That was a joke, of course. Barack Obama never said such a ridiculous thing. And no sensible American would care what grades Hillary scored in high school. Hillary herself would probably have forgotten. In the quest for the best presidential candidate, there must surely be many better things to focus on.
Tragically, this joke is not a joke in Singapore. The search is on for the next Prime Minister of Singapore. And from the sound of it, A-level grades are an important criterion:
ST April 2, 2008We learn that PM Lee Hsien Loong wants to groom his potential successor over a 15-year period. Possible candidates should now be in their 30s or early 40s - let's say they are about 37 years old, on average. The actual successor would take office as PM around the year 2023.
PM still looking for his successor
It takes about three elections to groom a leader, so there's no time to lose, he says
By Lydia Lim
THE Prime Minister faces an urgent task: Find and field those who can take over from him before he turns 70.
Already 56, Mr Lee Hsien Loong is seeking political talent in their 30s and early 40s, one of whom he hopes will emerge as his successor.
He has no time to lose as past experience indicates that it takes about three general elections to groom a leader.
This means those who contest the next polls, due by 2011, might be ready to lead only two elections after that.
By then, Mr Lee will be 69 years old.
'That is very late. So there's no time to be lost,' he said in an interview with The Straits Times and Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao at the Istana yesterday.
...... Of concern to him is the outflow of top talent abroad.
He looked at recent data on the 600-odd students who score four As in their A levels each year.
About two-thirds pursue university degrees here, and one-third go overseas.
Of those who go overseas, at least 100 are not on scholarships. About half of these non-scholarship holders do not return but work abroad after they graduate.
In addition, another 100 of those who get their degrees here go overseas to work. They may come back one day but there is no guarantee.
'This flow is going to continue,' Mr Lee said.
'So it's a big challenge to find successors, particularly for politics.'
Thus we may say that whether you become the Prime Minister of Singapore at the age of 51 depends on how well you scored in your A-levels, at the age of 17.
Farsightedness is a virtue. A neurotic obsession with academic grades is not.
In 2008, it would be somewhat insane to scrutinise Hillary Clinton's or Barack Obama's high school grades, as a basis for selecting the next presidential candidate.
And in my opinion, it would be just as insane to choose to groom a Prime Minister to take office in 2023, on the basis of the A-level grades he scored as a teenager, 34 years earlier, in 1989.
Now of course, PM Lee Hsien Loong will not use A-level grades as his sole selection criterion. But the fact that he uses A-level grades as a selection criterion at all is quite shocking.
In my opinion, A-level grades are just simply quite irrelevant. Even if you were the best A-level student in the whole of Singapore, this demonstrates nothing about your ability to lead a nation. And conversely, even if you flunked your Chemistry paper, this doesn't mean that you can't lead a nation.
Also one of the greatest leaders in the history of Europe.
i totally dig your stand on wat the PM said. Whats that rubbish about successors made up of 4A students?! Even back in Confucious' time, he knew well enough that the selection of officials on the basis of classical scholarship qualities did not always bring the best administrators to office. "Corruption and manipulation by officials and lesser funtionaries were common, leading to numerous attempts to reform the system".
ReplyDeleteIs Singapore as back-dated as all that? In the 21st century, the PM's thinking is more backward than Confucious (552-479 B.C.E.)
My goodness. In case foreigners are reading our paper and this blog, I must save the citizens by declaring that how the PM feels doesn't necessarily reflect what the citizens think. Just like how the government's incompetence doesn't reflect incompetence of its citizens. (as much as they would like to put the blame on us)
It's a bit like investment banking, where the bulge bracket firms hire only from the target schools that are ranked consistently at the top. The credentials are only nominal, and can no way gauge these would-be candidates for other qualities necessary for the post. Some sort of hollow prestige?
ReplyDeleteI guess it's quite hard to acquire leadership abilities when you don't experience the rudimentary rituals of baptism that go along with winning an election. What's really ponderous is that Hsien Loong doesn't seem to be handing the dynastic reigns to his son. Maybe Lee the 3rd is like those who've made up their mind not to return to Singapore - I know I have.
I suppose when Singapore have the dumbest PM to lead us, what can we expect from him.
