Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has joined in the debate to debunk proposals put forth by opposition parties in its manifesto ahead of the General Election.
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Speaking at his Tanjong Pagar constituency's Chinese New Year dinner on Friday, Mr Lee said People's Action Party (PAP) ministers were right to challenge the ideas. Otherwise, he said, some people might be misled into believing that these are possible solutions for Singapore.
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The Workers' Party, supported by the Singapore Democratic Alliance, proposed "give-aways" in the form of subsidies to the unemployed, disadvantaged and the sick, he said.
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And to pay for these, they want to abolish the Elected Presidency so that the country's reserves can be used. They also want to abolish Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and have all single constituencies, so that more opposition candidates can win. But to win the elections, Mr Lee said other parties must do what the PAP does — get good men to join them and craft better policies than the ruling party.
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"There is no simple way to win. To win you must find good people, who will over time convince voters that they will do better or at least as well as the PAP. Then they will stand a chance," he said.
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Turning to education, Mr Lee said the Ministry would promote Chinese as a conversational language for non-Chinese students in more schools. This comes after some Indian and Malay parents said their children wanted to learn Mandarin but not take it as an examination subject. Likewise, Malay will also be offered as a conversational language for non-Malay students.
— Channel NewsAsia
11 Feb 2006
Ministers right to challenge Opposition's ideas: MM
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12 comments:
Despair Despair Despair! Why do some politicans never retire? Do a mahathir please! Step down!
PAP GANG-STERS always have the BIGGEST SAY in SINGAPORE!
Coz all MEDIA are their MOUTHPIECE!!!
THE GOVT IS RIGHT AND ALWAYS RIGHT...(haha...ILLUSION)
yeah...like 'REAL'!
since SG is a democratic country, it is of course fine for PAP to criticize the opposition; the issue is whether the opposition is entitled to criticize the government
Why is the old useless geezer who is as competent as his old geezer pals like nathan and yong pungsai still going on and on like a broken record.
anonymous:
i assume the 'old useless geezer' you are referring to is LKY. i think it is unfair to call him that. he is, in my opinion, far from useless. though, i do agree that it would be wise for him to 'do a mahatir' and retire from politics completely.
and while i'm not sure what President Nathan does now, he was, while he was a civil servant, extremely capable.
How can you tell the opposition what to do when you put the very institutional barriers that prevent them from getting a 1% chance in the first place? It is like slapping the opposition and pushing them into mud and ask them to eat SHIT!
What Nathan is doing?
That is when he is not wrestling with trees at East Coast, breaking ice with a huge hammer and cutting ribbons?
He stuffs himself silly with the food at Istana and shits it out again, what else. Seen the size of his belly?
i don't know what Nathan does now... but his contributions to MFA and as Director of the place that shall not be named are very very significant. if you want to know more, read Little Red Dot.
i agree that the institutional barriers in place really does put the opposition at an unfair disadvantage and does not help in healthy nation building. i also think that the 4 "time bombs" were taken out of context.
Don't forget Prez Nathan's invaluable "contributions" to Singapore during the Japanese Occupation!
Of course, due credits have to be given to LKY and his party then.
But now, the country is being run by minilee. LKY had insisted in the past that he'd never allow opening of gambling dens in sg but now bec of his son's reputation, he could swallow his words and agree to having not one but two casinos in sg. LKY even offer himself for election now. I believe the present govt is quite different from the past in the sense of their true motivation, sincerity and capability.
TV programmes and newspapers reported the problems of gambling as well as the harrassments from illegal loansharks have caused so many problems to the borrowers and their family members. Remember the case of one family of four had died and also one reported case of one woman got miscarriage.
Moreover, policemen literally said they are unable to catch the "kaki" of the loansharks, let alone the loansharks to face punishments, albeit the law is tough.
New generation singaporean
The PAP has too many good 'yes' men. It is time to grow up and adopt contemprary social values. LKY was probably right in adopting PAP's policy 40 years ago. Time has changed and the child has grown up however, it seems that his mental attitide has frozen in time. Physical development without coresponding mental enhencement will lead to a retarded society.
Why should anyone step down from politics in Singapore, what with the big salaries they can earn for all the ribbon-cutting ceremonies and whatnot, not to mention all the free trips abroad to greet other dignitaries and rich people? After all, Singapore politicians deserve the millions they earn. They are elected fair and square in this democracy.
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