A Danish responds to MM Lee’s “mediocre government” comment
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at the rate our extraordinarily talented mm goes round putting down other countries, i believe we will see more of the below:
http://www.mrbiao.com/blog/danish-citizen-responds-to-mm-lees-mediocre-government-comment.html
April 23rd, 2007 by mrbiao
Today, I received an interesting comment from a reader all the way from Denmark. Here is his well-researched and insightful response, reproduced in full.
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I read with interest Mentor Minister Lee Kuan YewÂ’s remark in SingaporeÂ’s Parliament that Denmark, Finland and Switzerland can afford mediocrity in the remuneration of their ministers.
I shall restrict my observations to Denmark and Finland.
These 2 Nordic countries reward their leaders, in both the private and public sectors, somewhat less handsomely than Singapore. Despite this, I would suggest that both countriesÂ’ governments are by no means mediocre, and neither have they evinced any indication of being able to afford it.
Finland has managed to weather the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 90s, a market for 20% of its exports, in no small part due to its successful transformation from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy. Its leading multinational, Nokia, is the market leader in the mobile telecommunications industry, with a global market share of 36% in the manufacture of mobile phones (Q42006) and revenues of €41.121 billion (2006). While most of the credit for this success story can be attributed to the Finnish private sector, Finland’s government had a significant role to play in creating the optimal framework for the flourishing of the technology sector. From the mid 1960s onwards, there were special efforts to expand higher education, with a law on higher education passed in 1966, the result being that Finns are some of the most well-educated people in the world.
The Finnish government was also instrumental in pushing for the promotion of GSM as the European mobile telephony standard, based on the Nordic countriesÂ’ experience of NMT, an earlier, pan-Nordic standard. The early adoption of GSM in Finland provided the platform for NokiaÂ’s global breakthrough. Decades before the global liberalization of telecommunications markets in the 1990s, FinlandÂ’s telecoms market had already been liberalized, and thus had possibly the worldÂ’s most competitive market for telecom operators and equipment makers. Credit for this is in no small part due to the role of the Finnish government. Finland devotes a higher percentage of its GNP to research and development than most countries, and the role of the government has been critical, especially in the early 90s, where public-funded research increased despite recession.
In the case of Denmark, the government made the decision in the 1970s to intensify research into renewable energy. Important research was carried out at Risoe, the government research centre, into wind energy. It took political courage to subsidize feeder tariffs for wind turbine-produced electricity. That decision has paid off handsomely. Today, Danish-based companies have a global market share of ca. 50% in the manufacture of wind turbines, an industry with global annual growth rates of 30%, and estimated revenues of €10 billion (2006, est.). Indeed Denmark’s Vestas has recently set up engineering and research facilities in Singapore.
In more general terms, I would submit that both countriesÂ’ systems and governments are not mediocre, and are like SingaporeÂ’s, acutely aware of not being able to afford it. Rather than Europe being there to catch Finland and Denmark should they falter, both countries have been net contributors to the European Union budget since their accession. Mediocrity is not a hallmark of either society either. In the last 30 years, both countries, despite their small populations, have produced individuals who have won Olympic gold medals, Oscars and Nobel Prizes. They have produced New Economy pioneers, for example FinlandÂ’s Linus Torvalds, the creater of Linux (an open-source operating system and competitor to MicrosoftÂ’s Windows) and DenmarkÂ’s Janus Friis, co-founder of Skype (a peer-to-peer telephony application).
In conclusion, both countriesÂ’ positions as globally competitive economies and high-achieving societies have been attained against the backdrop of low corruption levels, and high levels of trust between citizens and government, and seemingly despite high taxes and comprehensive welfare states. This has not required stratospheric levels of remuneration of government leaders and officials.
Mr. Gregory Glen
Holstebro, Denmark -
A very humble and most insightful rebuttal substantiated with facts and figures to MM Lee's assumption that he has brought about Singapore's success because of his or his party's leadership.
The Finnish ministers did not boast of their more superior knowledge-based economic management producing great scientific achievements and world-selling products like Nokia.
MM Lee should humble himself and try to learn from such humble response and understand that a truly world-class system or leadership is not for him to claim but is for the citizens of Singapore or the world at large to judge. -
" Touche "
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wow, really a slap in his face sia
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and what will LKY say in response? RUBBISH!
