PAP lau kway bu accuses WP of being “quick to claim credit” on MediShield

[samstom]

Indranee Rajah raps Workers’ Party on MediShield Life statement

SINGAPORE — Senior Minister of State for Education and Law Indranee Rajah today (June 9) criticised the Workers’ Party (WP) statement on the MediShield Life recommendations, calling the statement “vague” and “quick to claim credit”.

The WP statement, issued last Friday, said many of the enhancements put forth by the MediShield Life committee had been articulated by WP MPs in Parliament and by many Singaporeans over the years.

In a Facebook post on Monday titled “The Art of Claiming Credit”, Ms Indranee said the Workers’ Party’s statement implied that the MediShield Life enhancements were their ideas.

“There is vague attribution to articulation by ‘many Singaporeans’ but that’s about it. The implication is that MediShield Life happened because they spoke up in Parliament. No credit is shared or given to anyone else,” she wrote. “While WP MPs have raised healthcare issues in Parliament, so too have PAP MPs and in far greater numbers and volubility.”

The MediShield Life recommendations are the combined efforts of Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) participants, civil servants who manned the OSC secretariat and “those who worked tirelessly on the policy recommendations — the PAP ministers, in particular the Ministers for Health and Finance and Mr Bobby Chin and his Committee,” Ms Indranee wrote.

As for attributing the recommendations to “many Singaporeans”, Ms Indranee criticised the Workers’ Party for dismissing the citizen feedback process during the debate on the President’s address, when WP chief Mr Low Thia Khiang said: “To me what is important is the outcome of political process...constructive politics does not happen by order of the government nor does it happen through a national conversation or public consultation.”

“Two weeks ago, they dismissed the citizen feedback process. Now they attribute this policy to citizen feedback, obtained by that very same process,” she wrote.

Ms Indranee also took issue with a line in the WP statement which said that it “will continue to advocate that the Government should shoulder a higher proportion of healthcare costs, and share more risks on behalf of Singaporean families”.

“WP provides no details of how this sweeping objective is to be achieved. Never mind that when they call on the Government to pay more, they are effectively calling on taxpayers to pay more, since the Government is funded largely through taxes. Never mind that when they call upon the Government to bear more risk, they are effectively asking the taxpayer to bear more risk as the risk has to be funded and paid for,” she wrote.

“The sum total of what WP is really saying is: Whatever the Government does, we will say ‘Do more!’” Ms Indranee said.

CHANNEL NEWSASIA
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/indranee-rajah-raps-workers-party-medishield-life-statement

 

[dredd]

This lady has something against WP or what? She's always up in arms against them

 

[blindswordsman]

..Senior Minister of State for Education and Law Indranee Rajah today (June 9) criticised the Workers’ Party (WP) statement on the MediShield Life recommendations, calling the statement “vague” and “quick to claim credit”....“WP provides no details of how this sweeping objective is to be achieved. Never mind that when they call on the Government to pay more, they are effectively calling on taxpayers to pay more, since the Government is funded largely through taxes. Never mind that when they call upon the Government to bear more risk, they are effectively asking the taxpayer to bear more risk as the risk has to be funded and paid for,” she wrote.

This lau kway bu (or old mother hen in hokien) is also another cock talking pappies MP. The other infamous lau kway bu who cock talked is amy Khor who told sinkies to fuck off from SG if unhappy.

When pappies proposed to raise the salaries for Ministers and the MIW in the Govt to spectacular highest level, did she ask LKY or GCT where the money to pay them come from? Surely from raising the taxes. Why she did not object then? Sinkies are really pissed off by such lau kway bu.

 

[blindswordsman]

This lady has something against WP or what? She's always up in arms against them

She has to talk something to show her boss she is doing her work or else she won't be in the line-up for coming GE2016. LHL is now planning how to put up the best men/women to win back sinkies' votes. Better for LHL to get rid of such cock talking lau kway bu MP.

 

[tanwahp]

She has to something to show her boss she is doing her work or else she won't be in the line-up for coming GE2016.

No. Such roles are usually appointed. I pity the MPs that are appointed to do the dirty work.

That was why LHL himself stood out recently as he did not want his kakis to think only they were being pushed into these nasty roles.

