The Risk of a FREAK Election Result and its Impact on Singapore

Below is the list of "12 Uncomfortable Questions" Posted by a "Mr George Yeo"

Your Ultimate Guide to Voting in Singapore 

Question 1: Are you prepared to accept the possibility of a freak election result where the opposition forms a coalition government since many people assume that there will always be enough people to vote PAP into government, thus it will still be safe to vote for opposition ? Your vote could be the swing. 

Our humble opinion is that WP is the only responsible opposition party with the political experience to serve as a check and balance on the government. It has also been proven that WP MPs has actively participated in Parliamentary debates but yet does not oppose all policies for the seek of opposing. 

Vote on 6.9 million Population White Paper 

Parliament endorses population White Paper by 77 votes to 13 (Feb 2013)

All nine Workers' Party MPs and NCMPs, Lina Chiam, along with Nominated Members of Parliament Janice Koh, Faizah Jamal and Laurence Lien voted against was the 6.9 million population white paper, whilst Eight Members abstinent from voting, including Mr Inderjit Singh who stood out among the PAP MPs for his strong criticism of the White Paper

Outcome: The 6.9 million plan was passed without any referendum with 77 PAP MP voted in favour. 

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)'s emphasis on Social Democracy focuses on helping the less privileged and lower income group might not be mainstream but their fight for a constructive and compassionate society, to help those whom has falling into the cracks cannot be ignored. Their voice might be weak due to constant character assassinations on Mainstream media but it is nevertheless a voice that resonates with many of the electorate who believe in a more compassionate and caring society. SDP offers a Voice in Parliament from the social angle which is missing in most parliamentary debate to look out for the poor and those who has fallen through the cracks.

Question 2:  Will you be comfortable for the current slate of opposition candidates to speak on Singapore's behalf in international affairs and forums? Can any of the current opposition candidate be able to make us proud like DPM Tharman during his interview at St Gallen?

Singapore Democratic Party Professor Tambyah has had a distinguished career across Singapore and USA, he is currently a Professor of Medicine at the NUS, and a Senior Consultant at the Division of Infectious Diseases at National University Hospital (NUH). He spoke calmly, professionally and rationally about the weakness of medishield and how it can be improve based on his personal experience of many patients facing huge financial debts despite having medishield insurance. There is no other medical doctor in the opposition that can hold a constructive debate on health and medical issues in parliament.

Distinguished Awards:

• Singapore Science Mentorship Program Outstanding Mentor Award 2009
• National University of Singapore Annual Teaching Excellence Award 2008, 2009
• National University of Singapore Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2007, 2008
• National University of Singapore Excellent Teacher Award 2006
• National University of Singapore Special University Award for SARS online module team 2004
• National University Hospital Singapore Teaching Excellence Award 2003
• National University of Singapore Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2003
• Singapore National Day Commendation Medal for SARS 2003
• National University Hospital Singapore Teaching Excellence Award 2001
• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology in America Trainee Award 1999
• Academy of Medicine, Singapore-Glaxo Wellcome Research/ Travelling Fellowship 1998
• Singapore National Medical Research Council Research Fellowship 1998 - 1999
• Special recognition Award for Fellows Infectious Diseases Society of America 1997
• First Prize, Associates Clinical Vignette Competition Illinois Chapter American College of Physicians 1994
• Intern of the Year Award, Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago,IL 1993 - 1994
• Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Service Medal (Ops), UK Gulf War Medal, Saudi Arabian Liberation of Kuwait Medal for service in the Gulf War in Ops Desert Storm 1991
• Public Service Commission Merit Scholarship (Medicine) 1983 - 1988
• Professor Lim Pin Award (Top Student, Medical Science, Raffles) 1982
• Singapore Ministry of Education Pre-University Scholarship 1981 - 1982
• St. Andrew's OBA Gold Award 1980

Professor Tambyah spoke with deep senses of concern, sincerity and humanity, he bring with him over 30 years of impeccable record in the medical field and at University level, Is he not a credible voice to represent us on International Stage?

