Lessons from Sri Lanka on bad politics, mismanagement and populism
Good politics, honesty and integrity, and good governance are topics the PAP Government repeatedly remind Singaporeans of, sometimes like a broken record. But the experience of Sir Lanks tells us just how important these are. Sri Lanka is in its worst crisis since its independence in 1948. A severe shortage of foreign currency has left […]
The Independent Singapore (TISG) pofma-ed over deceptive clickbait article on K Shanmugam
A correction direction has been issued to The Independent Singapore (TISG) and Mr Toh Han Shih. TISG had, on 21 April 2022, published an article with the headline “K Shanmugam says he may step down as Singapore’s Minister of Law and Home Affairs” on its website, Facebook page and Twitter account. The headline was deceptive […]
Lawrence Wong: political leadership is about an entire team, not one person. Even a giant like Mr Lee Kuan Yew had a team.
“Throughout my life, I have never hankered for post, position or power… So I have never gone out looking for additional work, but somehow the work finds me,” Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said. He gave the example of the pandemic which started 2 years ago when he was Minister for National Development. “DPM called me […]
Three New Faces Unveiled in Sengkang GRC
Three new faces have been unveiled as the new branch chairs of Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) earlier today (27 Mar). They are NUS Assoc Prof Elmie Nekmat; Ms. Theodora Lai Xi Yi, chief strategy officer of food website Burpple; and Mr. Ling Weihong, a lawyer, replacing Mr. Ng Chee Meng, Mr. Amrin Amin, and […]
The wisdom of LKY. ‘Not even my worst enemy has ever accused me of being afraid to speak my mind.’
The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) has a strong opinion of many things. He once said, “I have been accused of many things in my life, but not even my worst enemy has ever accused me of being afraid to speak my mind.” Nobody owes us a living I say to the world: nobody […]
Does GST hurt the poor the most? Arguments from PSP and WP.
Despite Finance Minister Lawrence Wong taking great pains and going to great lengths to explain how the government has designed the GST in such a way that it is actually progressive and not regressive, and does not hurt the poorer segment of society, the opposition WP and PSP continue to mislead on the impact of […]
On Pritam Singh, playing victim and absence of shame in the Raeesah saga
You know what’s the saddest thing about this whole saga of ‘lies upon lies’? It is the total absence of shame. Up till now, there is a complete lack of admission of wrongdoing by the three WP MPs and leaders, Mr Pritam Singh, Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Faisal Manap. There is absolutely no contrition. […]
In a contested landscape, the competence and honesty of the Opposition is not an inconsequential matter
“Tell the truth always, and do the right thing by Singapore, even when it is hard or awkward – in fact especially when it is hard or awkward. If something goes wrong, or something wrong has been done, own up and take responsibility – do not hide, dodge, or spin further lies, to obfuscate and […]
PM Lee’s speech at COP debate: quality of a country’s democracy hinges on people’s values
In Parliament today, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a 40-min long speech during the debate on the Committee of Privileges’ report on the Raeesah Khan saga. He talks about integrity as the linchpin of democracy, that the quality of a country’s democracy hinges on its people’s values: what they judge to be right or […]
WP’s motion for Gender Equality passed in Parliament with support from the PAP
A motion on gender equality tabled by the Workers’ Party was passed in Parliament on August 3 2021, albeit with an amendment from PAP Vikram Nair. This shows that, contrary to popular claim, an opposition party does not need a sizeable presence to have its motion passed in Parliament. The determining factor is whether it […]