Ladies and Gentlemen,
The state owned and controlled news media
of Singapore, Channel News Asia of February 1st 2008, carries and
article "MM Lee says Singapore must find fourth generation of leaders
soon".
He says it is necessary to discover such leaders before
the next general elections, and if not, Singapore will be in deep
trouble. We know Singapore is a strange place with some strange laws,
but this one beats them all. I mean a government going out looking for
political leaders!
I have never heard of any incumbent
government which has to go searching for leaders! Should not leaders
have identified themselves yet, if indeed they are leaders? Does not
the definition of the word “leader” mean that they have shown their
ability to lead? And what sort of a leader is someone who is not
prepared to even show himself! Certainly not a leader. And if Lee Kuan
Yew has to go out now, with a deliberate plan to search for them; when
they themselves are afraid to even show themselves; what sort of
leaders are they anyway?
Should not someone tell Mr. Lee Kuan
Yew that political leaders have got to at least identify themselves?
They have to have shown political leadership. People have to know who
they are. They should by now have got the support of the people.
Without public support, no one can be a political leader.
Should
not someone tell Mr. Lee that things are not done the way he wants? He
cannot just go around the country and choose a few educated people,
anoint them leaders, and order the population to obey them forthwith.
It is not the same as employing a CEO of a company. Singapore is not a
company, it is a country. People don’t just work in Singapore, they
live there. The bottom line is not just increasing profits, it is the
betterment of life; which means better social conditions, economic
conditions, better education, a more thinking people, in other words
being able to live as complete human beings. Countries require leaders,
not managing directors which Lee is trying to find.
He talks of
optimum size of Singapore. What does he know of optimum size? Should it
not be the people to decide their population? His arrogance never
changes. It is him deciding everything including the size of the
Singapore population, and it is this arrogance of "I know best"
attitude which is ruining Singapore.
He then talks about talent
pool being scarce in the globalized world. And for once, he admits that
even his grandchildren will probably decide to leave Singapore to live
elsewhere; admitting there is huge suction pump like situation, which
continues to make Singapore’s able and capable leave Singapore as quick
as possible. He admits for once that capable Singaporeans are leaving
Singaporeans in alarming numbers and those already abroad are refusing
to return.
He was wrong in his belief that capable Singaporeans
are attracted to foreign countries by big financial institutions and
legal institutions. No this is not true. They leave Singapore because
of the appalling state of the political situation. Where there is no
human rights. Where you cannot live as free men and women. Where one
man, Lee Kuan Yew is constantly talking and giving his unsolicited
opinions where no one cares. And why should anyone care when it is only
he and a handpicked few that have the right to decide all aspects of
people’s lives?
No, the educated leave Singapore because they
have passed the stage where only bread and butter mattered. They are
not prepared to live their lives in absolute silence and obedience to
one man. If it is God, it is understandable, but Lee Kuan Yew is not
God and total obedience is unnecessary. And since Lee demands total
obedience, they leave for places where Lee no longer can preach to them.
At
at the rate Lee Kuan Yew is going on, he will only have the dumb
illiterate old women to preach to. All the others would have gone to
Australia by then unless Lee Kuan Yew wakes up and realizes that he
himself is the reason for this impossible brain drain. It is not
because of superior financial and legal institutions in Australia.
Lee
Kuan Yew has made many speeches on this subject of brain drain;
educated capable Singaporeans leaving Singapore’s shores, never to
return. But no other country appears to have the problem that Singapore
has. Australia is a net recipient of immigrants, that is, an
overwhelming numbers of foreigners want to come to Australia.
Australians themselves have no desire to leave their country. Why is
that?
New Zealand is a net recipient of immigrants. An
overwhelming number of people the world over want to live in New
Zealand. But New Zealanders themselves stay in New Zealand. Some may
work in Australia for some time, because of the special political
relationship between New Zealand and Australia, which in many ways is
almost one country. But they remain New Zealanders and proud to remain
so.
The same situation in European countries and Canada and
South Africa. Others want to go to live in these countries. Their local
populations do not leave; like in Singapore.
Now let me tell you
the real trouble that Singapore is in with their skilled population.
Between 1999 and 2007, the number of lawyers in Singapore only
increased by 400. For a business center like Singapore, at present, it
only has 3,400 practicing lawyers. And as we speak more and more are
leaving the profession and despite various carrots and enticements, the
lawyers are not taking the bait.
In order to stem the high rate
of resignations from the Singapore Civil Service and with diminishing
numbers of new applicants, the government in their desperation had no
choice but to increase their wages; hoping more money will make them
stay. Sorry to say, it did not work. Despite increased salaries and
wages, ever increasing numbers are leaving the civil service.
