Rebuttal to points made at Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum

Views sent by a reader of my blog

A number of points made by PM Lee at the recent Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum can easily be rebutted. Below are rebuttals in no particular order:

PM pointed out that The Economist had recently praised S’pore’s system. However, he conveniently forgotten that the same publication has previously criticized S’pore in numerous articles. Several other reputable magazines and newspapers have also criticised S’pore’s system, but they have been routinely slapped with multi-million-dollar defamation lawsuits filed solely in S’pore where the outcomes are certain (of course!!). Therefore, is the PM practising selective reading here?

In justifying the stratopheric pay for cabinet ministers, the PM said that past US presidents usually earn millions from speaking engagements and book publications. I wish to remind the PM that these monies don’t come from taxpayers. They come from willing buyers/payors in a competitive private setting. By contrast, the monstrous ministerial salaries are totally funded by taxpayers money. Furthermore, the oft repeated claims that our ministers are highly talented and thus, highly sought after in the private sector should mean that they can also easily earn the same millions by writing books and from speaking engagements?? No? What about the highly lucrative board positions at numerous GLCs and statutory boards given to our ministers after they step down? What about their special pension that starts paying them $179,000/year from age 55 till death? What about the huge benefits both pecuniary and in-kind our minister’s family members derive from him being in office? One just needs to check out the positions held by spouses and children of our senior civil servants and ministers.

PM claims that only PAP has an “A Team”, but the people have witnessed that their performances have been far from “A” grade. PAP is becoming like the ill-fated Titantic ship whose captain has become complacent and aloft.

In defending the GRC concept, PM said that some of the current ministers would not be in office had they started off contesting in SMCs. The same argument should apply to opposition party candidates. How do the people know whether these candidates are as “lousy” as PM made them out to be if they are not eve given a chance to hold office? All opposition party candidates face a baptism of fire at election. Nowhere else in the world do we have a political party candidate cruising to officer without having to fight an election!!

The NUS forum wasn’t aired on national TV, so the public won’t know what questions the students raised and whether they disagreed with the PM. It would be very very sad for S”pore as a nation if our varsity students are just a bunch of unthinking yes-men.

TY