 

[tanwahp]

This lady has something against WP or what? She's always up in arms against them

For one thing, it proves Papsmearer's position is untenable. Fake, allies and this happens.

 

[Jlokta]

This lady has something against WP or what? She's always up in arms against them

All the 超级白 has something against the WP.

They will also have something against whichever party the citizens put into the parliament.

 

[samstom]

I think the old hen is trying to get promoted to some full minister is it, now trying to act like a attack dog.

 

[Yingge]

All the countries in the world, the ruling party will fix the opposition and vice versa...

They will only cooperate when they want to screw their peoples... So the best is let them screw each other...

 

[PoliticalDialogue]

Note that SDP & CSJ have claimed credit for several shifts in govt policy over the past year or two but they have been ignored by the PAP.

Instead, the PAP directs its wrath at WP -- the party that it views as the real threat to it.

Understandably, this fact is terribly upsetting for all the non-WP parties and other critics of the WP.

 

[dumbo]

This lady has something against WP or what? She's always up in arms against them

time for wp to wake up, although they are trying their level best to be in pap good books, seem the gesture has been rejected.

time for them to stop behaving like pap back benchers and be real opposition

 

[samstom]

taken from lau kway bu indran's fb:
https://www.facebook.com/IndraneeRajah

The Art of Claiming Credit

In the Worker's Party (WP) statement on the Medishield Life, Mr Gerald Giam welcomed the recommendations but was quick to claim credit saying: " Many of the recommended enhancements to the MediShield health insurance scheme have been articulated by Workers’ Party MPs in Parliament as well as by many Singaporeans over the years. ......"

The statement is instructive in its' approach which is:
1. claim credit;
2. keep it vague; and
3. call for more.

We can infer from the speed at which WP has claimed credit for Medishield Life that they think it is a great idea.

They are effectively saying the Medishield Life enhancements are their ideas. There is vague attribution to articulation by "many Singaporeans" ( more on that later ) but that's about it. The implication is that Medishield Life happened because they spoke up in parliament. No credit is shared or given to anyone else.

While WP MPs have raised healthcare issues in parliament, so too have PAP MPs and in far greater numbers and volubility.

The fact is, Medishield Life was born out of the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) with the active participation of 50,000 Singaporeans, and healthcare was identified as a key area in which "Assurance" was needed. Thousands of Singaporeans from all walks of life contributed myriad ideas which were collated, reviewed, analysed, and formed into policy, eventually taking concrete shape in the form of Medishield Life.

Medishield Life is the sum of the combined efforts of OSC participants, civil servants who manned the OSC secretariat and those who worked tirelessly on the policy recommendations, the PAP ministers, in particular the Ministers for Health and Finance and Mr Bobby Chin and his Committee all of whom worked to translate it into reality. It is a live example of what many have called for - a collaboration between government and people, and government listening and acting directly on what it has heard.

Ah, you may say, but WP also attributed the recommendations to Singaporeans. Well, let's see what WP has said elsewhere about this.

In the debate on the President's address. Mr Low Tha Khiang said: "To me what is important is the outcome of political process...constructive politics does not happen by order of the government nor does it happen through a national conversation or public consultation".

A lofty statement and a grand dismissal of the OSC process and public consultation.

Yet here we have one of the most constructive outcomes of a national conversation and public consultation - Medishield Life, an outcome for which WP now seeks to take credit.

Two weeks ago, they dismissed the citizen feedback process.
Now they attribute this policy to citizen feedback, obtained by that very same process.

In the last line of their media statement, WP says that it " will continue to advocate that the Government should shoulder a higher proportion of healthcare costs, and share more risks on behalf of Singaporean families."

WP provides no details of how this sweeping objective is to be achieved and they speak as though the government operates apart from its citizens.

Never mind that when they call on the government to pay more, they are effectively calling on taxpayers to pay more, since government is funded largely through taxes.

Never mind that when they call upon the government to bear more risk, they are effectively asking the taxpayer to bear more risk as the risk has to be funded and paid for.

Never mind that WP has not provided any concrete proposals or details of how this is to be achieved, e.g. how high premiums should be vis-a-vis what the coverage should be, nor are there any suggestions on where the money to pay more is going to come from, nor how the higher risks they call for is to be assumed or protected against.

