1) Frame the issue in terms of ridiculous extremes - if the people are against the Govt's immigration policy, then it must be that we want to "shut (our) doors to foreigners". A good example - Tan Chuan Jin here.
So either we open the doors wide the way PAP deems fit (which incidentally leads to 6.9 million by 2030), or "shut (our) doors to foreigners".
Today's PAP ministers must have learnt this from LKY who infamously said : "either we (pursue growth at all costs) or be prepared to send our daughters to work as maids overseas".
2) When something goes wrong, express "disappointment". This is tai-chi 101:
Yaacob Ibrahim expressed "disappointment" at M1's recent network outrage.
Lui Tuck Yew expressed "disappointment" when the MRT (yet again) recently broke down.
DPM Teo Chee Hean expressed "disappointment" when a gila woman from Malaysia managed to effortlessly penetrate our borders and went undetected for days, despite nationwide alert.
I'm not sure where they learn this from. Maybe its (PAP's) human nature?
3) When something goes badly wrong, punish the little guy. Promote the high level guys.
After Mat Selamat's escape, a thorough "study" was conducted internally and all it resulted in was that some low level employees got disciplined.
After the recent border infraction by the gila woman from Malaysia, another thorough "study" was conducted and yet again, two low level border personnels were disciplined.
In fact, the high level guys (good example - the scholar managing ISD at the time of Mas Selamat's escape) got promoted. And even boasted about it recently in the press.
4) When WP slips up, loudly preach about this being a "serious matter". When a similar (or worse) infraction is conducted internally, its no big deal.
When WP's Saw was exposed to be sleeping around, PAP ministers led by KBW gleefully jumped on the bandwagon, loudly preaching how this is a "serious matter" and to ask WP to come clean about "when it knows".
When PAP's Palmer was also caught sleeping around, the spotlight turned instead on the woman. And her picture, her background was brutally exposed. Suddenly, the PAP ministers who'd loudly preached about "serious matter", keep quiet.
When WP's AHPETC accounts were qualified by the auditor, PAP ministers again led by KBW jumped in, proclaiming this is a "serious matter". When multiple and major infractions by the Parliamentary internal audit committee were noted in, including in ministries run by KBW, nobody said anything. Of course, Brompton Bike saga is not a "serious matter".
5) When the opposition proposes any redistributive policy favoring the poor or the middle income, the PAP shoots this down. "Slippery slope to socialism". "Where does the money come from?".
When the PAP comes up with the pioneer package, which is essentially a policy of giving money to a segment of the population, suddenly "slippery slope to socialism" is not a problem".
Suddenly "where does the money come from" is also not a problem. Unfortunately, just like in the recent transport subsidy, it does not come from additional deficit spending by the Govt -- it merely comes from the rest of us !!!
6) When the opposition, or even Tommy Koh or Lim Chong Yah, advocated minimum wage, PAP again shoots this down. "Dangerous". Ironically, the loudest voice came from "faster, cheaper, better" Lim Swee Say : "The way to raise wages is to improve productivity"
When the PAP suddenly decides to essentially implement "its not called minimum wage" minimum wage to the cleaning and security guard industry, suddenly its no longer "dangerous". Suddenly, the way to raise wagers is no longer just improving productivity, but by wage legislation.
No wonder today's PAP, particularly its highly paid ministers, no longer command the respect, or the unquestioning acquescience, of the people!! They've lived in their own coccoon for so long. I mean, ask George Yeo, what he now thinks of his former colleagues.
JG
TRS Contributor