ReplyDeleteTo me, for him to publicly imply that his current batch of ministers is not yet PM material is definitely not the smartest statement for a incumbent PM to make. That is tantamount to admitting that all these years of tea parties has been a waste of public funds and this wastage will continue in years to come until we find the next PERFECT & UNCOMPLACENT PM.
Obviously IMHO, the less he opens his mouth, the better it would be his chance of not repeating "Mee Siam Mai Hum". No wonder his Mentor Father has to do the talking most of the time.
Winstone churchill - biggest dumbo in class. In Singapore he would either be wallowing in ITE with a big sense of shame, or in Australia / NZ with his middleclass parents where he would have a fighting chance of being a mayor of a town.....or in American School in Singapore as the son of LHL.....
ReplyDeleteI think that the last part of the above comment is a little unfair. I hear the boy is dyslexic - but that doesn't mean he's a dumbo.
ReplyDeleteMercia:
ReplyDeleteIt's actually much, much worse than the way investment banks hire young people only from top schools. You see, the investment banks are at least focusing on your top achievements in recent years.
Whereas the PAP actually goes all the way back to A-levels, to pick a potential Prime Minister. To use an analogy, it's like an investment bank wanting to know what grades you got in kindergarten, before selecting you to be a management associate.
Mr Wang,
ReplyDeleteif you are rich and well-connected you're dyslexic. Other wise you're stupid and belong to ITE...
well, he has to do that, because that's what has been ingrained by them into the people, if one day he tells them that that grades aren't important, can you imagine the emotional backlash from all the parents? After being told by the ruling party for so many years that good grades equal good life, u tell them that good grades cannot equate to being a PM? haha..
ReplyDeleteGreat Article by the way.
It seems that the party (or its leadership) is starting to cultivate next generation leaders. They are not looking for natural leaders, they are molding (or manufacturing) the future leaders to their likings. The dynastic direct transfer may seem to end with our current PM, but it does not stop the firm grip of control from behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteIs this a search for someone that does not rock their boats when the handover comes? So, are the current batch of leaders not fit to a PM? Or they have shown tendencies to rock their rich boats?
It seems that the good leaders do not want to associate with the party, only mediocre administrators want to join the party and get paid for their administrative skills. Of course, they have their controllers to tell what they need to do.
It will need them 15 years to mold the successor to be in line with their style of leadership. The successor has to be dumb to be manipulated by them and still believed that he is really capable.
Wonder if I can say that he has asserted that for the next thirteen years or so, the throne is only his and his alone?
ReplyDeletepatriot.
These leadership renewal talk has been on all the time. They are BS. There are so much talents in Singapore. The sooner Singaporeans realised that it is another subtle attempt by the pap to confuse and control their minds, the better it is for Singapore. By reminding Singaporeans that the pap has difficulty in getting leaders, the pap leadership is suggesting to Singaporeans that they are precious. They are also brainwashing Singaporeans into thinking that only the pap is capable of ruling Singapore. If they managed to focus Singaporean minds on talent and leadership, then automatically Singaporean subconscious minds will rule out the oppositions. See the sophisticated linkage ? It is like setting the standard for qualification to high office.
ReplyDeleteDidn't it ever occur to you people, that you could for once simply elect a new leader that the current 'oh so wise' govenrment has not groomed? Who cares whom they want to groom, you can chose to elect somebody else, maybe a real leader...or is that impossible in this one party democracy?
ReplyDeletePorco is a little sad because he did not do well in his A levels, he cannot become prime minister. Beyond that, Porco is also bemused because he has met many Singaporeans both living here as well as abroad who are eminently qualified and also very suitable (in Porco's opinion) but who have absolutely no interest or desire to be PM.
ReplyDeleteThis is seriously comparing apples with oranges.
ReplyDeleteIn democracies, the people choose. Selection is based on the wisdom or folly of the masses.
Alternatively, the people choose from the "pre-qualified".
What do you expect when a country is run like a business? The next CEO is selected & groomed to take over.
See things as they are and it will all make a lot of cents.
Those in current cabinet and MPs are all scholars who are ex civil servants/military, ex GLC staff, ex academics and some high income professionals like doctors/surgeons and some ex private sector high level staff. None are self made entrepreneurs or those who rose from the ranks as social or political activists.
