<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>
Coffee Shop Talk - Singapore Ministers' Stupidest Remarks </TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">1_stone <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">4:26 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 7) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>17120.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>The year 2008 should be called the Year of Bungling Ministers. The amount of bungling by our millionaire ministers simply beggars belief. The stupidity of several ministers has been exposed by the senseless and arrogant remarks they have made throughout the year. So here are my "Remarks Awards" for 2008.
1. Lee Hsien Loong (Award for Showcasing Poor Leadership)
"What to do do? It happened"
After keeping quiet for a whopping 11 days, PM Lee finally opened his mouth in response to the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari. A jaw-dropping response from the nation's leader.
2. Lee Kuan Yew (Award for being Most Delusional)
"There is a conspiracy to do us in. Why?...They see us as a threat."
Perhaps it indicates his growing senility and paranoia. His response to human rights groups' increasing criticism of Singapore's authoritarian government and its appeal to other regimes like Communist China shows that he is in denial.
3. K Shanmugam (Award for Best Expose 1)
"To be able to speak to so many lawyers without you being able to respond. You can see what a few weeks in Government has done to my approach to open debate."
Mr Shanmugam has exposed ministers' thinking about how they interact with people. They must be rolling with glee that they can talk whatever they want to Singaporeans knowing that we cannot respond freely to them.
4. George Yeo (Award for Fake Optimism)
"Whether the human rights body we establish will have teeth, I don’t know. But it would certainly have a tongue, and I hope it would have a sharp tongue."
He knows full well that Singapore will work to ensure that a powerless ASEAN human rights commission is set up.
5. Philip Yeo (not a minister, but very senior civil servant)(Award for Best Expose 2)
"Make sure that our young people are hungry. If our young people are not hungry enough, bring in hungrier ones from overseas. Make them feel hungry, increase the hungriness index."
He has exposed the government's attitude that it will simply drown out rebellious Singaporeans with compliant foreigners.
6. Lee Hsien Loong (Award for Making-Singaporeans-think-I've-given-them-more space-when-I'm-really-just-giving-them-back-what-they-are-entitled-to-in-the-first-place)
"We’ve got to allow political videos but with some safeguards… We have to move away from this total ban and find ways to allow people to let off steam a little bit more, but safely…"
He appears to be a PM concerned about his citizens. But in reality it shows the government's increasing worry about rising discontent. Besides, we have the right to free speech and PM Lee is just throwing a few scraps of it to us.
7. Lee Kuan Yew (Award for thinking-that-Singaporeans-are-fools-to-believe-whatever-I-say)
"We all have to accept some sacrifices and cutbacks. But compared to our counterparts in neighbouring countries, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, our low income earners are much better off."
If he had compared us with "real" first world countries like America and Europe, I think we would have been the worst off. A poor attempt at misleading from an old hand.
8. Lee Kuan Yew (Award for Best Contradiction of Oneself)
In 2007:
"We are into a period of good economic growth and social development. Singapore made 6.6 per cent growth in the last quarter of 2006 and 6.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2007. If there are no wars or oil crises, this golden period can stretch out over many years."
In 2008:
"We cannot restore people (people’s living standards) to what they were enjoying before the worldwide crash. But we will make sure nobody falls below the poverty line."
We were never in a truly golden period in the first place. Liars always get exposed in the end.
And the "Stupidest and Most Arrogant Comment of 2008" goes to Dr Teo Ho Pin.
"They (residents) should thank the Town Council for working hard to come up with a diversified portfolio to generate income so that residents do not have to fork out more money."
The most caullous, arrogant, misleading, condescending and ridiculous comment I have ever heard. Enough said.
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1. Lee Hsien Loong (Award for Showcasing Poor Leadership)
"What to do do? It happened"
After keeping quiet for a whopping 11 days, PM Lee finally opened his mouth in response to the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari. A jaw-dropping response from the nation's leader.
2. Lee Kuan Yew (Award for being Most Delusional)
"There is a conspiracy to do us in. Why?...They see us as a threat."
Perhaps it indicates his growing senility and paranoia. His response to human rights groups' increasing criticism of Singapore's authoritarian government and its appeal to other regimes like Communist China shows that he is in denial.
3. K Shanmugam (Award for Best Expose 1)
"To be able to speak to so many lawyers without you being able to respond. You can see what a few weeks in Government has done to my approach to open debate."
Mr Shanmugam has exposed ministers' thinking about how they interact with people. They must be rolling with glee that they can talk whatever they want to Singaporeans knowing that we cannot respond freely to them.
4. George Yeo (Award for Fake Optimism)
"Whether the human rights body we establish will have teeth, I don’t know. But it would certainly have a tongue, and I hope it would have a sharp tongue."
He knows full well that Singapore will work to ensure that a powerless ASEAN human rights commission is set up.
5. Philip Yeo (not a minister, but very senior civil servant)(Award for Best Expose 2)
"Make sure that our young people are hungry. If our young people are not hungry enough, bring in hungrier ones from overseas. Make them feel hungry, increase the hungriness index."
He has exposed the government's attitude that it will simply drown out rebellious Singaporeans with compliant foreigners.
6. Lee Hsien Loong (Award for Making-Singaporeans-think-I've-given-them-more space-when-I'm-really-just-giving-them-back-what-they-are-entitled-to-in-the-first-place)
"We’ve got to allow political videos but with some safeguards… We have to move away from this total ban and find ways to allow people to let off steam a little bit more, but safely…"
He appears to be a PM concerned about his citizens. But in reality it shows the government's increasing worry about rising discontent. Besides, we have the right to free speech and PM Lee is just throwing a few scraps of it to us.
7. Lee Kuan Yew (Award for thinking-that-Singaporeans-are-fools-to-believe-whatever-I-say)
"We all have to accept some sacrifices and cutbacks. But compared to our counterparts in neighbouring countries, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, our low income earners are much better off."
If he had compared us with "real" first world countries like America and Europe, I think we would have been the worst off. A poor attempt at misleading from an old hand.
8. Lee Kuan Yew (Award for Best Contradiction of Oneself)
In 2007:
"We are into a period of good economic growth and social development. Singapore made 6.6 per cent growth in the last quarter of 2006 and 6.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2007. If there are no wars or oil crises, this golden period can stretch out over many years."
In 2008:
"We cannot restore people (people’s living standards) to what they were enjoying before the worldwide crash. But we will make sure nobody falls below the poverty line."
We were never in a truly golden period in the first place. Liars always get exposed in the end.
And the "Stupidest and Most Arrogant Comment of 2008" goes to Dr Teo Ho Pin.
"They (residents) should thank the Town Council for working hard to come up with a diversified portfolio to generate income so that residents do not have to fork out more money."
The most caullous, arrogant, misleading, condescending and ridiculous comment I have ever heard. Enough said.
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