My PREDICTION for GE2009.

[The_Latest_H]

<style></style>Golly ! now than you tell me.You mean you ain't got no education and not even a plan ! Blinking blizzards ,but you would preach ?

And preach to such people like Chia Thye Poh and JBJ and etc etc. who sacrificed their entire lives ! Mama Mia...tell me where is this monastery where they teach you to preach to such ripe ole politicians...:p

I guess you don't even know that JBJ was a trained lawyer, who studied in the UK, before he became a district judge back home in Singapore.

The fact is that being a politician now, more and more, the younger generation do need a credible BSc or a BA and its often from the usual professionals that new politicos come from, like doctors, lawyers, economists and the like.

I'm just doing my part- personally- to understand more fully how the world functions economically. And while I do, its also important to communicate with people and the easiest way now is through the internet.

I will not abandon my studies just because of you. I don't know about you or whether you think people just need an O levels before they can run for office- but I believe an education is important, especially if one wants to challenge the PAP in the long run. These folks may be EQ poor and they speak rather poorly, but they are smart politically and well-versed in the art of politics in the coat-room. And a few of them were and are educated overseas. If you don't understand that from the start, then you're doomed to make a lot of mistakes.

One cannot fight a PAPpie when that guy has an Oxford degree, while you only have a poly diploma or A levels. Perception is everything in the asian culture and its important to be seen to be at least near that, in order for an conservative electorate to take you seriously.

 

[Nice-Gook]

It's not about spoonfeeding, of course I found the whole speech which is why I asked. Why censor PAP style when SL was critical after the paragraph you put up. Then why the double standard with the effort to put the whole SDP article.

And nothing was addressed on "laws being fair and just" or "righteous".

Two words - intellectual dishonesty. Intention to mislead PAP style.

<style></style>Ok lah...You very honest and very intelligent one ah.Now why don't you convince me and this forum what was the need for Sylvia Lim to go public in front of thousands of foreign lawyers at a conference organized by PAP and that too as an opposition party chairman and talk about rule of law in sinkie?..If Sylvia said nothing about our courts being just and fair as you claim than did she took sinkie courts to task ? Remember hor.The same IBA later produced a long report admonishing our judiciary.

Your call.

 

[Nice-Gook]

One cannot fight a PAPpie when that guy has an Oxford degree, while you only have a poly diploma or A levels. Perception is everything in the asian culture and its important to be seen to be at least near that, in order for an conservative electorate to take you seriously.

Now where have I heard that before? Oh yes,LKY was comparing Chiam "O" level result with his PAP candidate in an election rally.LKY said Chiam "O" level result not good as his people lah.An uncle told me lah.Sure you are not from the school of PAP politics?

<style></style>
Wah lan eh.You still studying ah.But how come you can preach to people like Chia Thye Poh and JBJ that they are wrong but you are right.How mah?

ISA Detainee
by Tan Jing Quee

What was it like 'inside'?
A difficult question
Could you, would you really listen
Without sneer, to the endeavours
How should I begin?
Should I start from the traumas of the raid
How liberty was so capriciously enchained
Without a warrant, without warning
On the dark hours
When even dogs slept undisturbed.

You were hauled into a world ran amok:
The mug shots, 'turn out your pockets'
the thumb and fingers impressions
(whatever for, I commit no crime!)
No one bothered,
The guard shoved you on,
Along the corridor of despair;
That first heavy thud of the iron door
Sealing you incommunicado from the world --
The wind, sun, moon, and the stars
And all that was human and dear.

Should I recall the dark cell
At Central Police Station
A purgatory of perpetual night
The stone slab for the bed
Sullied, soiled matteress, no sheets

Blood smeared walls, cries of past agonies
The rude, cruel hourly rip-rap of the shuttlers
"To check your health",
So it was explained.

Should I narrate
The daily bath at the tap
The Squat pan, dank and putrid
Meant to dehumanize, humiliate.

Should we be thankful
For the daily ditch water
which passed for tea
The stony crumbs for bread
The rice so callously tossed with dust?
Should we be grateful
For the censored books and news,
To decontaminate our minds;
Should we be grateful too
For the unbearable heat
The lonely insomnia of the day and night,
Migraine and diarrhoeic fever
And panadol as panacea?

How could I ever forget those Neabderthals
Who roamed Whitely Holding Centre,
Under cover of darkness,
Poured buckets of lice water
Over my stripped, shivering nakedness,
Slugged my struggling, painful agony

Circling, sneering, snarling
Over my freezing nudity,
More animals than men;
What induced this
Vengeful venom, violent score
To settle, not for a private grievance
But a public, democratic dissidence;
From whence sprang this barbarity?
What made men turn into beasts
In the dark, away from prying eyes,
Protected by a code of dishonour and lies
To ensure they survive and rise.

