People may not have the power to do anything but they collectively have the power to stay united and give their views and opinions whether in coffee shops or pubs or shopping centres or in work places.Originally posted by CannyOng:No but what can we do?![]()
the next sinkapore pm will be an indian,Originally posted by t_a_s:He is the potential PM, face look like LKY
I agree with you that the best or ideal solution is to talk to the MPs. For your information I have tried. It did not work as assumed by many. Why?Originally posted by claudetnt:Robertteh:
“People may not have the power to do anything---“
I do not agree with the notion that we’re totally helpless. If I’m not in agreement with gov’t policies, I will both write to some web sites and more importantly let my MP know thru the meet the people session. We may seem not be able to achieve much but at least the MP will have to listen to you and for sure he will report back to his superiors these feedbacks. If, more people express their frustrations with their MPs i/o at “coffee shops or pubs or shopping centres or in work places” our leaders will be less cocky, I strongly believe in people power!
To be fair to Minister Ng Eng Hen, the education ministry is only a “happy hour lounge” or “transit lounge” and the ministers are posted there for a short holiday for doing some “good” work elsewhere. At the education ministry, the minister will only do some superficial changes to justify his salary.
Just heard on the BBC today that at Kyoto University they just found that an ape had outsmarted a professor on the computer. Perhaps, It maybe a good either to get this ape to be our next education minister!
x2Originally posted by robertteh:I agree with you that the best or ideal solution is to talk to the MPs. For your information I have tried. It did not work as assumed by many. Why?
Because the MPs are too afraid to talk to such citizens with ideas and options and solutions. They are too afraid.
I have actually entertained the thought of talking to MPs for some months after PM Lee became the PM, with announcement of being open and inclusive and being willing to invite non-conformists to dialogue.
I wrote to youngpap to offer my idea of taking part in its internal policy debates. My request was turned down by being referred from one agency to another who did not bother to talk about the issue further.
This incident only proved one point - all the talk about being open and inclusive is only restricted to their own people and not open to any outside party not known to them. I wrote email to PM Lee and Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan on such rejection but received no reply to date.
It is a close door system and a hypocrisy as far as I am concerned.
I am glad you have the positive attitude and even succeeded in getting through to your MP with your views on issues and problems.Originally posted by claudetnt:Robertteh:
“---I wrote email to PM Lee and Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan on such rejection but received no reply to date.---“
I suppose you have very good reasons for drawing such conclusions and the same applies for the “many.” However, I beg to differ. Initially, I had similar problems with the MP; he just cannot believe that there are people willingly to challenge him out rightly and forthrightly. The first few sessions were not pleasant at all but I persisted and now he has no choice but allow me between 10 to 20 minutes for some of these sessions.
I had written to the PM and several ministers, also, but only one minister responded. It seem that most of our ministers have a “image” complexity and dread speaking or corresponding with the likes of the Roberttehs in our society. However, ironically some of the suggestions I had written to the ministers were later implemented after a spell, possibly the same may have happened to you, too!
Please do not give up, most of your writings are of ministerial caliber and I’m sure these PAP guys must feel ” threatened” when confronted by people like you with differing outlook. They prefer to be surrounded by all their YES men / women. Recently, I was looking forward to Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan dialogue session, so eager was I to question him , I went early and to my amazement all the seats were occupied by grass root leaders wearing the same coloured t-shirts.
“It is certainly a close door system and hypocrisy" at the highest level but let us make it easy for these guys.
We must have Hope and Keep the heat on these guys, please!
Employed by PAP he will sing the same tune as PAP. Just look at him since he became manpower minister he has not helped the locals where employment is concerned. Don't expect anything good from him for he will not go all the way out to serve the public (this is the impression he gave when he appeared on the programme about his typical day of work).Originally posted by robertteh:A good and caring minister must not just follow blindly the policies of the past.
He must plan and carry out his plans to create jobs with determination and conviction and not take the easy way by opening the flood gates to let all the tom dick and harry foreigners many of whom are no talents at all to come in and take away citizens' job and use residents (PR) who took up citizens' jobs to dilute real unemployment figures to hide real unemployment figures among citizens.
This is in his personality trait as can be seen from all his utterances. He is another minister who does not listen to his people but only his own voice.Originally posted by qlqq9:Employed by PAP he will sing the same tune as PAP. Just look at him since he became manpower minister he has not helped the locals where employment is concerned. Don't expect anything good from him for he will not go all the way out to serve the public (this is the impression he gave when he appeared on the programme about his typical day of work).
Some of the foreign professional are not really talented. They need to earn the local currency which can be used to buy many thing in their countries.Originally posted by robertteh:A good and caring minister must not just follow blindly the policies of the past.
He must plan and carry out his plans to create jobs with determination and conviction and not take the easy way by opening the flood gates to let all the tom dick and harry foreigners many of whom are no talents at all to come in and take away citizens' job and use residents (PR) who took up citizens' jobs to dilute real unemployment figures to hide real unemployment figures among citizens.
From 1983 onwards many Indonesians have stopped coming to Singapore for shopping or medical treatments. The surgeons and many medical professionals who enjoyed good earnings at Mount Elizabeth or Lucky Plaza had to scale down their operations.Originally posted by will4:Some of the foreign professional are not really talented. They need to earn the local currency which can be used to buy many thing in their countries.
x2Originally posted by robertteh:If minister Ng Eng Hen become the education minister, it is doubtful he will impart good values to our future generation/
Education is concerned not just with learning of knowledge it is about bringing up good citizens to serve the country.
Education should be governed by someone who has the broad-minded vision about how to motivate citizens to study and work hard and cultivate good moral values like willing to serve the country with honor, honesty and integrity and how to utilize all talents including the practical non-academic talents needed to build the country in every field.
From his speeches so far we can see him as not so interested in upholding moral values of citizens and loyalty to serve their interests.
He is the ministers who openly resorted to importing of foreigners to make up for losses due to brain drains caused by anti-people policies.
He is also the minister who openly supported the policy to increase ministers' salaries without considering the ethical or moral values of being a minister in service of the country.
So we do not expect him to have good moral or ethical values to impart to the future generations.