‘A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him … but of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, “We did it ourselves”. ‘ attributed to Lao-Tzu
In Singapore today, how many leaders can boast of such merits? In this world today, how many can boast of such qualities?
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, to remember the many times they told us they were stupid, and you were dumb and a loser, and that Singapore’s successes are entirely because of them.
1. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew
- “I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn’t be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters – who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.” – Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Straits Times, 20 April 1987
- “Between being loved and being feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, I’m meaningless.” – Lee Kuan Yew, 6.10.1997
- “Mine is a very matter-of-fact approach to the problem. If you can select a population and they’re educated and they’re properly brought up, then you don’t have to use too much of the stick because they would already have been trained. It’s like with dogs. You train it in a proper way from small. It will know that it’s got to leave, go outside to pee and to defecate. No, we are not that kind of society. We had to train adult dogs who even today deliberately urinate in the lifts.” – Lee Kuan Yew on Singapore society, The Man & His Ideas, 1997
2. Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in calling all emigrants as quitters
- “Has the younger generation of Singaporeans gone soft?
Look yourself in the mirror and ask:
Am I a stayer or a quitter?
Am I a fair-weather Singaporean or an all-weather Singaporean?”
3. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
- Change has to take place in Singapore but change must take place not (between parties) but within the PAP….As long as the PAP changes itself, and continues to provide clean and good government, and the lives of Singaporeans improve, the country is much better off with one dominant, strong, clean, good party.
- If the salary gap between ministers and the private sector gets wider, will Singapore have a better or poorer choice of leaders?
4. Teo Ho Pin, Chairman of Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC
- They (residents) should thank the Town Council for working hard to come up with a diversified portfolio to generate income so that residents do not have to fork out more money.
I am sure there are many more examples. Call me idealistic, but I still think that political leaders can be humble and still can get the job done. People who step into politics to grab power or money should really reflect whether they are in the right profession or not. However it is difficult to make them reflect. They are too well-paid and the results of their mis-management do not affect them.
9 Comments
January 21, 2009 at 11:30 pm
[...] Reasons: PAP Government obviously wants to save its ammo, in the fear that it will run too low on ammo, given Ho Ching’s strong performance in the stock markets.It also does not betray its fundamental belief that pump-priming the economy will work, given Singapore’s high amount of leakage due to imports, and Singaporeans’ prospensity to save more during bad times, and also that giving Singaporeans cash will develop a clutch mentality which will eventually lead to Singapore’s collapse. It is able to do so, because it will not call elections soon, and hence do not need to bother about those lesser mortals YET. The one-year cycle will buy them enough time to hope that the world’s economy will improve by then, and along with it Singapore’s economy.In the meantime, mainstream press will do damage control and distract readers, and hopefully move Singaporeans on to forgetting such a budget. If within one year, the economy grows worse, then the PAP government will go on its bended knees and throw money at these lesser mortals, and buy back their votes. They cannot wait too long, as the old man might….and that’s when even throwing money at lesser mortals might not stop these lesser mortals from throwing the PAP government out once the immortal has gone on to a better place, and there is no one for them to fear or be grateful to anymore. and no, Teo Ho Pin doesn’t count. [...]
December 24, 2008 at 1:17 am
I think rivalry will not go away. Any nice things said could be for PR reasons.
Beating neighbours could just be a benchmark, like every target you set for yourself, use that to keep ourselves forward.
Thats my opinion.
Singaporeans are slow too change. We just don’t see the need to push ourselves out of the comfort zone.
Back to the topic.
Getting ahead is important, given our size we cannot afford to drop below the rest.
If we don’t it now, are we going to do it when our neighbours wake up one day and say let’s do singapore style. The we will be gone.
Make hay when the sunshines.
December 24, 2008 at 3:29 am
oh rivalry will not go away, that’s for sure. but it does not mean we need to blow out other people’s candles to make our own candles brighter. why do you think our neighbours dislike us so much?
if singapore is all about beating third-world countries, then is singapore third-world or first world? Its like you graduate from primary school to secondary school, and you regularly boast about beating primary school kids.
what makes you think the countries want to learn and copy everything from us? Because our government said it? Much as I want to give credit to the government, I am put off by the sheer amount of credit they want to claim for themselves to justify self-enrichment. let’s put things in real perspective. singapore is a small country. policies can be implemented much easily and results obtained much easily. try repeating it in countries which cities are three-four times the size of singapore? since our ministers are so damn good as they claimed, perhaps they can extend their expertise to USA and guide the world out of recession? don’t waste their expertise in telling singaporeans that bus fares are not linked to oil prices.
December 23, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Actually a lot of policies seem to centre around being #1 and beating our neighbours. We’ve been so brain-washed to think Singapore will fall if we are not #1. I beg to differ so but to spare all the ramblings and counter-posts, I think we have shot ourselves in the foot. We have not really achieved much actually but only unnecessary pressure upon ourselves.
That’s why the quality of our policies are declining over the years. So as to achieve economic success and increase our coffers monies. Many of these policies are short-termed and short-sighted. Only to change again when they don’t work out.
From education, to transport, to housing, to nearly every facet of our lives, the PAP government has put their stamp so much that you cannot move until you have their go-ahead.
Do I need to pay millions to ministers to implement policies for just beating my neighbours? It is rather pathetic.
Heh,
Kaffein
December 23, 2008 at 4:25 pm
yes, you see this in social studies and national education when kids are being taught that being number 1 in airport, seaport,education, ministerial salaries makes singapore great. i completely beg to differ too. by the same insinuation, does that mean that those countries that lost to us are shit?
the education system further perpetuates being number 1 via the guise of meritocracy. its much a facade. the elites enrich themselves more, because of the monopoly of power and knowledge.
now you now why we need such a huge SAF? the deterrence is really needed. because we just piss everyone off with our arrogance.
and yea you totally need to pay millions to our ministers to keep ahead of our neighbours. and africa. let’s lump all the third world countries together and compare and make ourselves feel good and indebted to the PAP for
being ahead of Somalia and Myanmar.
Time for some thinking change, starting with education. Start by Either abolishing national education or MAKE students think critically about our nation’s history and roots and why they love singapore, not one-sided textbooks that quote extensively from MM Lee’s memoirs as if its gospel truth and denounce opponents of PAP as radical. pathetic.
December 23, 2008 at 11:27 am
[...] Daily Discourse – Wayang Party Club: PAP and its mouthpiece in desperate damage control mode – TOC: Stop training low-level workers, WDA – cavalierio: In between the silence – The boy who knew too much: A Christmas Shopping Experience, Singaporean style – Everyday’s Life in a Snapshot: humble leaders – mutually exclusive? [...]
December 23, 2008 at 11:08 am
Wow, good tracking!!!
December 23, 2008 at 2:50 am
At least we are still progressing, some glitches here and there, fine if we are ahead of our neighbours
December 23, 2008 at 9:42 am
is getting ahead of our neighbours the only thing singapore aspires to do?
do we pay them so much only to get ahead of our neighbours?