The
same sad story with all the other government services. Lee Kuan Yew is
finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain able capable
and dedicated people in government positions or the professions.
The
reason for this almost universal dislike and disinterest with Lee Kuan
Yew and his Singapore, is not because of money. After all pay scales
are good. Much better than any of the neighboring Asian countries and
in many instances even better than Australia or New Zealand. No, it is
not the money. It is Lee himself.
For educated capable people,
it has almost become a disgrace to be called Singaporean. A country
which beats his criminals with a cane for offenses, where you do not
have any of the basic fundamental rights which a free people naturally
enjoy, and the pain of having to listen to Lee Kun Yew day in and day
out, claiming that only he has a cerebral capacity and others have no
capacity at all; zero.
Well big boy, you can have the stage to
yourself. Very soon, you will have no audience left. And you may find
yourself speaking to yourself, ad nasium.
And now my advice to
Lee Kuan Yew. At the moment there are no leaders in Singapore except
for a handful. Dr. Chee Soon Juan, JB Jeyaretnam, Gandhi Ambalam, Chee
Siok Chin and John Tan are leaders. Leaders because they inspire
others; because of the sacrifices they have to make in standing up to
you; and the courageous manner in which they remain undeterred despite
your daily punishment. They have remained undaunted standing their
ground in spite of the relentless persecution they suffer. These are
leaders. Not the sort like Jeffrey Palmer or Hri Kumar SC who will do
whatever you want as and when you demand it. Hri Kumar is not a leader.
He is a poodle. And you cannot expect educated Singaporeans to listen
to him, even if you wanted them to.
Let me tell you this Mr.
Lee. Leaders have to voluntarily come out and lead. People do not
miraculously turn into leaders just because you want them to.
Leadership does not come about that way. You should stop your
leadership search because you are wasting your time.
If you want
the educated to stay, keep your mouth shut for once. Let Dr. Chee Soon
Juan have his say. Stop your defamation actions. Stop abusing the law.
Stop restricting the press. Allow free speech and expression. Realize
for once that others are not as stupid as you think. Listen to the
people. Allow democracy. This way you will stop the brain drain
overnight; but you cannot do this. If you did what I ask, you will no
longer be Minister Mentor. You will perhaps be in the dock in the High
Court facing corruption charges.
And lastly let me tell you one
more reason, even if minimal, for the exodus out of Singapore by the
educated. It is this blog that I write, Singapore Dissident. It is
being read throughout the island. I am constantly reminding
Singaporeans about the pathetic lives they lead under your
dictatorship. I keep saying they should either stay and fight, or
leave. And it is effective in both these ways. Many Singaporeans have
bravely come out in the open showing their opposition to your
dictatorship. Such a phenomenon could never have been even imagined in
the past. At the same time many have chosen the path to leave.
Lee
Kuan Yew should realize that the situation is now hopeless for his
government. It is getting worse by the day. There is still time to
salvage the wreck by his government speaking to Dr. Chee and other real
opposition leaders in Singapore ( I do not include Low Thia Khiang,
Silvia Lim or Chiam within the meaning of opposition) to see how the
present hopeless situation can be improved.
In the meantime, this blog will go on, and the exposure of the true Singapore will continue.
Gopalan Nair
http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-his-alice-in-wonderland-lee-kuan-yew.html
.... heheheee...
... one Malay word to describe this articel in the papers about searching for new generation of leaders...
WAYANG!!!!
No need to search lah. Go bring the grandson hongyi into politics and let the world says that he is practising nepotism.
Go bring the grandson hongyi into politics
![]()
Arghh..........
NO MORE LEEssssssssssssssssss.
wats the use of looking for the fourth generation leaders when the first generation leaders are still clinging onto power and unreluctant to let ig to..? xD
should do it kin kin liao. time and tide waited for no woman or man
can apply or not?
:lol:
Looking for 4th generation leaders? LKY is admitting that his legacy has failed and 3rd generation's leaders are failure too? What makes he think that using a crooked ruler can draw a straight line?
LOL
*claps*
long indeeeeed
Somehow, after reading just the first paragraph, I recognized it as an essay by Mr. Gopalan Nair.
hmm... I bet he will be gone by b4 he can find a so-call political leader... any takers? ![]()
no need to find lah..
just keep paying $millions and ppl will come to your door automatically...
Searching for new leaders sounds so similar to searching for a new Dalai Lama
Pap so kayu, DPM can not be in the age range of PM, look at malaysia,PM and DPM almost same age, pM resign, DPM goes up, anything wrong with the age
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:Go bring the grandson hongyi into politics
Arghh..........
NO MORE LEEssssssssssssssssss.
he is not in the range 30's, so not qualify
We can stop the tyrant's action by overthrowing the corrupt PAP Government