For sure, there were gentler souls
Who tried to be decent, no more:
The smiling guard who lightened the hours
With a chance remark, a joke
The barber who brought his scissors, cigarrets and news
The interrogator who handed a bible
Told him the elegant prose
Contrasted strangely with my current state,
How distant those beautiful thoughts were
From the violence to our liberty.

What then is the truth?
A generation trapped in lies
Who rushed to defend, to justify
Never to listen, see, or speak out.
Only when we open our hearts
Confront this barbarism
Can we truly exocise our fears,
Finally emerge as a free people,
A liberated society.

 

[HTOLAS]

Thank you for this poem. I remembered that JQ wrote a poem but had not been able to find it. To be honest, I hadn't tried too hard.

The poem reminds us of the level to which we have been indoctrinated to accept the PAPzi's truth, in the same ways the NAZIs squeezed cooperation from the German people. Let's hope we won't have to pay the way the Germans (or Japanese, for that matter) did.

ISA Detainee
by Tan Jing Quee

What was it like 'inside'?
A difficult question
Could you, would you really listen
Without sneer, to the endeavours
How should I begin?
Should I start from the traumas of the raid
How liberty was so capriciously enchained
Without a warrant, without warning
On the dark hours
When even dogs slept undisturbed.

You were hauled into a world ran amok:
The mug shots, 'turn out your pockets'
the thumb and fingers impressions
(whatever for, I commit no crime!)
No one bothered,
The guard shoved you on,
Along the corridor of despair;
That first heavy thud of the iron door
Sealing you incommunicado from the world --
The wind, sun, moon, and the stars
And all that was human and dear.

Should I recall the dark cell
At Central Police Station
A purgatory of perpetual night
The stone slab for the bed
Sullied, soiled matteress, no sheets

Blood smeared walls, cries of past agonies
The rude, cruel hourly rip-rap of the shuttlers
"To check your health",
So it was explained.

Should I narrate
The daily bath at the tap
The Squat pan, dank and putrid
Meant to dehumanize, humiliate.

Should we be thankful
For the daily ditch water
which passed for tea
The stony crumbs for bread
The rice so callously tossed with dust?
Should we be grateful
For the censored books and news,
To decontaminate our minds;
Should we be grateful too
For the unbearable heat
The lonely insomnia of the day and night,
Migraine and diarrhoeic fever
And panadol as panacea?

How could I ever forget those Neabderthals
Who roamed Whitely Holding Centre,
Under cover of darkness,
Poured buckets of lice water
Over my stripped, shivering nakedness,
Slugged my struggling, painful agony

Circling, sneering, snarling
Over my freezing nudity,
More animals than men;
What induced this
Vengeful venom, violent score
To settle, not for a private grievance
But a public, democratic dissidence;
From whence sprang this barbarity?
What made men turn into beasts
In the dark, away from prying eyes,
Protected by a code of dishonour and lies
To ensure they survive and rise.

For sure, there were gentler souls
Who tried to be decent, no more:
The smiling guard who lightened the hours
With a chance remark, a joke
The barber who brought his scissors, cigarrets and news
The interrogator who handed a bible
Told him the elegant prose
Contrasted strangely with my current state,
How distant those beautiful thoughts were
From the violence to our liberty.

What then is the truth?
A generation trapped in lies
Who rushed to defend, to justify
Never to listen, see, or speak out.
Only when we open our hearts
Confront this barbarism
Can we truly exocise our fears,
Finally emerge as a free people,
A liberated society.

 

[Perspective]

<style></style>Ok lah...You very honest and very intelligent one ah.Now why don't you convince me and this forum what was the need for Sylvia Lim to go public in front of thousands of foreign lawyers at a conference organized by PAP and that too as an opposition party chairman and talk about rule of law in sinkie?..If Sylvia said nothing about our courts being just and fair as you claim than did she took sinkie courts to task ? Remember hor.The same IBA later produced a long report admonishing our judiciary.

Your call.

Any issue since she was invited by IBA? Didn't some members of the SDP there and they are not even law trained? (Unlike you I am not saying they had no right to be there).

Taken to task? I think she did. Or the criticisms are not valid because she didn't land in jail? Whatever, you are entitled to your opinion. Just don't be unfair and try to position yourself as fair.

 

[Nice-Gook]

Any issue since she was invited by IBA? Didn't some members of the SDP there and they are not even law trained? (Unlike you I am not saying they had no right to be there).

Taken to task? I think she did. Or the criticisms are not valid because she didn't land in jail? Whatever, you are entitled to your opinion. Just don't be unfair and try to position yourself as fair.

