Politicians pay tribute to President Nathan: will she do the same?

In his post-election press interview Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said we must not forget the older generation whose blood, sweat and toil helped build Singapore. So, three months after the watershed General Election have there been any concrete actions taken or plans drawn up to help the elderly and needy. In China, the elderly […]

Politicians pay tribute to President Nathan: all a show

No one is begging President Nathan to stand for a third term, truth be told. As expected, the government mouthpiece, The Straits Times, has been filling its pages singing the praises of the quiet presidency of SR Nathan which spanned 12 long years. Now government ministers are queuing up to offer their gratitude and extol […]

Tony Tan as Elected President: PAP-anointed EP candidate?

When not one but three ministers lectured Singaporeans on the realities of the Elected President, I suspected a hidden agenda.  Now we know. It was to pave the way for former DPM Tony Tan. Reading between the lines, they are in effect telling us to forget all the talk about Tan Kin Lian and Tan […]

Singapore Elected President: why pay millions $$$ for a rubber-stamp?

It seems Ministers now have the duty to forewarn the public about the realities of the Elected President (EP) post.  After S. Jayakumar, the Law Minister K. Shanmugam, now comes DPM Teo Chee Hean’s lecture about the EP.  The public have known all along that the EP is nothing more than a  rubber-stamp, even if […]

PAP takes hard look at election results: get to root of problem!

The ruling party, PAP, is taking a hard look at the election results. They talked about what went right or wrong, the party’s weaknesses and strengths and how they could improve.  I searched for responses like “be more democratic”, “a level playing field”, “greater political freedoms” and the like. I was not in the least […]

Nathan: not decided whether to run again? Oh no!

Reading President Nathan’s comments about the realities of the Elected Presidency confirms what many have already suspected.  The EP is just a figurehead or a puppet in the eyes of more critical people.  True to its penchant for controlling everything, the ruling party PAP with its two-thirds majority in Parliament  drew up the rules to […]

Tan Cheng Bock to run for President: ruling party getting nervous?

Former outspoken PAP MP, Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s decision to stand for Elected President  has sparked expressions of concern in some quarters of the ruling party, The People’s Action Party which has ruled Singapore with an iron hand for more than 40 years. As an MP he ruffled a few feathers, and now his public […]

PAP’s image problem: a repressive, bullying and intolerant party

At a gathering of friends today at our HQ (coffee shop), someone said with exasperation, “Now then PAP MPs dare open their mouths, and talk about what went wrong in the General Election.” Party-whip notwithstanding, if there were serious concerns affecting the PAP, they should have had the moral courage to speak up.  Now that […]

Institute of Policy Studies poll: being politically-correct

A poll conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in July and August last year certainly surprised me, and many others I daresay. According to a government-controlled Straits Times report on the results of the poll “Most also agree that Singapore should have a powerful leader who can run the Government as he thinks […]

Salary review panel: playing it safe?

No one needs to be surprised by the composition of the salary review panel. Yes, these are all distinguished people but most are widely seen as the establishment types. Netizens are already pointing out why certain people are actually beholden to the government. Clearly Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as acted with caution, the fear […]