Why despite all the newspapers' surveys and findings of people's real concerns, come election or the next parliament sitting, there is still no change judging by the past responses of government to such findings ?
In my opinion, people, newspapers and politicians know the truths affecting our economy and social and cultural cohesion but powerful forces exist to prevent change.
For example as reported in Today's Weekend edition (3.6.2006 "Upgrading carrot downgraded"),
"A month after Hougang and Potong Pasir voters sniffed at the $180 million offered for their wards, results from a survey indicate that more Singaporeans are downgrading the upgrading carrot.
About 1,000 people sent upgrading to the bottom of a list of issues of concern. Similarly there were more detractors - mostly the pre-independence group and the university/professional group - of unfairness of this policy than for any other aspect polled of the election system.
Overall, traditional election issues did not rank highly. Cost of living, including health care, the job situation, the work of the former MP and party manifestos did not crack the top five voting concerns."
In my opinion, these powerful forces are two: (1) Law of Pragmatism (2) Law of Power.
Under the Law of Pragmatism, a very strong past policy of the government adopted by our founding father, the state is the priority in implementing any policy and people's welfare, morality and equity are secondary. The usual denial phrase is: for the long term good of the country without clearly defined meaning of "long term" (how long) and "Good of country" (is it the same as that of the people or only national surplus or government's own image or report card).
Under the Law of Power (Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely), the government seems to take the usual attitude in dealing with any problem that as long as it can go to the parliament or cabinet to get any laws passed as it wants, there is nothing the citizens can do about their conduct as laws or legality is the end-view.
Unless these past habit of government and ministers in over-relying on the above-stated two strong hidden forces to get what they want are understood, there will be no change even if the newspapers (Today "PAP must soften its image: MP 3.6.2006) keep publishing such feedbacks to thee government.
This kind of over-domineering intrinsic government philosophy should be changed as otherwise the government ministers will continue to be over-pragmatic and ignore more creative solutions to problems and ground feedbacks do not count in their policy formulations which will be over-shadowed by these two hidden powerful forces of assumptions.
The fact that such two laws exist can be summed up in the frequent phrase used by our MM Lee: "If you are not satisfied or happy, (indicating his reliance on his legalistic power or Law of Power) you can form a party and take us on in the next election (indicating his confidence of his pragmatism assumptions of the past) ..I know what I or PAP am doing is right"