"What happens when the future has come and gone?" - Robert Half

***

Short notes on:

SM Goh confident PAP will eventually win back Hougang

"Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has said Singapore's political system should facilitate the emergence of a strong, effective government after every election and a responsible, constructive opposition."
The perpetual 2/3 majority allows the government to be strong and effective in shepherding the country through unknown and perilous waters, and vigorous defamation suits ensure the opposition is kept responsible and constructive.

Mr Goh noted that the opposition parliamentarian for the area since 1991, Low Thia Khiang, believes his job is just to ask questions and check the ruling party, but not to offer solutions to problems. Mr Goh said this is a rather narrow view of the role of an opposition."
The only problem a normal MP should have to solve is leaking water pipes and constituents' parking fines.

"The Senior Minister has thrown a challenge to the advisor and grassroots leaders of the Hougang division - to keep its incumbent Mr Low on his toes.

Mr Goh said, "Amongst the things you can do... I suggest you study the annual accounts of the town council to ensure that the funds are properly used. Check whether the arrears for S&C (service and conservancy) charges are piling up, and eating into their reserves. Make sure that enough money is put aside for cyclical maintenance."
Good idea. In fact, the annual accounts of all town councils should be put online so ordinary citizens can ensure that the funds are properly used. Transparency and all that.

"In your walkabouts, check on the estate maintenance. If Mr Low has done a good job, give him credit for it. If there are deficiencies, point them out to the residents. In short, play the role of an effective opposition in Hougang."
Since our political system facilitates a strong and effective government, their party constituencies do not need an effective opposition. You have to be very, very strict with anyone who attacks the PAP MPs in scurrilous ways or calls into question their competence.

"In India, the world's largest democracy, several criminals have been elected into Parliament and some are serving jail terms, including one convicted murderer who is waiting for his appeal to be heard... Can you imagine MPs with criminal records holding the future of Singapore in their hands?"
Indeed. Those who violate the peace by speaking in public without a permit or who defame others (Defamation is Section 499 of the Penal Code [NB: IANAL]) should not be allowed to hold the future of Singapore in their hands.

"While serving as economics director in Monetary Authority of Singapore in 1994, Tharman [Shanmugaratnam, Minister of Education from 2004 till 2008] was charged under the Official Secrets Act for inadvertently releasing Singapore's 1992 second-quarter flash projections to a research director and economist of a securities company and journalists from the Business Times. Tharmam was convicted by Senior District Judge Richard Magnus and fined SGD$1,500 along with the other men."

"The mission of the Education Service is to mould the future of the nation"


Footnote:

Explanation 3 for Defamation:

"An imputation in the form of an alternative, or expressed ironically, may amount to defamation."

In other words, irony is dead in Singapore.