23) Steve Wu on August 21st, 2009 1.31 am
It looks like the Old Man is showing his age. He had the date for the US Declaration of Independence wrong even while reading it from the prepared text. You may review this episode in Part 1 (around 5:30 in the video). It’s 1976, 1977, back to 1976 while it should have been 1776 all along.
Of course, the MSM graciously provided the written text of the speech as it was intended (not a verbatim transcript) http://www.asiaone.com/News/the+Straits+Times/Story/A1Story20090820-162122.html .
The point is this. No one expects him to be a historian. However, that he has gotten things muddled up by a margin of more than 220 years without realizing it. It points to a more serious problem.
Not long ago, he claimed to have read a letter from the president of IBA praising the judiciary of Singapore when such a letter did not exist. More recently, he claimed credit for ExxonMobil’s investment as a direct result of meeting with the senior executives but ExxonMobil quickly denied that.
These episodes may not be unrelated. It is unsurprising if he is rapidly losing memory and not completely lucid at his age. The 3-million-dollar question is if he is still mentally fit to hold office.
“He (NMP Viswa) will know Indians are not equal. Brahmins will not be in Sinda. It is the non-Brahmins who are in Sinda.”
Regardless of his age, his racist and class-conscious views are still very dangerous today as they were in the past.
29) physicsnerd on August 21st, 2009 8.08 am
I find his wry and witty humour thoroughly entertaining, honestly. I guess that’s the result of a British education. Actually, I’d just like to know what he meant by his quip about Brahmins. That thoroughly hurt my family and I, being part of the Brahmin community here. I think such comments should not be publicly made, especially in Parliament. I’ve also come to realise that LKY is the only one who can be as blunt and dry as he likes… unfortunately.
31) lefleche on August 21st, 2009 8.14 am
LKY is grasping at straws. In a way i feel sad to see a man who had done so much for Singapore slipping downward this way. Nowadays, it seems that the things he says seemed more and more to justify and defend his own record, his son, his family, his party than anything that really benefits the country or its people. and the worst thing is that it usually does not make any sense. yet the nonsense it is usually delivered with a paternalistic tone.
His is fast losing his legacy. i think this is the saddest thing that can happen to any person; the more he tries to hold on to power and to leave a name in history, the more he destroys it.
LKY is not immune to the failings of man. i believe the ST has worked overtime to create a myth about his infallibility but the truth is unveiling itself with time. This has been proven in history time and again and even if the ST continue to work overtime they will not be able to sustain the myth of superman. in fact the more they try, the worst everything will look when it all falls a part. i believe if a broad view of history is to be taken, say, in 100 years time when historians write the history of Singapore (assuming PAP no longer dominates which i believe it wont), they will identify this era we live in as the start of the rot with LKY putting his son, hanging on to power to keep things within the family, ho ching’s appt etc. History may even judge people like CSJ and JBJ to be truer patriots than LKY even though LKY did do alot for Singapore before the rot started.
it will be a sad ending for someone so illustrious.
It looks like the Old Man is showing his age. He had the date for the US Declaration of Independence wrong even while reading it from the prepared text. You may review this episode in Part 1 (around 5:30 in the video). It’s 1976, 1977, back to 1976 while it should have been 1776 all along.
Of course, the MSM graciously provided the written text of the speech as it was intended (not a verbatim transcript) http://www.asiaone.com/News/the+Straits+Times/Story/A1Story20090820-162122.html .
The point is this. No one expects him to be a historian. However, that he has gotten things muddled up by a margin of more than 220 years without realizing it. It points to a more serious problem.
Not long ago, he claimed to have read a letter from the president of IBA praising the judiciary of Singapore when such a letter did not exist. More recently, he claimed credit for ExxonMobil’s investment as a direct result of meeting with the senior executives but ExxonMobil quickly denied that.
These episodes may not be unrelated. It is unsurprising if he is rapidly losing memory and not completely lucid at his age. The 3-million-dollar question is if he is still mentally fit to hold office.
“He (NMP Viswa) will know Indians are not equal. Brahmins will not be in Sinda. It is the non-Brahmins who are in Sinda.”
Regardless of his age, his racist and class-conscious views are still very dangerous today as they were in the past.
29) physicsnerd on August 21st, 2009 8.08 am
I find his wry and witty humour thoroughly entertaining, honestly. I guess that’s the result of a British education. Actually, I’d just like to know what he meant by his quip about Brahmins. That thoroughly hurt my family and I, being part of the Brahmin community here. I think such comments should not be publicly made, especially in Parliament. I’ve also come to realise that LKY is the only one who can be as blunt and dry as he likes… unfortunately.
31) lefleche on August 21st, 2009 8.14 am
LKY is grasping at straws. In a way i feel sad to see a man who had done so much for Singapore slipping downward this way. Nowadays, it seems that the things he says seemed more and more to justify and defend his own record, his son, his family, his party than anything that really benefits the country or its people. and the worst thing is that it usually does not make any sense. yet the nonsense it is usually delivered with a paternalistic tone.
His is fast losing his legacy. i think this is the saddest thing that can happen to any person; the more he tries to hold on to power and to leave a name in history, the more he destroys it.
LKY is not immune to the failings of man. i believe the ST has worked overtime to create a myth about his infallibility but the truth is unveiling itself with time. This has been proven in history time and again and even if the ST continue to work overtime they will not be able to sustain the myth of superman. in fact the more they try, the worst everything will look when it all falls a part. i believe if a broad view of history is to be taken, say, in 100 years time when historians write the history of Singapore (assuming PAP no longer dominates which i believe it wont), they will identify this era we live in as the start of the rot with LKY putting his son, hanging on to power to keep things within the family, ho ching’s appt etc. History may even judge people like CSJ and JBJ to be truer patriots than LKY even though LKY did do alot for Singapore before the rot started.
it will be a sad ending for someone so illustrious.