Workers' Party, Mr Leon Perera holds a Double First Class Honor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford andwas awarded Oxford’s Gibbs Prize in Politics in his graduating year. Mr Perera is currently a member of the Economic Society of Singapore, the Singapore Institute of Directors and the EDB Society. Mr Perera began his career as a Senior Officer with the Singapore Economic Development Board’s International Business Development Division before Leon co-founded the Spire Group in 2000.

As the Chief Executive Officer, he has overseen the acquisition of over 30 Global Fortune 500 clients in the Asia Pacific region, the majority of which have awarded multiple projects to Spire. He is regularly interviewed on television media outlets such as Channel NewsAsia, BBC World and Bernama TV. His comments are also featured in publications ranging from USA Today, China Daily, International Trade Mark Review, the Hong Kong Economic Times, Jiayouzhan (China), ZDNet Asia and Asia Inc magazine to TODAY, The Straits Times and The Business Times newspapers

Singapore Democratic Party's Dr Chee Soon Juan, shunned and labelled as untrustworthy, a liar, a gangster, a psychopath by the mainstream media in Singapore, Dr Chee is a highly speaker on democracy and human rights internationally. He is the Chairman of the Asian Alliance for Reforms and Democracy. He was awarded a Hellman/Hammett Writers Grant by Human Rights Watch in recognition of his courage in face of political persecution in Singapore, He is also a recipient of Parliamentarians for Global Action's "Defender of Democracy" Award and Liberal International's "Prize for Freedom" award.  He has since served as a research fellow at the Monash Asia Institute (1997), the University of Chicago (2001), the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Program at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, D.C. (2004),[and most recently as a visiting fellow at the University of Sydney (2014). Dr Chee is also recognised by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience.

International Appointments

• Fellow, University of Sydney, Australia (2014)
• Prize for Freedom, Liberal International (2011)
• Fellow, National Endowment for Democracy, Washington DC, US (2004)
• Defender of Democracy Award, Parliamentarians for Global Action (2003)
• Hellman/Hammett Writers Grant, Human Rights Watch (2003)
• Fellow, University of Chicago, US (2001)
• Fellow, Monash Asia Institute, Australia (1997)
• Chairman, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (2008-2010)
• Chairman, Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia (2000-2015)

On the Contrary, Would You Rather Prefer a Tipsy and Cutsy Ms Sim Ann (PAP Holland Bukit Timah) to represent Us on International Stage 

Sim Ann sounded tipsy during her Commonwealth rally speech, besides openly attacking Dr Chee Soon Juan, by calling him names and insinuating he is full of "patterns", she appeared trying too hard to be cutesy with the constant flicking of her hairs, while speaking in a high pitched voice.

Be Fair and measure by the same yardstick 

Question 3: Why do the opposition mostly focus on domestic issues and not international matters? Are they only capable of handling domestic issues? What are their views on world affairs as Singapore is very dependent and vulnerable to her external environment ? Will they be able to engage and talk in depth with the world leaders and business leaders?

Opposition Party emphasis on domestic issue by flagging up urgent concerns that needs to be addressed immediately. With the global environment in a constant state of flux,  it is all the more important that we as citizens of Singapore must stay united to fight and overcome these challenges together... a nation of disheartened citizens will not be able to ride through any economical wave and reap any economic benefits.

Fundamental Drivers of Our Nation

We must recognized the fact that the Fundamental Driver and motivation of our founding father post-independence was domestic issues and welfare of the citizens, to provide a roof over the heads, to provide education and to provide jobs, the economic policies and international affairs are all geared towards this fundamental focus - Welfare of the Citizens 

Proclamation of Independence: "Now I, Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore, do hearby proclaim and declare on behalf of the people and the Government of Singapore that as from today the ninth day of August in the year one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five Singapore shall forever be a sovereign democratic and independent nation, founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of her people in a more just and equal society.”

Mr Lee Kuan Yew's First Rule: Protect your people

古之欲明明德于天下者；先治其国；欲治其国者,先齐其家；欲齐其家者,先修其身；欲修其身者,先正其心；欲正其心者,先诚其意……心正而后身修,身修而后家齐,家齐而后国治,国治而后天下平.” 孔子

“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.” Confucius 551 BC

Question 4:  Are you confident that the opposition can continue to maintain our good international relationships with other nations, especially given the sensitive relations with our neighbours and the big countries? How will they handle the haze from Indonesia and water issue from Malaysia etc? They cannot conveniently tag on PAP's solutions if PAP is voted out of government.

