what LHL said does not gel with what he or his kakis do in parliament and in public !!! Just look at all the negative comments from the original post on a Government official website. As a ST Forumer Patrick Liew has pointed out that “to have constructive, we need to have constructive politicians” first, Here are the examples Askmelah can think of.
[Updated 4 Jun 2014: likedatosocanmeh has a lot better examples and argument than I have here]
PM Outlines BS Five Qualities of Constructive Politics
Source: 29 May 2014, REACH
Updated on 29 May 2014, 11:23am
Original thread started on 28 May 2014, 7:16pm
At the Parliament Debate on the President’s Address yesterday (28 May), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong emphasized that politics should be about Singaporeans’ lives and Singapore’s future.
Stressing that it is vital for Singapore to get its politics right, Mr Lee said that constructive politics will help the country scale new heights, but “wrong politics will doom it”.
Mr Lee laid out his views on the five qualities of constructive politics.The first quality was developing effective policies which improve the lives of Singaporeans. He noted that this would involve making difficult trade-offs, but persuading and leading people to get thing done.
[Askmelah: From 2006-2013, do we have a constructive politics? if yes, why have so many things gone seriously wrong??? Was the ex and current MPs failed to speak up?]
Secondly, putting forward capable individuals of integrity and character to be Ministers and Members of Parliament is also important. Mr Lee said, “Institutions are important, yes. But equally critical is the quality of the ministers and the MPs and of those who aspire to be ministers and MPs.”
[Askmelah: see the above. Somehow Askmelah finds there are a bunch of ball-carry MPs and Ministers (Askmelah is very tempted to name them but I won’t you priobably know who they are) who are very high profile. Thaman, Khaw Boon Wan, Lily Neo, Denis Phua, Seng Han Tong, Sam Tan are some of the good few ones left. The really really good one who are more critical of the Government policies have been retired while they were able to serve immensely e.g. Tan Soo Khoon, Tan Cheng Bock, Chan Soo Sen and soon Inderjit Singh]
Another quality of constructive politics is having a robust and open debate to ensure that proposals are thoroughly scrutinised, to identify the strengths and weaknesses, and come up with the ideas and solutions.
[Askmelah: You call this constructive politics???
WHAT INDERJIT SINGH AND TIN PEI LING SAID IN PARLIAMENT, OPPOSITION MPS RAISED BEFORE]
Mr Lee also added that politicians must also be subject to scrutiny, but “not through anonymous innuendos and insinuation, especially online, that deter good people from entering politics”. Instead, scrutiny should be conducted “responsibly, through open, direct raising of pertinent questions, and establishing the truth, to prevent incompetent, dishonest or self-serving people from getting into positions of responsibility”.
[Blogger Roy Ngerng is not anonymous, raising a good issue of public interest, unfortunately cross the line and see what he got himself into? Askmelah is also seeing more and more good opposition MPs which spoke for the people like Lee Li Lian, Gerald Giam and Png Eng Huat. On the contrary, the PAP are unable to attract good MPs except many career seeking scholars and ex-Government or Governmenet-link GLC officials making up the current cohort of PAP leaders (the so-called “Elites”) many of which are out of touch with the people.]
Lastly, constructive politics should rally people around a common cause. Mr Lee said, “If we end up with factional politics, each group pushing for single issues…or dividing society in pursuit of political advantage, then our politics would have failed Singapore”.
[Askmelah: But Askmelah still seeing PAP MPs trashing Opposition MPs regardless of the merits?]
Source: “Right politics vital to ensure that policies work: PM” (The Straits Times, 29 May)Read PM’s full speech in Parliament, and share your views on constructive politics and the five qualities PM has identified.
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Janvier Lee
29 May 2014, 9.04PM
It always sounds nice but:
1. Why didn’t PAP have Constructive Politics 5 or 7 years ago?
2. Why demand others to clap hands with you?
3. If you want Opposition to help you, then pay them equivalent salary with full access to government data and stats.
4. Opposition is not your Ministers and not reporting to you.
5. 40% only voted for Opposition to slap the co-driver.
1. Why didn’t PAP have Constructive Politics 5 or 7 years ago?
2. Why demand others to clap hands with you?
3. If you want Opposition to help you, then pay them equivalent salary with full access to government data and stats.
4. Opposition is not your Ministers and not reporting to you.
5. 40% only voted for Opposition to slap the co-driver.
Singapore Lin
29 May 2014, 8.50PM
Dear PM:During 2011 general election, you have said that allowing SMEs to hire foreigners is to protect jobs for Singaporeans but this system is being abused to hire foreigners at the expense of Singaporeans’ jobs….you see when given a liberal option employers will hire to the maximum quota and some more the locals definition did not distinguish citizens and PRs so it does not really help Singaporeans to secure a job…the entry level positions are taken up by foreign fresh graduates while some of us are struggling to pay off our loans…
Loo EH
29 May 2014, 6.18PM
“…to prevent incompetent, dishonest or self-serving people from getting into positions of responsibility”?!How about those towkays (all the 功在社会) who are leaders of the PAP-PA-linked grassroots organisations?Ha ha ha!
Loo EH
29 May 2014, 6.13PM
“having a robust and open debate”?!Hey Singaporeans, you guys debated the 6.9mil PWP?Hey Singaporeans, you guys decided to shrink the HDB flats?Hitler is Germany and Germany is Hitler; PAP is Singapore and Singapore is PAP.Hey Germans, be quiet, Hitler is trying to conquer the world!Ha ha ha!
Loo EH
29 May 2014, 6.08PM
“wrong politics will doom it”Titanic-Singapore is heading straight to the iceberg, unfortunately, the PAP is the captain.Ha ha ha!
Loo EH
29 May 2014, 6.00PM
PAP’s good policy：Foreigners create jobs for the locals.The trade-offs：Foreigners take away jobs from the locals.In the past 20 years, any PAP politicians took the issue of trade-offs seriously?If yes, can tell Great Asia who is(are) he/she?So that Great Asia can search for details.Ha ha ha!
Alvin Tam
29 May 2014, 2.34PM
Quoute : “Right politics vital to ensure that policies work: PM”There are no absolute right or wrong politics , just like there are no ‘Right’ Chicken Rice or ‘Right’ Mee Siam …Just my 2 cents
Dalek Singapore
29 May 2014, 8.52AM
I don’t know.Just awhile ago I thought this Government gave the thumbs up for the Philippine nationals in Singapore to observe and celebrate their Independence Day in a high profile area right in the heart of Orchard Road.And just awhile ago the Indian Nationals in Singapore also showed us the power of their collective strength demonstrated against the body that was instituted to protect Singaporeans.Now isn’t all these a conundrum of sorts (for “politics should be about Singaporeans”)?!
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