Singapore political leadership and their sacrifices

Thick Face Black Heart said:

That's the whole damn trouble. 50 years of self-serving policies and destructive methods, and they have destroyed their ability to stand on the moral high ground and rouse the political calling of talented people.

This is the start of the decline, and no amount of pay cuts will solve the problem. The problem is with the PAP itself, the monolithic entity that began well in 1959 but was systematically moulded by LKY into a rancid potpourri of megalomaniac and selfish individuals with no sense of community or country.

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ThePlen said:

then, they could have their way because literacy was low and people only know what they were told to know. now, we know everything and we fuck them right back.

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kingrant said:

One thing that always seem to stand out in comments by public and even analysts is the "exceptional" sacrifices our political leaders have to make.

Are sacrifices something that only Singapore leaders have to make? This is an important question, because many people use it to argue for their "exceptional" remuneration.

Do political leaders in other countries not also have sacrifices to make? What kind of sacrifices are we talking about?

Are our leaders' sacrifices such a big deal we have to compensate them adequately, such that millions are still not enough?

What sacrifice e.g. does our President have to make? Does not he represent moral values, role model and public service? If you are not natural with people at all levels, and you are asked to serve, is that sacrifice? You mean we are pushing people into public service? Why do they dislike public service? Why are they bereft of a sense of public service?

Why must we continue to talk about attracting talents with money? Should the sense of public service be corrupted by monetary value? by monetising it?

Political leaders are elected into office thru GEs, so they are "protected" from being fired immediately if they dont perform, but they are paid like CEOs of private corporations. Voters have to wait for 5 years to do so and only if the electoral rules have not been tweaked to provide them cover, not even mentioning that more idiots can get "elected' thru the GRC system on the coat tails of Ministers!

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freedalas said:

Everything done is purely cosmetic.

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kingrant said:

One thing that always seem to stand out in comments by public and even analysts is the "exceptional" sacrifices our political leaders have to make.

Are sacrifices something that only Singapore leaders have to make? This is an important question, because many people use it to argue for their "exceptional" remuneration.

Do political leaders in other countries not also have sacrifices to make? What kind of sacrifices are we talking about?

Are our leaders' sacrifices such a big deal we have to compensate them adequately, such that millions are still not enough?

What sacrifice e.g. does our President have to make? Does not he represent moral values, role model and public service? If you are not natural with people at all levels, and you are asked to serve, is that sacrifice? You mean we are pushing people into public service? Why do they dislike public service? Why are they bereft of a sense of public service?

Why must we continue to talk about attracting talents with money? Should the sense of public service be corrupted by monetary value? by monetising it?

Political leaders are elected into office thru GEs, so they are "protected" from being fired immediately if they dont perform, but they are paid like CEOs of private corporations. Voters have to wait for 5 years to do so and only if the electoral rules have not been tweaked to provide them cover, not even mentioning that more idiots can get "elected' thru the GRC system on the coat tails of Ministers!

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Thick Face Black Heart said:

The capable leaders in society aren't going into politics because generations of Singaporeans have been depoliticized by the hollowing out of civil society, muzzling of the media, denial of civil liberties, and grassroots indoctrination via PA and other partisan bodies masquerading as community outfits.

in first world countries what attracts people into politics is the chance to participate, to feel that you can make a positive difference, something that is looked up to by your contemporaries, the "feel-good" limelight factor, etc. All this is absent in Singapore because of our barren political landscape created by having all the power concentrated in the hands of a few who make all the key decisions unilaterally. The "few" also have their tentacles and grip on every facet of society, every public institution, every avenue of expression.

And also not forgetting the image of the govt and its credibility has gone way down the drain for the past 20 years. Which decent chap would want to be openly associated with such an establishment?

That's why the PAP has to attract talents with money and cannot escape it. Even Gerard Ee and the whole gangbang kept talking about how it would be more difficult henceforth to attract talent. They are admitting basically they have to use money to buy people over, and they have lost the ability to appeal to the citizens' sense of community spirit and servant leadership.

That's the whole damn trouble. 50 years of self-serving policies and destructive methods, and they have destroyed their ability to stand on the moral high ground and rouse the political calling of talented people.

This is the start of the decline, and no amount of pay cuts will solve the problem. The problem is with the PAP itself, the monolithic entity that began well in 1959 but was systematically moulded by LKY into a rancid potpourri of megalomaniac and selfish individuals with no sense of community or country.

Click to expand...

Thick Face Black Heart said:

The capable leaders in society aren't going into politics because generations of Singaporeans have been depoliticized by the hollowing out of civil society, muzzling of the media, denial of civil liberties, and grassroots indoctrination via PA and other partisan bodies masquerading as community outfits.

in first world countries what attracts people into politics is the chance to participate, to feel that you can make a positive difference, something that is looked up to by your contemporaries, the "feel-good" limelight factor, etc. All this is absent in Singapore because of our barren political landscape created by having all the power concentrated in the hands of a few who make all the key decisions unilaterally. The "few" also have their tentacles and grip on every facet of society, every public institution, every avenue of expression.

And also not forgetting the image of the govt and its credibility has gone way down the drain for the past 20 years. Which decent chap would want to be openly associated with such an establishment?

That's why the PAP has to attract talents with money and cannot escape it. Even Gerard Ee and the whole gangbang kept talking about how it would be more difficult henceforth to attract talent. They are admitting basically they have to use money to buy people over, and they have lost the ability to appeal to the citizens' sense of community spirit and servant leadership.

That's the whole damn trouble. 50 years of self-serving policies and destructive methods, and they have destroyed their ability to stand on the moral high ground and rouse the political calling of talented people.

This is the start of the decline, and no amount of pay cuts will solve the problem. The problem is with the PAP itself, the monolithic entity that began well in 1959 but was systematically moulded by LKY into a rancid potpourri of megalomaniac and selfish individuals with no sense of community or country.

Click to expand...

ThePlen said:

then, they could have their way because literacy was low and people only know what they were told to know. now, we know everything and we fuck them right back.

Click to expand...

kingrant said:

Do political leaders in other countries not also have sacrifices to make? What kind of sacrifices are we talking about?

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MightyMouse said:

The problems faced by PAP is what is now attracting talents into the opposition parties. Once the threats of lawsuits and searches of the proverbial skeletons in the closet have been removed, and you have stars like CSM showing the way, the momemtum is now with the opposition parties like WP. It will take at most 2 GE to see a huge change in the political landscape.

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Thick Face Black Heart said:

My guess is that if the oppo manages to take down another GRC in 2016, we will start to see a few sacred cows being slaughtered, starting with the FT policies and the way our reserves are managed.

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Leongsam said:

Why did it have to wait till 2016? Everything that is wrong with the fucking PAP could easily have been fixed in 2011!

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