ReplyDeleteSo you can see how narrowly focused is the pool of people. Also one thing common is all have high incomes prior to entering politics but little grassroots profile & exposure. And I think they are still looking in such a group even though PM Lee (or is it MM Lee) thinks current group has no one with PM material, hence the need to look around, and if still cannot find, maybe outside Singapore!!! After all, they did with FTs in their GLCs managing billions so no problem having FT as PM as well and better still if he got straight As in school.
Worse come to the worst, FTs is the cure all solution to Singapore's smallness and leadership succession problem. Singaporeans don't matter much because they can't help PM Lee to solve his problem. Ha Ha.
I personally feel safer and can sleep sounder with someone having strong academic credentials plus whatever that can come next, from being at the helms. Common sense tells me it's not the achievements per se but the values and qualities of the candidate behind that paper qualification from a renowned and reputable institution means much. The sharpness, the analytical & critical skills, the knowledge, etc. In fact, countries in the Far East are doing so. Japan's Todai and China's Fudan & Beijing are hunting grounds for their leaders.
ReplyDeleteLKY and LSL are from Cambridge. Biasness aside, the world praises them skyhigh for a job well done!
Look at the mess Abdullah has got Malaysia into. One blog asks why the PM Badawi who failed Economics is given the Finance Ministry to run.
Can we have the cake and eat it as well? Wishful thinking, perhaps.
Mr Wang, you very cute lah. Winston is a dumbo in class and PM Lee son is more than that!! haha! ok, it was cruel to say dyslexics are dumb, I'm sorry.
ReplyDeleteGeorge says:
ReplyDeleteLHL is only doing what any well trained pavlov dogs would do ie to salivate when the bell rings. He was hothoused/conditioned by his parents, particular by his father, to think in this manner. So you cannot expect to get blood from stone.
As PM he only dared to crawl out of his office and speak about the Mas Selamat's great vescape AFTER his father sent his signal all the way from the Middle East after his visit.
What kind of fantastic leadership is that? the type I can 'fantasy' leadership.
A quote from someone Porco met once and albeit briefly: " Politics calls for an understanding of people and of circumstances. It calls for a harmony between individual ambition and wider social considerations. It calls for a recognition that we are all interdependent. It calls for tolerance and humour. It calls for leadership that responds to people in the present and anticipates their needs in the future. It precludes dogma, ideology, inflexibility, shortsightedness and intolerance. It asserts that life itself is a balance and that politics must reflect this fact."
ReplyDelete- Lord Pym, former UK Foreign and Defence Secretary who died last month.
I didn't know poly grads can't be Prime Ministers...
ReplyDeleteHey I know a very, very smart girl. She was mentioned in the newspapers lately. She is a maths prodigy who entered Oxford University at age 13, so 4 A's should come easy for her. You may have read that recently she's been prostituting herself in London.
ReplyDeleteI believe she would make a good successor to LHL. She's smarter, and looks better too. Also, since she got the paper qualifications from such a renowned and reputable institution, she must have the right values and qualities too
the irony is that these scholars are not using their brains after entering politics or civil service. they just try to think and do what on their Master's minds.
ReplyDeletethey are just suckers.
erm. did the article mention anything at all about the pm choosing his successor based on the successor's a-level grades? i think we're misconstruing the pm's words big time over here.
ReplyDeleteI think LHL has got all of you fooled. He got you thinking about how to choose the next PM. Big debate on academic grades, good marks in kindergarten etc.
ReplyDeleteThe really important thing he wants to announce is that he wants to be PM until 70 years old. He has announced that all the current cabinet ministers are not good enough to succeed him. He has done that without attracting any disputes.
You think that I am misconstruing PM Lee's words?
ReplyDeleteThen either PM Lee is a very poor communicator or the nation-building Straits Times has done an extremely very bad job of reporting what he said.
Because I think that many people understand the article to mean that PM Lee looks at A-level grades when selecting his future potential successors.
You can look at the subsequent follow-up articles in the Straits Times on this matter - eg in the ST Forum; there are at least two published letters in the past few days where the letter-writer has had the same understanding as myself.
And so do the following people on the Internet:
Singaporean Obsession With Grades
Succession is All About Grades
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! There I was, telling Eugene how I felt about PM Lee saying that those who score 4 As during A levels would make good candidates as his successor ..."
