It reads like a velvet glove punch in the face of the failure of this 'extraordinarily able' government. Actually it doesn't so much reflect the government capabilities are where their heart is and the embarrassing value system they were hiding. That's why their speeches and pronouncements often sound so hollow and hypocritical. Many can sense it even if they can't articulate it.
Mr. Ho concluded as follows:
Most articulated visions of Singapore deal with things like education, the arts, or even political governance. They usually do not deal with work relations, which actually are at the heart of a society's ethos and culture because work relations define how we treat each other. At the core of Japanese society are its unique values regarding self-reliance and respect towards work. Similar values, although manifested differently, also are at the core of Scandinavian or German culture.
In Singapore there is no such consensus. The supposed social compact between the Government and its people must be underpinned by a consensus about the nature of Singapore society itself.
What is the benefit of more participatory politics if we have a society so hypocritical that citizens complain of poor service and how young Singaporeans are too soft to work in service industries, but in the same breath complain if costs rise because of higher wages? Or a society where a private housing estate raises a huge ruckus because a foreign workers' dormitory will be built in the same neighbourhood, as if it were a leper colony?
Any paradigm shift towards a more egalitarian and self-reliant society as in Japan and Scandinavia will require a paradigm shift. And this can happen only if there is a collective consensus which is at the heart of political exchange. And in that exchange, informed debate will be necessary, or else xenophobia and other crude and emotionally charged issues will obscure rationality.
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