<style></style>Wow weee,did not know that Sylvia Lim is such prominent and eminent learned legal mind that ONLY herself is more than overtly qualified than any other legal mind in sinkie land.I suppose you are saying Sylvia is da man over a kucing kurau lawyer like JBJ.Hence she was invited as the panelist by IBA.Wooooh!

Now only I know she took sinkie judiciary to task as a panelist at IBA...Cause you say so lah.Why don't you prove it.Prove that Sylvia Lim admonished our judiciary and escaped going to jail.Your call.

 

[The_Latest_H]

Chia Thye Poh and JBJ were wrong

For the record, when did I specifically mentioned that these two were wrong? I was referring to those chaps who think SDP is always right and therefore take it as if they are immune to all sorts of criticism.

I think you yourself have to read properly before you start putting people into other people's mouth.

Secondly, I have also put in formal education, especially for top leaders in both the ruling and alternative parties, because the world's problems are now even more complex than the ones back in the 70s. As such, a leader who doesn't understand economics and law(legislation) at the highest level will find it harder to understand both if he becomes Prime Minister or a cabinet member. And if you are dealing with foreign counterparts who are more highly educated, whom may study at Eton and Oxford or Princeton and then Harvard, and you don't have similar degrees, the gap would be very big, and hard to bridge. I'm only being practical because the world is changing even more rapidly and therefore we need highly educated- and with highly sensitive EQs- leaders to lead this country.

 

[commoner]

did the politicians of china got their degrees from ang mo colleges?

i dun believe politicians should get a degree from prestigious uni, if can ok, if not, a local uni shld suffice.

look at Pinkie, from harvard/stanford... talk worse than many people...

Wks from where one huh? from his speech, probably from some junior college in ubin,,,,

lim shit say, cow, auntie lim,,,, where their degrees from? degree mills?

 

[The_Latest_H]

did the politicians of china got their degrees from ang mo colleges?

i dun believe politicians should get a degree from prestigious uni, if can ok, if not, a local uni shld suffice.

look at Pinkie, from harvard/stanford... talk worse than many people...

Wks from where one huh? from his speech, probably from some junior college in ubin,,,,

lim shit say, cow, auntie lim,,,, where their degrees from? degree mills?

I think education is part of the fundamentals of a good politician- as with good EQ, empathy and sympathy. I mean there's a difference between the likes of Tony Blair, and Lee Hsien Loong.

Even with both having top degrees, the former was a better PM than the latter- and that's because Blair was the complete package, an all rounder. The same goes for Presidents Clinton and Obama- all rounder, good in understanding wonky policies, but also articulate enough to speak in plain terms for ordinary people to understand.

They are also good communicators vis-a vis with ordinary people- something LHL cannot claim to have. How many times can you understand LHL and feel that he has communicated well anyway- even I struggle to count them with one hand?

And a point to note is that through examples of Presidents Lincoln, Clinton and Obama, all three had humble backgrounds. Clinton and Obama were sons of single parents- the mum and both had surrogate fathers for a while. All belong to families who were of lower-middle class origins. And yet all somehow managed to scrap through hard times to win Yale, Harvard scholarships.

So education is encompassing, but the background of future leaders also play a major role. As long as the talent net is cast wider than what PAP likes to perceive, then it won't be just the rich elites who will get these scholarships but ordinary people as well. And out of coal, people can find diamonds. The achievements of Clinton and Obama to reach the American Presidency are proof of that.

And I have to repeat the fact that because this world is rapidly changing, and with no end in sight in such a culture, one needs their leaders to have a good basis of understanding this complex world and the complex problems we all face internationally. One may be able to become a politician with little formal education in the older days- from the British time till the 80s- but now if we had so many of the same, then we will struggle in the long run. That's why we need hybrid politicians- wonky enough to understand policy behind the scenes, but articulate enough to explain in layman terms and with empathy in public to ordinary people.

 

[Nice-Gook]

did the politicians of china got their degrees from ang mo colleges?

i dun believe politicians should get a degree from prestigious uni, if can ok, if not, a local uni shld suffice.

look at Pinkie, from harvard/stanford... talk worse than many people...

Wks from where one huh? from his speech, probably from some junior college in ubin,,,,

lim shit say, cow, auntie lim,,,, where their degrees from? degree mills?

<style></style>Well said brudder.Pushing paper qualifications as a must for would be politicians is LKY spin doctoring.Yes ,LKY would arguably a better qualified lawyer than Chiam.But I am sure we all would agree Chiam could have been a better PM than LKY or LHL....Why?

