It is a sad indictment of Singapore’s petty politics, petty leadership and, indeed, petty leaders how the AHPETC saga is currently unfolding. The 2 parties on either side of the war of words are both guilty of acting in a detestably manner, chiefly playing to their own supporters while hoping to sway the FMMs (fence-sitters, marginal supporters and mal/mis-informed voters) with their pathetic arguments worthy of the worst of a Greek tragedy. Only, in this AHPETC episode, the protagonist is We the Citizens who end up paying good money for useless deeds of the 2 actors who unashamedly claim to be serving our better interests.
Exaggeration?
People, please, have Singapore and Singaporeans not got better and more important things to do than be fed with such mundane a municipal issue daily for this long?
Tell me, PM Lee, you who complain of Singaporeans not seeing beyond the immediate, the local and missing out on the international issues of import, how does employing 2 million-$ ministers (Lawrence Wong & Desmond Lee) remedy your complaint? And, yes, like many I’d also like to know what you and your ministers actually did when PAP Town Councils lost millions in 2008/9 after the Lehmann debacle compared to the AHPETC ‘deficit of $734,000 in the 2012 financial year’ and your deployment of all the big artillery, including the PAP-controlled mainstream media to play down one and play up the other to your own shameless political advantage?
First World Government in action?
And, pray tell me, Chairwoman Sylvia, how are all your fine legalistic semantics and arguments proof of your party’s idea of First World Parliamentarians in action? Honestly, unless you can come up with a good reason or two, I am actually appalled your party could only blurt out, ‘we are looking into the arrears data, and will respond to the query on the financial and arrears situation in due course’. Not once, not twice but several times. Does it not beg the question what with WP’s credibility at stake, you can’t, don’t want to get additional resources to come up with a credible answer pronto, if not settle the issue and clear any doubts? Pathetic.
Hello, even when yours truly was managing my annual expense budget of less than S$1 million p.a., I have already in place on a quarterly, if not monthly, basis small signposts to flag potential concerns or complications that my boss will want an explanation, if not a resolution to – yeah, BEFORE the issue is raised to me. And here WP is, only ‘looking into the arrears data’ when called to account and after giving your greatest political foes all the right reasons to kick you in the teeth?
First World Parliamentarians in action?
Through it all, is this the kind of petty politics that We the Citizens can expect of our disgusting politicians, both of whom have the cheek to tell us they are First World calibre politicians?
Is this the kind of leadership to take the Little Red Dot to greater heights in the face of all the Big Black Blots in our neighbourhood waiting to see us fail?
Is this the kind of leaders to whom we can turn in crises who appear not to understand how their pettiness to score brownie points are making fools of We the Citizens and the nation?
People, while it may make for good fodder for our cheap entertainment if not diversion, even as our politicians play and get paid, We the Citizens and our better interests are the ones who are being played out while paying for their unproductive, yes, bullshit.
Get over your detestable performances, you politicians! Do the real work for what we pay you to do!
And, yes, People, demand MORE, much more of them politicians for our hard-earned money!
2cents
*The writer blogs at www.2econdsight.wordpress.com/