Georgie Boy – what’s the rush?
I have no doubt you have the qualifications to become president of our tiny Republic, but I think it is too soon for you to run for the post.
Just over a month ago, you were rejected by the voters of Aljunied GRC. Instead of aspiring for the presidency, you ought to focus on how to wipe away the stigma of defeat and redeem your honour by selfless public service, such as pushing for reforms that will benefit the average Singaporean.
What happened? One month ago you said you were a free-spirit and not suited for that high office and then practically overnight you think you are eminently qualified for the most prestigious job in the land.
Even with the backing of the PAP government, which I am sure has already endorsed your candidacy victory is still not a certainty.
You might still smile after one defeat; two in a row might be a little traumatic.
Even if you win, the victory might not do much to salvage your reputation. Just imagine the headlines from our neighbouring press: Rejected in Aljunied, but welcome to the Istana or Defeated PAP leader becomes the next President.
This will leave a bad taste in the mouth for years.
In Singapore, with your background of years of loyal service to the PAP, how much respect do you think you will get from the average Singaporean? Do you think you have what it takes to do a better job than the late Ong Teng Cheong?
To be regarded as a People’s president – as opposed to being a PAP president – is something that you have to earn the hard way; you may need to reinvent yourself, and be brave, and prove yourself first on the reform front, before you can win the trust of all Singaporeans.
You may learn something by looking at Lee Hsien Loong: He waited patiently for 14 long years as deputy PM before assuming the top job, and when he did, he had the near unanimous support of the people. If he had been impatient, he would not have reaped such goodwill from the populace.
No doubt, if you contest for President in August as I think you will, it will be good for the PAP. But, will it be good for Singapore? More important, will it be good for you?
So George, think again. Five years down the road might be a more auspicious time for you to vie for the top job.
Ismail Kassim
8 June 2011
Georgie Boy can’t even take Hard Truths – he DELETED from his Presidency Facebook page all those comments that were NOT supportive of him.
I know because I posted non-support comment (there were other non-support then). Next day I checked Facebook page and all non-supportive comments were deleted!!! So I had to “unlike” his FB page since I was forced to “like” before I cd post comment.
Typical yaya-PAPaya value system – They want SYCOPHANTS. Cannot tahan honest disagreement. So resort to unscrupulous DELETE.
Why? God may wanna check Georgie Boy’s Facebook for support level???
The Pariah
June 8, 2011 at 11:06 am
I am not surprised.
IK
ibekay
June 9, 2011 at 11:40 am
Geogie boy expects the presidency to be handed over to him on a platter.His memories faded so easily.You hit the nailvon the head. Ismail. We dont need rejects as president.
vitality
June 9, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Recall what George Yeo had said :
DEBATE YES, BUT DO NOT TAKE ON THOSE IN AUTHORITY AS “EQUALS’.
20 February 1995
REMEMBER your place in society before you engage in political debate, said Information and the Arts Minister George Yeo yesterday.
Debate cannot degenerate into a free-for-all where no distinction is made between the senior and junior party, or what the Hokkiens describe as “boh tua, boh suay”.
“You must make distinctions – what is high, what is low, what is above, what is below – and then within this, we can have a debate, we can have a discussion,” he added.
Speaking to reporters at the end of his Moulmein tour on the parameters of debate, an issue sparked off by the Catherine Lim controversy, he made it clear that people should not take on those in authority as “equals”.
The Prime Minister responded to writer Catherine Lim for her article on his governing style because her tone showed disrespect for authority.
Brig-Gen (NS) Yeo recalled that in 1991, the National Trades Union Congress raised a rumpus when Straits Times columnist Sumiko Tan criticised then union-MP Goh Chee Wee for his speech in Parliament.
Mr Goh felt that Miss Tan was “wagging her finger at him”, he said.
Likewise, during last year’s Budget debate, Parliament took issue with ST columnist Cherian George for his comments on the Speaker’s handling of the guillotine.
“He had no right to speak to the Speaker as an equal.”
Pointing to a more recent example, he noted that the judiciary responded when American academic Christopher Lingle took “pot shots” at it in an article he wrote in the International Herald Tribune.
He added: “This is not to say that MPs, ministers, Speakers or judges cannot be criticised … They ought to be criticised if they are wrong but it should always be done in a way which doesn’t tear the social fabric.”
He said that these individuals did not arrogate to themselves the right to receive respect: MPs were elected while judges were appointed in a solemn ceremony.
Turning to examples abroad, he said the British monarchy had fallen into disrepute because newspapers criticise the royals to increase circulation. But the Thais threw those who criticised the monarchy into prison.
“Every society creates immune systems to defend its own key organs and we must have the immune system in Singapore. Otherwise, by slow increments, we allow these organs to be infected and degraded. And that is not good for us, it is not good for the health of whole society.”
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‘If you are not of a certain economic class, you should not even think of going there. You should confine yourself to 4D, Toto or horse racing.’ George Yeo’s order to Singaporeans to gamble on “low class” horse racing and Toto which are more suited to their peasant class-status in society and not on high-class casinos meant for the Singapore’s higher classes….”If your chips are down, you’re out”, 147th Prostitute Press, 17 March 2004
BTC
June 11, 2011 at 10:47 pm