Goh
Chok Tong’s open suggestion of setting up a review committee on social policies
is directly admitting that the PAP has no social planning in the past 50 years.
They have no social planning of a cohesive society, not to mention a gracious society
at all. So, what do they have? They have social engineering for economic
planning, at the expense of social unity and cohesion.
During
his time as Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong championed for a gracious society and
a Swiss standard living for Singaporeans. What he was trying to do then was to
promote economic growth without social planning. Otherwise, why did he suggest
the social committee out of the blue? Surely, he and his PAP leadership had not thought
of it before, only until recently.
The
PAP is just using the big dream of gracious society as a mean to push for more
growth. Lee Hsien Loong, after Goh, shifts
the economy to even higher gear to promote growth without any social
consideration. He admitted the
infrastructure has failed to catch up. The truth is not the hardware had
failed, the software, like social planning it totally absent or moving at the
wrong direction.
So,
would you be surprised to read news like:
[ESM Goh calls for committee to review Singapore's social policies] #1
It
proves that all along the PAP has forgotten the social planning. What they have
is media control, propaganda and social engineering in support of economic
growth and social injustice.
Goh
calls for setting up a Social Review Committee that could help identify and
provide solutions to the social challenges facing the country. These challenges
will weigh more significantly on future governments. #1
Is
he implying that when he was PM, there were no social challenges? Or, even there were social challenges, the
media and social engineering will help to neutralize them or ignore them at
all. It is just like Lee Hsien Loong’s attitude
towards our very low ranking of press freedom:
[Responding to a question on Singapore's relatively low ranking by global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, Mr Lee said: "I have given up that (Reporters Without Borders’ ranking)... I do not take them seriously."] #2
The
PAP not only underestimates the challenges.
They simply never take them seriously. So, we really don’t know what things
the PAP is really serious about besides high economic growth.
Succession planning?
Lee
said the PAP has already put a lot of thought into succession planning, saying
that they always make sure to have a new team ready to take charge and move
ahead.
We
also hear Temasek is looking for a replacement for Ho Ching.
Perhaps,
according to Goh’s suggestion of social committee, the PAP will only seriously consider
setting up a special committee for succession planning 50 years later.
How
many Singaporeans are seriously thinking there is succession planning in the
PAP and in Temesak?
Fair and equitable
society
In
the interview, Mr Goh said that "what's needed is a coherent framework to
pull all the different components together -- to make it a holistic, effective,
and sustainable social compact to ensure Singapore remains a fair and equitable
society." #1
The
framework for a cohesive society in Singapore has already in place longer ago.
Maybe the PAP is in power for too long, they have forgotten their own
framework:
[We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion,to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity andprogress for our nation.]
Fair
and equitable society as mentioned in Goh’s interview has already clearly highlighted
in the National Pledge of Singapore. We pledge
it every day when we are in schools.
His
suggestion of a social review committee is an acknowledgment that the PAP is moving
away from their own original framework – the very original pledge of Singapore
independence.
This
proves how far the PAP has deviated from the original aim of our independence.
Will
the setting up of social committee bring back the spirit, the commitment of
social justice and equality? or it is just another social engineering.
#1
#2
Comments
Post a Comment