I am scratching my head how do you do that? Holding any political party or government to any standard of integrity. Typically I know they have no integrity after the fact. In other words too late. Many are not as careless, stupid or have powerful enemies as Najib.
Look at how the PAP selects ministers. Save a few lawyers and doctors the majority are people they had been observing since they were teenagers. These are their scholar generals, policemen and senior civil servants. The opposition parties have to take much more risk with their candidates. At least the quality of education and experience of the people they can bring in keep going up. However it is hard to judge if anyone is lacking integrity.
No, we can only try to reduce the risks when selecting people and I am doubtful we can do very much. Furthermore there is not much transparency and a deluge of data when they opt to be more transparent. Most of us must pick the issues to study because there is simply not enough time.
I watched how the Americans put their politicians especially Presidential candidates under a microscope. I don't think that is doable here. We are a different society.
My response to GCT is don't talk down to me. Say something more meaningful and practical.
At the end of the day, we are taking huge risks. It is difficult to do better.
"Americans put their presidential candidates under a microscope". but i feel their microscope might had turned rusty lately. Every time I read reports of how Donald trump is now leading the race for the republican candidate according to polls, i shake my head. i am currently a reading a book on henry kissinger (i think you should be familiar with him becoz you seem well-read among all the bloggers). i subconsciously make the comparison between kissinger and trump, times have really changed.
ReplyDeleteWrong comparison brother. Trumph is a distraction and most Americans know it. The beauty of the American system is that it allows a process to work itself out so that everyone including the right and left wing fringe would have participated in the process of whittling down and selecting their leaders. With checks & balances in place regardless of who is elected: Every country has its Trumph equivalent. Ours will be the likes of Calvin Cheng (right wing fringe) and Roy Ngerng (left wing fringe).
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