Chitchat What I learnt from Nathan - My story

[hsienloong]

"August 22 at 7:31am" is exactly 15 hours before she posted it at 10.31pm, Singapore time; so does this mean you're living somewhere along the West Coast of the USA?

You guess it. eatshitndie and I are from US.

 

[frenchbriefs]

Since the press is doing all these stories and many untrue such as voting for him etc and some though genuine does not seem to show the man in better light than the average Singaporean, I thought I better throw in my story as well. Feel free to contribute your story.

What kind of bullshit is this?

 

[retrenched]

I don't know Nathan but he certainly displayed all the typical characteristics of an Indian.. sucking up to whoever is in charge and milking the relationship for all it is worth be it Jap, Brit or Lee.

I had an Indian Manager who behaved exactly the same way. His skill was in reading the situation and identifying who had the most influence within the company. As the sands shifted so too would his loyalty.

Nathan stood for absolutely nothing. There is nothing wrong with a polite eulogy but all this gushing praise and admiration stuff is really making me sick.

nice one...

 

[lifeafter41]

nice one...

Hi retrenched, were you being retrenched recently?. Interesting to have a nick "retrenched".
Just st wondering.......

 

[halsey02]

The stories make him sound like some 'fortune teller' you find along Serangoon Road near to the old Tekka market, with the dhoti, a dot in the head & the parakeet that pick your card or the 'fortune teller' at Bras Basah Road which hang out a huge banner. Someone, you go to, & seek your divination...& what so remarkable about that? Is this quality worth the millions he was paid?...mind you millions have to work hard & pay taxes to sustain....the man in white dhoti with his parakeet who will pick a card for you....perhaps now I understand the "nanas' story..

 

[retrenched]

Hi retrenched, were you being retrenched recently?. Interesting to have a nick "retrenched".
Just st wondering.......

got the slip a few years ago...becos i will be non cane-able age very soon so...joined this forum as chia thye poh and with another nick around 911 time but din stay long...went over to edmw and now back here

 

[retrenched]

The stories make him sound like some 'fortune teller' you find along Serangoon Road near to the old Tekka market, with the dhoti, a dot in the head & the parakeet that pick your card or the 'fortune teller' at Bras Basah Road which hang out a huge banner. Someone, you go to, & seek your divination...& what so remarkable about that? Is this quality worth the millions he was paid?...mind you millions have to work hard & pay taxes to sustain....the man in white dhoti with his parakeet who will pick a card for you....perhaps now I understand the "nanas' story..

i tried the parakeet/budgie fellow for fun...he checked and said "today good tomorrow bad"...felt like whacking him.

 

[halsey02]

got the slip a few years ago...becos i will be non cane-able age very soon so...joined this forum as chia thye poh and another nick around 911 time but din stay long...went over to edmw and now back here

WDA is holding road shows....you can go take a look....to find work, in fanciful sounding companies....whose employment they offer, can be translated as " dish washers', 'table cleaners'...."sales persons' or 'coffee shop assistants'...etc...now don't worry..."retrenched"...ahh!..can upgrade yourself from capital markets client relationship...to driving a cab, financial advisers...or even, BUS CAPTAINS....

 

[retrenched]

WDA is holding road shows....you can go take a look....to find work, in fanciful sounding companies....whose employment they offer, can be translated as " dish washers', 'table cleaners'...."sales persons' or 'coffee shop assistants'...etc...now don't worry..."retrenched"...ahh!..can upgrade yourself from capital markets client relationship...to driving a cab, financial advisers...or even, BUS CAPTAINS....

thanks...u r an old timer that i rem from the beginning...anyway i read the writing on the wall v early and started cutting my commitments, now involved in my own stuff...much less money but quite satisfied still...

 

[scroobal]

Its amount to just that. Looks at the Presidents of the past

Yusof Ishak - Businessman who ran his newspaper and a successful one at that
Sheares - respected surgeon
Wee Kim Wee - journalist and an enviable and respected war correspondent with Reuters in Vietnam and covered the war on the ground
OTC - Architect and Cabinet Minister
Tony Tan - CEO of major bank and cabinet Minister

S R Nathan - public servant, iron rice bowl never took risk and did what he was told.

Look at the well known public servants

JY Pillay - SIA,
Ngiam - EDB


There are more qualified and better people than Nathan. After what the govt did to OTC, the post became a joke and naturally no one with a semblance of common sense and iota of self respect would even touch with a barge pole. This guy stepped right into it.

Till today they have no idea what he actually accomplished in his time with civil service. They keep repeating - loyalty and approachable - nothing else. Nothing tangible for sure.

The stories make him sound like some 'fortune teller' you find along Serangoon Road near to the old Tekka market, with the dhoti, a dot in the head & the parakeet that pick your card or the 'fortune teller' at Bras Basah Road which hang out a huge banner. Someone, you go to, & seek your divination...& what so remarkable about that? Is this quality worth the millions he was paid?...mind you millions have to work hard & pay taxes to sustain....the man in white dhoti with his parakeet who will pick a card for you....perhaps now I understand the "nanas' story..

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Repost from another thread but I think it may hold some relevance to this thread as well.


There are 2 very interesting, curious and at times humourous articles in 25/8 Today that perhaps provide a fresh take on Nathan from all the standard repetition.*

The first is titled "MFA 'owes its existence' to Nathan" with excerpts from Vivian's eulogy at MFA yesterday. According to Vivian, Nathan was given 2 years(when he became PS at MFA in 79') by Harry to make a difference, failing which Harry intended to disband MFA, and it would than become part of the PMO. Vivian claims that the fact the MFA is still in existence as a Ministry is "testament to Nathan's success". Gosh that is a doozy!

The second is titled "Rest easy, Boss, we will not let you down" which is Kausikan's eulogy also at MFA yesterday. I wonder what 'mischief' Kausikan was up to while "pretending to study in the University of Singapore" during the 70's which brought about his summons to meet the then SID chief Nathan?! Also interesting to note that Nathan had a soft spot for Benny Lim.

As an aside, i stand corrected, but must say am surprised not to see any comments on Nathan from another of Harry's biggest apologists, Kishore Mahbubani.

 

[halsey02]

Its amount to just that. Looks at the Presidents of the past

Yusof Ishak - Businessman who ran his newspaper and a successful one at that
Sheares - respected surgeon
Wee Kim Wee - journalist and an enviable and respected war correspondent with Reuters in Vietnam and covered the war on the ground
OTC - Architect and Cabinet Minister
Tony Tan - CEO of major bank and cabinet Minister

S R Nathan - public servant, iron rice bowl never took risk and did what he was told.

Look at the well known public servants

JY Pillay - SIA,
Ngiam - EDB


There are more qualified and better people than Nathan. After what the govt did to OTC, the post became a joke and naturally no one with a semblance of common sense and iota of self respect would even touch with a barge pole. This guy stepped right into it.

Till today they have no idea what he actually accomplished in his time with civil service. They keep repeating - loyalty and approachable - nothing else. Nothing tangible for sure.

he was a career civil servant....the word I was searching my brain was "approachable"...that is theme of the stories, that being churned out of him....approachable & the ability to carry out what he was told to do ...not a bad quality at all...but a trained 'dog' would had fit the bill too....they dog can be trained to be 'approachable' & yet, fierce enough to carry out the master's bidding....& CHEAPER TOO....