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Gracious Society without Social Planning

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
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/esm-goh-calls-for/1062352.html

#2

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-s-success/1065312.html
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