Cabinet Ministers post are well anchored by PAP heavyweights which command great respect both internationally and locally including PM Lee, DPM Tharman, Defence Ng Eng Hen, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K.shanmugam and Education Minster, Mr Heng Swee Keat. But all their good work can go down the drain because of 1 slip of tongue..

Malaysia’s ruling party, UMNO, had some swift and sharp words for him: Lim’s position as a minister does not reflect his position as a cabinet minister. Perhaps he is short of campaign material. He could have instead shared his vision and mission with his constituents rather than bad-mouthing other countries. 

Malaysia’s Malaysian Indian Congress leader commented: "Lim is a minister who behaves like an idiot. Singapore should be embarrassed for having a cabinet minister like him."

Dr Vivian was a President’s Scholar and was a vocal critic of the PAP government but was “converted” by Minister Lim Swee Say. Thus, Vivian holds Lim Swee Say is very high esteem and respect in all matters. In 2002, Dr Vivian ‘jokingly’ referred to Malaysian journalists as a ‘pack of wild animals’.

Despite the huge diverse background of the opposition parties candidates voicing their concern about the 6.9 million population white paper and the influx of foreign talent. None has made such fundamental errors to harm international or bi-lateral relationships.

Question 5: Is it so important to have a different voice in Parliament just for the sake of it regardless of the quality and credibility of that voice ? Does this voice truly speak for the people or merely to serve their personal agenda or grudge against PAP ?

Yes it is important to have an alternative voice. The fallacy of own-self check own-self-governance is a myth. A quarter billion over budget of YOG, lapses in PA , Privatisation and Profit-talization of in Public transports are all legislation passed through without debate due to the lack of opposition voice.

Rather the question should be "Are All PAP MPs Good MPs ? " or " Are All Oppositions Candidates BAD Candidates? " 

Raffles Conversation with Prof Dave Ulrich - Business Times 2015

Fact is not all leaders are the same, some are good , others are great but some are just way below par. the 20%-60%-20% rules on leadership rule applies to all - Professor Dave Ulrich, father of modern human resources, co-founder of Result Based Leadership who was here in Singapore in June to train over 350 HR professionals from the Public Service Division.

The 20-60-20% Rule

• The Top 20% are exceptional good leaders and heavy weights
• The Middle 60% are "middle"
• The Bottom 20% are "terrible" 

This rules applies to all organizations, NGOs, MNCs, Government and both PAP and Oppositions Candidates. We all know but Can We accept this fact?

We are blessed with very capable and committed MPs whom are good leaders but some are clearly performing below par. PM Lee is a caring, compassionate and benevolence leader, but ONE clear distinction between PM Lee and Our Founding Father is that Mr Lee Kuan Yew is well-known realist. 

For example, in 2010, due to the long waiting queue for BTO flats and the rapid escalation of HDB resale price, then Minster of National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan was taking alot of simmering heat from the public, but instead of standing behind Mr Mah Bow Tan, MM Lee let Mr Mah face the full brunt force of taking 100% accountability of his performance.

“If Mr Mah is unable to defend himself, he deserves to lose...." - when asked about a Straits Times report that cited keen opposition interest in contesting Tampines GRC, which National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan helms

PM Lee Single Out 2 "weak" Minister for Ravishing Praises

On the contrary,  PM Lee sensing strong pressure on the weaker Ministers, decided to throw his weight behind them. On the National Day Rally, PM Lee singled out Dr Vivian and Mr Lim Swee Say and sang wonderful praises of their enormous contributions and achievement in a poorly veiled attempt to shore up support for them.

"Let me just give you 2 examples of how having good ministers can advance our interests abroad, out of many.   Take Minister Vivian – Vivian Balakrishnan....Last year, he attended the UN Climate Change Conference which was held in Peru, in Lima in December...They chose Vivian and Vivian was effective.  Why?  Because he was competent and mastered a very complicated brief.....

