensing of newspapers or banning wearing
of explicit Tee-shirts by anyone or worse tamper with the
one-man-one-vote system to prevent election of political
oppositions. MM Lee should ponder over his frequent resorts to
suing the political oppositions for speeches made in the heat of
election. He should avoid over-promoting the elites and their
rewards at the expense of the rest in society.
Even the hoi polloi or kopitiam people know the basic principle of
what makes a cohesive society where citizens are loyal to the
country and will work as one with the government.
The first prerequisite is we must build a caring system of
government to promote good values as mentioned in the
foregoing.
It is wrong to promote selfish pro-party HDB upgrading benefits or
give out election goodies to induce citizens to vote for the party
in power. What happen if the opposition party in power one day
tries to give away monies likewise to buy votes and what will the
PAP accept such future practice with a smile and acknowledge that
they themselves have started such vote-buying in 2006
election?
Citizens would like the government to think big and try not to
govern the country based on its narrow party interest. It should go
back to real Confucianism to look after the people's interests e.g.
solve their high cost of living and create worthwhile pro-people
values to correct the wrongs implanted over the past years.
Otherwise our future generation will follow the government
practices and become selfish as well and say to the government: "I
will do what I like and study what I like as I want to be free and
feel free to do as I like."
Good luck to MM Lee's thinking that it cannot level the playing
field for the opposition but they must realise that in the first
place it should not try to erect barrier to create unlevel playing
field.
It looks like many problems such as the "20 major problems of the
government" still remain unsolved while the government is loudly
claiming success.
I hope it will be fair and honest and set good example of
themselves to fight the election fairly not through buying votes
with goodies and hand-outs or HDB upgrading.