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Offending our close neighbours wasn't enough, we are on the war path to offend other western countries. If this keeps up, we can be the World's no. 1 public enemy.
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"the so call SUCCESS" had went up his head and ministars head
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MM Lee is smart enough to know what he said, acutely and purportedly. The fact that we have one letter calmly rebutting his claims of mediocrity against the scandinavian nations implies the likehood that more would have taken outright offence at his degrading speech. Yet this person responds in a manner befitting a learned individual, a product of a cultured and well-mannered stated that has fostered mutual trust between the people and the govt.
Can the same be said of our leaders and its people? How many more countries do our leaders have to offend before they are summarily brought down to earth, a-r-s-e landing? -
in a word.. dignity..
something we can never get enough of
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very very well written response.
think our government will keep quiet...since the debate on salary had more or less quieter down...
cos nobody can do anything abt it... -
Originally posted by robertteh:
very true.
A very humble and most insightful rebuttal substantiated with facts and figures to MM Lee's assumption that he has brought about Singapore's success because of his or his party's leadership.
The Finnish ministers did not boast of their more superior knowledge-based economic management producing great scientific achievements and world-selling products like Nokia.
[b]MM Lee should humble himself and try to learn from such humble response and understand that a truly world-class system or leadership is not for him to claim but is for the citizens of Singapore or the world at large to judge.[/b] -
MM Lee will rebuke with ' We got Creative Pte Ltd'... LOL.. 'Creative? What ,what?? Never heard before..."Originally posted by robertteh:A very humble and most insightful rebuttal substantiated with facts and figures to MM Lee's assumption that he has brought about Singapore's success because of his or his party's leadership.
The Finnish ministers did not boast of their more superior knowledge-based economic management producing great scientific achievements and world-selling products like Nokia.
MM Lee should humble himself and try to learn from such humble response and understand that a truly world-class system or leadership is not for him to claim but is for the citizens of Singapore or the world at large to judge. -
will this be published on papers tomorrow?
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Whatever... but MM Lee has being very rude and disrespectful... Too full of himself... He doesn't think and care for the possible damages to international ties such careless remarks could cause. Sigh.
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He shall really step down. He is really getting old and making more and more nonsense comments which bring shame to himself and Singapore...Originally posted by Slipshade:Whatever... but MM Lee has being very rude and disrespectful... Too full of himself... He doesn't think and care for the possible damages to international ties such careless remarks could cause. Sigh. -
AMEN TO HIS ARTICLE -
To that, MICA will say "BAN!!!"
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what can we say about the old man who still draw 3million a year at making singaporean more enemy?
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Actually Creative technologies might kick the bucket one fine day if they don't watch it. Their market is shrinking and they are desperately trying to find a way to expand it. Recently, graphic card manufacturers are adding sound to their graphic cards.Originally posted by zenden9:MM Lee will rebuke with ' We got Creative Pte Ltd'... LOL.. 'Creative? What ,what?? Never heard before..." -
One day, the old man is going to talk himself into a corner...
.. wherein, a mere apology MAY NOT, suffice for the insulting remarks he is accustomed to... -
Maybe the ST forum will become an international forum soon as citizens from other countries start writing in to complain about the sg government's insensitive comments about their countries.
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Many amongst us have already regarded his words as 'rubbish', along the likes of Dr. M.Originally posted by ShutterBug:One day, the old man is going to talk himself into a corner...
.. wherein, a mere apology MAY NOT, suffice for the insulting remarks he is accustomed to...
The writer was humble and proved that the 2 governments were far from being 'Ordinary' or mediocre.
Danish Writer 1, MM LKY 0. -
Thank God I am out of Sillypore...don't want old man to embarass me and eventually drag the country down..
Maybe ICJ should consider bringing lawsuits against him -
cut you bullshit about calling Singapore sillypore. Just because you are a bloody white pri.ck sucker living in bloody white racist pussieland, that doesnt mean you have the right to condemn this country. right MATE!! bloody pussie.Originally posted by Coquitlam:Thank God I am out of Sillypore...don't want old man to embarass me and eventually drag the country down..
Maybe ICJ should consider bringing lawsuits against him -
The cultural superiority complex (or is it inferiority?) working up again I see.Originally posted by Gazelle:cut you bullshit about calling Singapore sillypore. Just because you are a bloody white pri.ck sucker living in bloody white racist pussieland, that doesnt mean you have the right to condemn this country. right MATE!! bloody pussie.