While we disrupt all NSFs who qualify to obtain medical degrees to serve SAF's needs as doctors, Mindef also allows deferment of individuals with exceptional talents to pursue their own fields of interest before they enlist.
For the sake of Tony Tan candidacy as President, I hope they would show with HARD evidence why Patrick Tan was exceptional against those many others who were denied NS disruption. I am doubtful they can do it. Patrick Tan was only a boy then. His gift if any wasn't something as obvious as spotting a young Mozart as you can tell in music or Yu Na in sports.
Therefore I still strongly suspect he was given preferred treatment. How I wished they have the courage to just come clean. All these nonsense is just creating a vacuum for more investigative journalism and Alvin Toffler has been correct about the technology wide availability to dig out secrets faster than you can hide them more than 20 years ago.
Some say Singapore is drifting into the Politics of Apology. I think there is growing evidence of that trend coming ever since the PM started the ball rolling to save his elections, and Philip Yeo worrying aloud about the government becoming afraid of the people.
There is no need to fear the people if you have courage. Even if you are out of office as a result, you would probably be back when the nation needs you. Think Winston Churchill. But if you are in this for the pay, prestige the whole career works, that's different and very irresponsible. Anyway that's life for much of the surface of this planet and we are becoming ordinary like the rest.
So would my kids have a brighter future? Hard to say. They must taking a leaf from Show Mao, learn to use their heads, their hearts and have COURAGE.
Update: Sep 7, 2011
Found this on the front page of the ST this morning. From Edison Liu, you can tell that it wasn't possible to definitively identify talent for cracking bioscience problem: "successes in the life sciences cannot be predicted..."
So how can one say Patrick Tan would make a difference when the more illustrious Edison Liu could not pull rabbits out of his hat at will to make this government happy?
Rhetoric. If his gift were -less- obvious, then obviously it would have been more exceptional. Think about it. Basically, what -hard evidence- would satisfy you? I can't think of any hard evidence that would satisfy me. Frankly, I wouldn't disrupt Mozart. I'd just put him in the MDC.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do worry about is wasting time on witch-hunts. Heck, if you don't like Tony Tan, don't vote for him.
Don't be naive Trebuchet. It's not just TT, TKL, TCB, TJS and AK wanting to be the EP. The govt is sparing no efforts to put in its own PAP EP for nothing!
ReplyDeleteConcur with anon @1043am,
ReplyDeleteWho has been using underhand means to win the GE? I don't think I need to elaborate on gerrymandering, a bias MSM, cooling off period,
GRCs, announcing election date on short notice, upgrading of estate tied to votes, etc, etc.
By the way Trebuchet, TonyTan, GohCT and LHL were found inside the voting premises in a precious GE but the ex AG ChanSK argued that the 3 men did not break any election rule. Go read up on this case Trebuchet, then tell the readers whether you agree with ChanSK's logic.
The point is, after all that has transpired, can Sporeans continue to trust the PAP, trust what MINDEF say or claim ?
When the government fears the people, there is liberty.
ReplyDeleteWhen the people fear the government, there is tyranny.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of USA. (1743–1826)
"...there is nothing about deities that violate normal assumptions. However, souls and spirits appeal in part because they combine probable features, that can be readily assimilated, with improbable characteristics."
ReplyDeletePerhaps the quote above by Robert A. Hinde, in reviewing 'In Gods we trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion' explains what is happening?
Under Singapore's system of meritocracy, how can it not be that a scion of a DPM/Defence Minister is not exceptional or not granted exceptional treatment? Preferential treatment is not allowed as that is deemed nepotism.
ReplyDeleteLocal singaporeans suffer in the army n doing 2 years and faces challenges from ousiders and here we have patrick who is granted 12 years and still enjoy army life m in camp traing in aircorn room enjoying scho;arship given by goverenment
ReplyDelete