Dear Friends,
Singapore has done well compared to the ‘hood (ASEAN)
Personally I have done well compared to many of comparable ability in the hood. This I thank Singapore.
I appreciate that and have paid forward by serving my fellow human beings in which ever communities I have been placed in.
PM Lee Hsien Loong, his 2 DPM's are capable honest men who have Singapore’s well-being at heart.
The next rung of the ruling echelon esply the 4 young guns are promising ...
Lest we forget :
But I remember what it was like when the PAP held absolute power.
1.When they held 100% of the seats or at most had J B Jeyaratnam (JBJ) (WP) and Chiam See Tong (CST) (then SDP) for sparring partners ( some say punching bags).
2. Graduate mother policies… (children of graduates have priority in elite schools.)
Non-graduate mothers in many cases were pressurised in dubious circumstances to undergo surgery to their reproductive systems to prevent further childbirth
3. Opposition wards do not get use of people’s tax monies for HDB upgrading…
3. Politicians hounded and bankrupted in very controversial circumstances...
Not there yet:
Many obnoxious legacies still remain:
2. Role of People's Association grassroots movements: even in wards won by the non-PAP parties, the use of people's tax monies are controlled by PAP politicians Link to role of PA in non-PAP ward
3. GRC (Group Representative Constituency) : one ex-PM famously said that this allows PAP candidates to get into parliament on the coat-tails of Minister candidates. If not, few PAP candidates will be willing to stand for fear of losing. Yes, he really said this! Link to what GCT said about GRC
4. Highest politicians' salaries in the world for which (IMHO) few of the politicians deserve
Job only half done:
Hence it is my reasoned opinion that if not for the threat of further defeat at general elections, the nascent reforms by the PAP would not have seen the light of day.
Pluralistic multi-party politics must be supported and nurtured by Singaporeans. It is much too early in the day to stop supporting non-PAP politicians , although none of them are perfect.
I like the recent government reforms and appreciate that all MP's ( even PAP ones) try their best for their residents.
I like PM Lee and the DPM's ( esply the one in the west and would support him if he is called to be PM one day) ...
But #butilovesingaporemore.
Cheers,
Dr Huang Shoou Chyuan
NB: Using the hashtag #butilovesingaporemore, I will share my thinking about the state of Sg over the next crucial few months.