Well its because politicians are a different breed from academic or an intellect.We would not know how Einstein would have performed as a politician would we.By the same measure an able general like Napoleon had failed miserably as a nation builder right.That is the gist of the matter.

Every field needs an able man.Be it warfare or manufacturing.An ability to lead the nation does not automatically translates into an ability to lead a corporation.What we are sold by the PAP or their apologist is that so long as you have a doctorate than you are better politician than say a diploma holder.It is a fallacy built on circular logic by PAP.The classical example is sinkie land itself.Ex generals are put in charge of commercial corporations.LKY thinks he can better manage our reserves.The end result is the shit we are now in.

True.It takes exceptional intelligence to make an atom to explode at the press of a button.But can we put the same scientists to press that button when required?...The X factor is missing here and it is a thing called the soul.It cannot be measured by any certification awarded by any Ivy league institutes of higher learning.Fools did no get us into the financial mess the globe is in today.They were brilliant men.But greed outweighed their brilliance in the absence of sympathy and empathy for their fellow man-soul missing.

 

[The_Latest_H]

I think what we need, Gook, are politicians who are both, and have both, and with a strong sense of moral principles. Its not a case of "either/or", where people are given politicians who are smart but insensitive and immature, or politicians who are mature, sensitive, all round nice guy, but has no degrees and therefore unsuitable.

This is more often than not a false choice fostered upon by the ruling party on us, and more likely than not, I fully and strongly dispute it.

And I'm pretty clear in stating that when it comes to the top level leadership of both parties- pretty much just over a handful- these chaps have to have at least a BA or a BSc, local or overseas. But as for MPs, if some of them have been career politicians and have worked hard and through the ranks for a long time, and get a shot in being an MP, then by all means, they probably deserve that shot.

I think I have been a bit too subtle at times about this point, and therefore has created a bit of a misunderstanding, and so I have to state this point very clearly.

 

[Nice-Gook]

And I'm pretty clear in stating that when it comes to the top level leadership of both parties- pretty much just over a handful- these chaps have to have at least a BA or a BSc, local or overseas. .

Simply put.Suppose you have a choice.To vote for a brilliant (7 doctorate lah) crook with an IQ of 280 or a diploma holder with a heart of gold who puts people first..Who will you vote?

 

[The_Latest_H]

Simply put.Suppose you have a choice.To vote for a brilliant (7 doctorate lah) crook with an IQ of 280 or a diploma holder with a heart of gold who puts people first..Who will you vote?

I wouldn't get into such hypothetical situations of "what when" and "what if". This is because there are many factors in play and we don't know what is the future for sure politically in Singapore.

All I know is that politicians are evaluated on the basis of their past records, their character, their policies for the future and whether can they connect with the ordinary people. And if the policies that they advocated are bad, then the decisions lies with the people to see if they want to see new alternative voices or to keep the current ones.

 

[Perspective]

<style></style>Wow weee,did not know that Sylvia Lim is such prominent and eminent learned legal mind that ONLY herself is more than overtly qualified than any other legal mind in sinkie land.I suppose you are saying Sylvia is da man over a kucing kurau lawyer like JBJ.Hence she was invited as the panelist by IBA.Wooooh!

Now only I know she took sinkie judiciary to task as a panelist at IBA...Cause you say so lah.Why don't you prove it.Prove that Sylvia Lim admonished our judiciary and escaped going to jail.Your call.

Did I say she is prominent and eminent? Did I compare her to JBJ? However, she is legal trained for a fact. And an NCMP would give a parliamentarian perspective. The issue here is I wasn't the one who questioned her right to be there and the IBA you probably support invited her. Maybe you should write to the IBA to keep away from WP.

My turn to say it to you. Don't be lazy. And don't forget you still need to find the word "righteous".

 

[singveld]

but what if the economy continues it downward spiral for the next two years and people still losing their jobs?

PAP is part and parcel of sinkies life. Even in extreme economy crisis, sinkies will look up to PAP for answers.

take zimbabwe for example, their country basically totally collapse, but their gov still in power. so unemployment will not deal a death blow to PAP.

In fact, support might go up, as the peasants will turn to PAP for hope.

 

[Frankiestine]

PAP is part and parcel of sinkies life. Even in extreme economy crisis, sinkies will look up to PAP for answers.

take zimbabwe for example, their country basically totally collapse, but their gov still in power. so unemployment will not deal a death blow to PAP.

In fact, support might go up, as the peasants will turn to PAP for hope.

But Zimbabwe does not have foreigners coming in taking over their job...even in this downturn, its obvious that foreigners are still snatching jobs off the local back..I believe that the sentiment on the ground will definitely swing towards anti pap but whether they will vote for the opposition is another matter.....