I think it would be fair to say that when the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) was alive, those within the ranks of the Peoples’ Action Party (PAP), those who worked within the civil service and people affiliated with the PAP run government presented a united front. They appeared to seamlessly toe the party line with no hint of dissension. Now that  LKY is gone, is that veneer of solidarity crumbling?

When LKY was ailing and less “present” in the political scene, we had people affiliated with the PAP becoming more vocal in their disagreements with the PAP. Notably, we had former Member of Parliament (MP), Dr. Tan Cheng Bock (TCB), openly contesting the elected presidency against a PAP endorsed candidate in the form of Tony Tan. TCB even went as far as challenging the change of criteria for the elected presidency in court! Would this have happened under the late LKY’s watch? One cannot help but question if the current PAP leadership is able to project the same level of confidence to unite the PAP itself. Is there dissension in the ranks?

What about former MP Inderjit Singh publicly disagreeing with current PAP policies? Have the younger PAP leadership veered too far right?

Singaporeans would also remember the very public spat between the Lee siblings over LKY’s former residence in Oxley Road. In that dispute, we had Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (LHL) nephew remarking on the pliancy of the Singapore courts, LHL’s sister calling him a “dishonourable son” and LHL’s brother leaving Singapore with his family. When LKY was alive, it is no doubt that the Lee clan were loyal to him and kept their dirty linen to themselves. With his unifying power now gone, it appeared that all hell had broken lose.

Professor Tommy Koh (Koh) has publicly urged the gay community in Singapore to mount legal challenges against the hotly debated Section 377A of the penal code despite the government declaring that it felt that the controversial section should remain in the statute books despite the assurances that it would never use Section 377A to prosecute anyone. Now, Koh has openly challenged the impartiality of The Straits Times by querying the way the paper had covered the minimum wage issue. Rightly or wrongly, The Straits Times has the reputation of being a mouthpiece of the PAP government. This has never however been so openly and publicly stated by someone who is seen as either part of or affiliated with the PAP establishment.

The seeming disintegration of past loyalties have made me think about the importance of a unifying figure. The PAP methodology of government has not changed. The only thing that has changed is the death of its unifying figure. With LKY now gone, will dissension become even more common?

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

$6,140 benefits per household member?

By Leong Sze Hian   I refer to the Department of Statistics’ Key Household…

National service, national responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities of the SAF and those serving in it.

日本出现首宗死亡病例 80岁老妇感染新冠病毒去世

日本厚生劳动省周四(14日)晚间宣布,一名神奈川县80岁老妇因感染新冠病毒去世,为日本首宗死亡病例,亦是继菲律宾和香港,第三宗死亡病例。 据《日本放送协会》(NHK)报道,该名老妇于上月22日身体不适,2月1日开始住院,期间曾出现呼吸状态恶化,直至12日病情恶化,于13日不幸离世。 日本当局表示,该名女死者并没有外游,故此将详细调查她的感染途径。 此外,综合日媒报道,日本近日所新增的四起确诊病例之一,包括老妇的70岁多岁的计程车司机亲戚,据该名患者指出,他曾搭载一名看似中国人的乘客;另一名则为50多岁的外科医生。 《共同社》报导,该50多岁和歌山县男性外科医师是日本国内首位确诊新冠肺炎的医务人员,1月31日出现肺炎的发烧症状后,2月3日至5日自行服用退烧药,并且继续看诊,直到10日才住院治疗,13日确诊新冠肺炎。 据医师称,他过去14天未曾前往中国,也未跟中国人有接触,因此无法掌握感染路径。 目前医师所在医院已安排全员接受检查。 和歌山县知事表示,目前“还不能说济生会有田医院已出现院内感染” 日本宣布对疑似患者隔离 日本厚生劳动相加藤胜信亦宣布今日(14日)起降按照传染病检疫的相关法例,在入境前对新冠病毒患者或疑似感染者实施“隔离”与“停留”等措施,隔离即指如发现疑似感染患者,且检测属阳性的情况下,将感染者直接送往医疗机构入院治疗;而停留则指只要飞机或船舶上只要有一名确诊者,乘客全员要住进医疗机构,直至有检测结果为止。 另外,日前在日本停留的钻石公主号游轮,因陆续出现确诊病患,乘客被迫在船上隔离。日本厚生劳动省也表示,让日高齡、有基礎疾病的旅客提前下船,在下船前必须进行病毒检测确认阴性。 厚生劳动省表示,船上2千666名旅客中大多是高龄者,80岁以上旅客也有226人。…