Question: If Vivian can't Even resolve Haze.. how can Vivian resolve Global Climate ? 

The next example he gave was Mr Lim Swee Say... Swee Say attends the ILO Conference in Geneva and at dinner many of the Labour Ministers shared the problems they faced in their countries, all facing similar problems – slow job growth youth unemployment, stagnating wages, widening income gaps.  It was a very miserable dinner.  So Swee Say is never one for a miserable dinner... and sold a little bit of “koyok” for us...when Swee Say had finished, the mood in the room had lifted...

Question: Isn't slow job growth youth unemployment, stagnating wages, widening income gaps the exact problems we are facing in Singapore

If there are Ministers that needs special commendation for their achievement, don't you agreed the following ministers should get more recognition than Mr Lim Swee Say and Vivian Balakrishnan

• Mr Tharman's St Gallen International Finance Forum Performance
• Minister Heng Swee Keat's National Conversation, his effort in the Mt Kinabalu's Tragedy
• Mr Khaw Boon Wan's effort in solving the BTO and keeping HDB price down
• Dr Ng Eng Han for his leadership and Success of  the SG 50 NDP Celebration 

The Father and the Son 

There is no denying the fact that both PM Lee and Mr Lee Kuan Yew are deeply committed to Singapore with a deep sense of duty and responsibilities. Both are great leaders in their own styles and philosophy.  But there is 1 clear distinction in their leadership style, PM's benevolence nature Vs MM Lee's Pragmatic Approach are poles apart.

The PAP of 1965 and the PAP of today are drawn to politics with very different motivations. MM Lee has ZERO tolerance on Corruption and ZERO tolerance for Incompetency! You don't need 3 strikes to be out... Most of the time, 1 strike is all you take to be OUT.

Question 6: Are you looking at the big picture or do you only care about the details? If Singapore does not have enough water for its people, do you think we will still complain about MRT breakdown? Without the existing framework of stable and strong government, social harmony, economic prosperity, do you think you will still complain about foreign workers? We might have to be foreign workers ourselves.

The point sent across by WP and SDP is crystal clear. They position themselves as responsible opposition parties that will work with PAP and not against the PAP,  to help them refine and improve their policies and implementation, They commit that they will not oppose for the sake of opposing but rather will support and work together with the PAP government for the betterment of our nation.

Question 7: What are some of the knee jerk reactions if PAP is voted out of the government? Market will react, foreign funds will flee Singapore immediately, our currency will lose its value and our investments will drop. Do you think investors will risk their money and wait for the new government to prove itself? No investor likes a politically unstable country. As soon as a whiff of a political unrest was detected, the ringgit went into a free fall.

MNCs invest in countries with growth opportunities to maximize their returns, political climate is one of many other factors of consideration. 

Singapore with opposition MPs on the contrary reflects well on the maturity of our democratic society and this can be perceived positively in the international stage, it will attracts not only just MNCs but NGOs, Think Tanks, Life Sciences and Research Universities whom has initially shunned Singapore because of the perceived lack of freedom to reconsider setting up their presence in Singapore. 

Even in the extremely unlikely situation of an initial knee jerk reaction, the diversity of views and global experience in the parliamentary team will have a much better composition to explore different engines of growth instead of a singular view of Yes men and back benchers.

"In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of. " Confucius 

Maybe many won't agreed to this mantra but we all aspire to build an economically successful and a caring, gracious and compassionate society that looks out for one another as a nation.

Question 8: Why do you want to give your vote to a new and unknown candidate who did not even contribute to the community before and penalize the person who has been serving the community through grassroots work ? Has he or she earned it ? Some candidates only appear every 4-5 years when election comes.

No.No.No! I think the electorates are matured and discerning enough to judge and jury. No one will vote in an unknown. We must only consider credible candidates with good professionals and academic track record. Asked around your friends and relatives, how many of their MPs visit them during the past 5 years. The only chance to meet them is at grassroots and community events which oppositions candidates are not invited, so we have very limited exposure of the caliber of the opposition parties MP.

