by: Ghui/

It is hard to imagine a time in Singapore when there is no Lee Kuan Yew. The two are inextricably linked and some would even say that there would be no modern Singapore without Lee Kuan Yew. Indeed, it is sometimes hard to separate the man from the country.

No one can deny his far reaching contributions to Singapore but it has reached a point in time when he should genuinely take a step back and retire for good. Far from aiding the PAP, he is now hampering their efforts at rejuvenation.

In an interview with CCTV, Mr Lee “warned of the dangers of Singapore moving towards a two-party system andelecting weak and ineffective governments”. Mr Lee is clearly an intelligent man. It therefore puzzles me that he would make such inflammatory statements barely three months after the worse election results the PAP has ever had.

With all due respect to a veteran politician such as Mr Lee, I question the logic behind that statement.

Political rhetoric aside, there are many successful countries in the world with two or more dominant parties. It is therefore a weak argument at best to imply that if Singaporeans voted for another political party besides the PAP, it would lead to a weak and ineffectual government.

Mr Lee further declared that he would be “very sorry for Singapore” if it ever went down the road of having a two-party system in parliament.

A genuine choice at elections is the hallmark of democracy. Singapore is supposed to be a democratic nation. Indeed our school children recite the words “to build a democratic society” as part of the pledge every single day!

What is the point of democratic features such as elections if attempts to utilise these features are dismissed and discouraged? Now more than ever, Singaporeans realise this and want a stake in their country. They want robust political debate and accountable leaders.

Above all, they want to have a real choice and to vote for the candidate they feel best suits the job, irrespective of party.

If Mr Lee goes on making assertions such as these, he will no doubt alienate many PAP supporters and reinforce existing support for the opposition parties.

Gone are the days when Singaporeans can be cowed by scare tactics. The political landscape has changed. With the advent of the internet and a new generation of Singaporeans who have either lived or studied abroad, threats and fear mongering can only go so far.

Since GE 2011, the younger Lee has indicated that the PAP needed to “listen to the people” and to rejuvenate itself. This show of contriteness is however destroyed by the utterance of such sweeping statements by Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Mr Lee is an astute man. He must therefore be aware of the implications of his actions on the PAP. With that assumption, I must regretfully come to the conclusion that he is either misguided, oblivious or both.

I may not have agreed with some of Mr Lee’s actions but I have profound respect for the man and will not hesitate to give him the credit that he deserves. It is therefore embarrassing to read these interviews for such statements are beneath someone with such a fine intellect.

Mr Lee, please do not destroy your own legacy by making such ill conceived remarks.

I feel that it is time for Mr Lee to gracefully bow out and give the PAP a fighting chance.

It is time for Singaporeans to have a true stake in their country. There will always come a time in one’s life to let go and move on.

Mr Lee, with all due respect, that time is now.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

民航局下令今午二时起 暂停波音737 Max8客机起降

不到五个月内,发生两起波音737 MAX8客机坠毁事件,为安全起见,新加坡民航局(CAAS)决定从今日下午2时起,暂停737 MAX所有型號客机在新加坡机场的起降。 新加坡民航局今日发表文告宣佈,新加坡航空公司旗下的胜安航空公司,將受暂停令的影响。 停飞令也对在新加坡运行、拥有波音737 MAX客机的航空公司:中国南方航空、印尼的嘉鲁达航空(Garuda Indonesia)、山东航空(Shandong Airlines)和泰国狮航(Thai Lion Air)有效。 文告称,民航局和樟宜机场集团,將与这些航空公司合作,将乘客受到的影响减至最低。 民航局也会在客机停飞期间,收集更多资料,以评估使用这款客机的安全风险。…

传递及时资讯 1633组屋电梯装数码屏幕

为社区居民提供即时讯息和资讯,蔡厝港市镇理事会计划在今年的上半年内,为集选区内和丰加北单选区内的1633架组屋电梯,安装LED数码屏幕。 配合协助社区基层做好“最后一英里”的信息传递活动,在两个选区内228架组屋电梯试行安装数码屏幕,居民反应不俗。 有效传递更新资讯 也是蔡厝港集选区议员的西南区市长刘燕玲于2月18日,为组屋电梯安装数码屏幕计划主持推介仪式后表示,有关数码屏幕能“更有效率的传递和更新资讯,比传统的告示板好。” 她举例,若某租屋区出现骨痛热症疫情,透过数码屏幕,居民能够更快的接到通知。她也是教育部兼人力部高级政务次长。 她表示,除了更好的做到“最后一英里”信息传递,数码屏幕播出的新颖内容也能带动居民互动,加强社区凝聚力。 刘燕玲指称,市镇会以往都是把讯息或宣传列印并张贴在组屋告示板上。 “如果有100架告示板,就需要约四名员工来张贴,信息传递不及时也不方便。有了LED告示板后,信息上载到系统只需要按几个按钮,我们就可调动人手更好地处理市政事务。” 这项数码屏幕的电梯媒体平台是由梯媒创文(Target Media Culcreative)开发,负责报业控股与中国分众传媒信息技术股份有限公司的合资公司。根据原定计划,有关数码屏幕原本安装在电梯口,但经过居民反映后,计划合作方决定改变,将数码屏幕安装在电梯内。 她表示,数码屏幕随后将开放图像和视屏内容,让居民得以免费参加,非常具有创新意义。…

The need to safeguard the integrity of investigation into management of Ang Mo Kio Town Council

The Reform Party (RP) expressed its concern over the news that the General…

TOC’s moderation policy

  The Online Citizen reserves the right to moderate, edit, disallow, remove…