DPM Teo is one unimaginative minister who had fallen for Sylvia Lim's trojan horse. Their exchange is carried in Today Online.
Put on the cap of imagination please. We are not talking about now but something more far seeing. The key word in the whole exchange is this: cause-based crowds. It is not rioters, and definitely it is not doing it like we see elsewhere but DPM Teo just can't think out of the box. I have never met him but those who had spoken to him before told me he is so predictable and boring. He is not the go to guy to pilot us through turning points or discontinuous change.
The problem with this government is that it cannot imagine or tolerate that we would out grow Hong Lim Park. The first cause-based group to hit the limit of Hong Lim is the Pink Dot movement.
I am watching to see when and what Sylvia Lim will roll out. Chen Show Mao had earlier planted his Trojan too. These guys are long term thinkers because they have no choice going up against a very dominant PAP. On the other hand the men in white idea of long term thinking is to project the trend into the future. No wonder they are obsessed to paranoia with demographics but yet do not possess the insight and wisdom of the Swedish doctor Hans Rosling.
Singapore society need to grow and Hong Lim Park was one way to create capacity for civic growth. Like the economy, it is grow or perish. That is the underlying and deeper meaning of Sylvia Lim's suggestion, hence her riposte, "..freedom to civil liberty that we want to protect".
All these unimaginative dudes responding to Today Online post on FB don't get it. But over time such types will dwindle and if the PAP do not adapt they will disappear like these fearful types...Can you imagine Singapore as a global city filled with such afraid to lose types? Respect for civic liberties is a cornerstone of a global-polis. We will fail to retain much less attract the best to come here without it.
Update: 4pm
I am sure the expressions members wear in the house was even more telling. Mohership.SG has kindly made them very accessible.
These smart folks, not even Laurence Lien gets it. Just like once upon a time they got misled by the very smart Thio Li-Ann on LGBT. Only the PM and LKY body language told me they were not persuaded.
Update: 10:10pm
Facebook regularly feels that Calvin Cheng should pay them for folks like me to see this on my newsfeed. It has dawn on me even more firmly after my 4pm update how people just don't get it. JG who commented on this post indeed has rare insight.
Of course the PAP always think the worst of any other party. That will eventually be their downfall. Never take your opponent for granted however humble. Best to wait for all the laughter to have subsided before you seize the opportunity for the loudest laugh eh? That woman is not stupid. Neither is Chen Show Mao.
LKY warned that Aljunied would have five years to repent if they voted WP. All I see is the PAP going left of centre in repentance and the WP cajoling them to move further left where they have entrenched themselves! Meanwhile LKY had no choice but retire.
Your most dangerous opponent win by losing and this is hardly original. Chiam See Tong used that strategy first. The arrogant PAP just couldn't be humble enough to learn.
Excellent post!!! I'm glad you caught this. The next time a cause-based event happens and the police is caught unprepared, someone (Andrew Loh?) will dust up Sylvia's words and post it. Not unlike what happened recently in the Little India COI where Andrew Loh dusted up Sylvia's words about the lack of police resources and use it to mirror what the Police Chief now says. Unfortunately, not many netizens catch this too. That's one problem with political discourse these days - we look for "gotcha" moments, a gaffe someone says and replay it over and over. It makes for good TV entertainment. But does nothing to bring the country forward.
ReplyDeleteNot sure abt this trojan horse thing. A good opposition politician raises points when they feel something is needed anyhow. I am also not sure if her real point is civil liberties or soc training. The author might be trying to say that PAP as usual does not want to give leeway for such liberties but I think thats not sylvias point. In fact she seems willing to allow police monitoring of such events!
DeleteThanks. I haven't downloaded it but my guess is this is a speech by Robert Kaplan. He has also recently published, "Asia's Cauldron". He is a big fan of LKY too and I believe LKY also returns the compliment.
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