The key question is did we bother to spend some time to take a look at these opposition candidates before brushing them off Or do we wholeheartedly accept new PAP candidates simply because they wore white, are we voting out of Servitude or gratitude? Is this objective and fair? 

Question 9: It's very easy to be popular by saying what people want to hear and promise to give more, but it is even more courageous to implement the right policies for the nation long term and be unpopular short term. Nobody likes to be the one to give hard truths, but someone has to do it.

Yes. Bitter Medicine is hard to swallow and don't we agreed that we have swallowed quite a number of bitter pills over the past decade, but the hard truth is the cost of living is still escalating, the salary are still stagnant and the trains are still overcrowded.… and there are still poor families surviving on less than $1000 a month... a problem no one has an answer to and seriously very few care...many of us felt that we have done our part by occasionally buying the $1 tissue and putting money in the tin, but whilst it help, it doesn’t solve the root cause of poverty in Singapore. 

Question 10:  Is there a perfect government in this world ? Why are countries sending their diplomats to study from a small little red dot if our government didn't get most of it right?

No. Nothing is perfect in this world nor is Singapore’s government perfect. PAP, WP and SDP are not perfect but when mistakes are made, it need to be handled fairly.

Accounting Lapses announced by AGO on PA for conflict of interest and self claim of over $100,000 by a ex-CCC Chairman was acknowledged and closed without much deliberation whilst similar issues that happened in AHPETC was subjected to micro scrutiny, political assassination, law suits, withholding of funds, mug slinging and political bully

Question 11:  Do you want a paralyzed parliament which is bogged down with bickering over short term national issues to gain political points from voters? You need a government with foresight and do long term planning. Marina Bay, Changi Airport expansion, PSA ports etc cannot be built in a one election cycle. Do you think a weak government fighting for political survival will have time for these long term projects ?

Under LKY, we had a dedicated team that served with their heart and their soul and not for money, fame or fortune.

Under PM Lee, We have MPs like Dr Vivian who's view is that only the super rich and corrupted serve for free.

Is it right to make such mothership statements, isn't all his grassroots volunteers working for free to give back to society, what about the thousands of social workers, animal activists, the charities and church helpers... many whom are neither super rich or corrupted. Are we so focus on ROI that we have to put a dollar value on every thing we do in life?

Question 12: Why do we have to keep striving to be among the best in the world? Would other nations or MNCs or investors bother with a little red dot if we are just mediocre? There are so many big cities around the world with many natural and human resources, so how does Singapore stand out if we are just average? What captures the world's attention on Singapore? As our PM said, the work is never done, there are still more peaks to scale. Can we afford to remain stagnant and be complacent as a little red dot?

We need to face the facts. The Journey forward will be challenging with or without opposition MPs in parliament . MNC are seeing less values in coming to Singapore unless we can rejuvenate our economic by building new growth engines, promoting entrepreneurship and taking calculated investment in new innovation and technology.

1. When the PAP government decides to launch the 2 casinos despite knowing the collateral damages it will have on our society 
2. Open up the flood gate to foreign talent despite knowing that it will have collateral damages on our middle and low income families, the fact that 

Mr Lee personally acknowledged the fact that we have plucked all the low hanging fruits and have ran out of easy solutions to solve our stagnant economic challenges. In early 2011,  the government set a 2 to 3 per cent growth in productivity from 2010 to 2020 annually by pumping in billions in Productivity and Innovation Credits Grants, however, the last five years have seen negative growth in productivity.

This is another reason that we need MPs with regional, global and international exposure to bring in fresh ideas and perspectives. To help look at the big picture together and not just parachuted senior officers from the uniformed group (whom we give due respect and credit for protecting our nation), but lack the contacts, network and experience in global economy

The Real Mr George Yeo

Mr George Yeo clarified in his facebook that he is not the author of this 12 Uncomfortable Questions. He added that True unity is based on diversity not conformity. We have to open our hearts more to others especially those in need. The government we elect must not only be with us and for us, it must also be of us.

Last but not least, can we really afford a Own Self Check Own Self Government ?

Next Read: PAP, People Association and the All Powerful CCC

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