The sum total of what WP is really saying is: "Whatever the government does, we will say "Do more!"

Thus providing the clearest possible illustration of that void which PM highlighted in parliament in response to Mr Low:

".... what you stand for cannot be what the PAP is doing and a little better. That means you have no stand. Whatever the PAP is doing, ask them to do better. That is easy. I can do that too."

 

[GoldenDragon]

This lady has something against WP or what? She's always up in arms against them

She wants Pritam but tiok rejected. So, seepay tulan not serviced.

 

[congo9]

She wants Pritam but tiok rejected. So, seepay tulan not serviced.

Pritam likes young young pussy. Old old pussy got to stand aside 1st. Unless She is super hot on bed despite her age.

 

[congo9]

Catherine Lim LAU KUAY BU critisize LHL
Indra Nee LAU KWAY BU critise Workers Party LTK

What is it with all these women nowadays ? Catherine lim scold LHL ... LHl instruct Indranee to scold WP in order for himself to feel good.

 

[laksaboy]

This lady has something against WP or what? She's always up in arms against them

Appointed by the emperor to tekan the PAP's adversaries, she couldn't defy a royal decree, could she?

 

[red amoeba]

If anything WP entered the parliament knocked George Yeo off n force PAP to rethink starting w minister pay review pioneer pkg n now hsien loong-care lest we all not forget if not bcos of 2011 these won't have happened

 

[Qantas]

She wants Pritam but tiok rejected. So, seepay tulan not serviced.

Think will get sued or not if tell her straight in the face go and find herself a man first before passing judgement on others?

 

[tanwahp]

time for wp to wake up, although they are trying their level best to be in pap good books, seem the gesture has been rejected.

time for them to stop behaving like pap back benchers and be real opposition

Something I posted yesterday that is relevant to your comments:

We should summarize the reasons why WP isn't doing what is expected of them by forummers and decipher these possible reasons. With this, we can lay out the cards on the table and everyone can see their own clearer picture.

1) They are a "false opposition party" or "PAP team B, team lite etc."
This means WP has either been bribed at the leadership level at a certain point in time, infiltrated by PAP members who now form the new leadership of WP or was a PAP set up in the first place. Whatever the scenario, this is a favourite for conspiracy theorists. Critics would argue that allies would not attack one another or bring one another to court and if they are really allies, they would not be bothered to hide it. The less conspiracist would say that WP is trying to emulate PAP's successes. For that, we can look at point 3).

2) They are greedy for the money (MP allowance) and do not want to lose it
Not an unreasonable assertion. The only issue with this argument is, it was used to explain why LTK held down WP when he was the only one earning the MP allowance. He did not need to step into Aljunied to get 4 more WP MPs elected.

3) They do not want to lose the middle ground by associating with certain people, their causes and events
That being the case, do we really want them to lose the middle ground?

4) They want the work cut out for them by others
A paradoxical argument. If there was political capital to milk, they would have wholeheartedly and unconditionally supported Roy; not much effort is needed. Proponents of this argument are indirectly praising the WP for not making use of Roy to gain support.

5) They are afraid of attacks by the PAP
Anyone knows the PAP would not need an issue or timing to attack. We have seen battles between the 2 parties over Hougang, PE, PWP, Public Order Bill, President's Address, PA, TC audit, NEA and hawker centres, Budget 2012, 2013, 2014. Some may still not be convinced.

6) They are not interested in controversial issues or prefer grassroots work
We can see WP avoids controversial issues like gay issues but CPF is certainly not one of them. We know Png has made a speech on CPF and we know the issue here is not about CPF but supporting Roy. And I am sure even if WP decides tomorrow to stop organizing another activity for residents and close down all their MPS, their parliamentary approach would not change.

7) They are simply incompetent and out-of-touch
Without defining what is competency, this aspect is the most subjective and hard to prove among the 7 points; it has to be measured without singling out WP against unfair and unreasonable standards not applied to other parties.

 

[GoldenDragon]

Think will get sued or not if tell her straight in the face go and find herself a man first before passing judgement on others?

Unlikely can be sued.