See also this TODAY article, with analysts commenting on PM Lee's speech:
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/246287.asp
"..... Dr Mehta thinks the Government can track top A-level performers individually with a case officer-type approach. It could designate someone to keep in touch with a potential political candidate, making an offer after he or she has gained enough experience once in his or her 30s — "when the person is fairly mature and energetic enough to make the move into politics"."
When our PM made know his stand on the criteria for our future PM based on good grades, it really speaks volume about level of his own charisma. Most probably this narrow mindset is the result of his own upbringing.
ReplyDeleteRemember at one time LKY came out with a policy of encouraging graduate mothers to bear more children by giving them better benefits in the hope of having a smarter generation.
I have seen graduate parents giving birth to those who are mentally handicapped. I have also seen uneducated parents giving birth to very bright offsprings. Mother nature can sometimes be quite unpredictable.
The question at hand that I would like to ask is why should Singapore's future PM be decided by one man, or for that matter by one family. Can anyone provide me the answer ?
Robert L:
ReplyDeleteNo, he didn't fool me - I definitely noticed those other aspects of his speech; I just can't conveniently cover everything in one blog post.
\
I agree with Alan Wong-- things must be getting desperate when the PM announces that he wouldn't choose any of his current ministers to be the next PM. When I read the title of this article I had a vision of a big brother style elimination of a whole institute of faceless 4A level holders!
ReplyDeleteHas no one considered that of all the 4A holders in Singapore, many of them must be foreign? And because of the bell curve, the grades of many Singaporeans are pushed down--in my JC, there were many very very clever and hardworking foreign scholars who got 4As. While this is not a bad thing in itself, doesn't this imply that maybe these scholars are better placed to lead us than a Singaporean with 3As and a B?
Regular Reader
Remember Mr Mah has better O level result than Mr Chiam?
ReplyDeleteactually why not get the old man to become pm again? since the current one needs a mm, sm and 2 deputy pm to babysit him already.
ReplyDelete"The question at hand that I would like to ask is why should Singapore's future PM be decided by one man, or for that matter by one family. Can anyone provide me the answer ?"
ReplyDeleteBecause we are looking for a one-man-rule!
Isn't it weird that nearly all the seats the PAP MPs in Parliament hold, none can fit the role of PM?
ReplyDeleteYou mean, not even ONE can fill in the PM role?!!
Then this is really some serious issue.
Kaffein
All our scholar ministers with their fantastic A-grades have not managed to re-capture Selamat, the number one enemy of the State. No wonder no one from the current batch is fit to be PM.
ReplyDeleteI recommend that PM look no further for the next-in-line for his seat.
Just declare that whoever in Singapore that catches Selamat alive will be the seat warmer till the next LEE rises ...
We can solve two of his urgent problems in one move.
No more leadership renewal search and all singaporeans will not be complacent in the search.
I beg to differ that "we Singaporeans are looking for a one-man-rule". More appropriately, in my opinion the one-man-rule has been sort of forced upon us by one man.
ReplyDeleteIt's no wonder that our President & Cabinet Ministers are paid millions. Could we interpret this as some sort of money politics, corruption or whatever you want to call it, to buy continuous power, albeit that it is done legally.
To say that a higher salary is necessary to prevent corruption is just a mere excuse, disguised as proper propanganda for PAP's incorruptability. This line of reasoning can easily be debunked when we look at why corruption is still prevalent in many countries.
Put it this way, an honest man will remain honest whether he is paid millions or just a meagre salary. On the other hand, dishonest and greedy people like Marcos, Suharto, Chen Shui Bian, TT Durai would not be satisfied even when they are paid millions.
And to have our LKY publicly saying that it is OK for Suharto to be tainted speaks volume about the virtues of this man that we once used to admire.
I think it is time for us Singaporeans to think carefully for ourselves and made our own wise decision whether we need a stronger opposition, not necessarily to be in power, but as a minimum to serve as a check and balance on the abuse and excesses of the incumbent government.
When that day comes, I'll bet that our Cabinet Ministers will be less arrogant in the way they literally forced their self-serving policies down on us.
I think there are a few in the present cabinet who beside having a better academic record, have the track record and experience to do a better job than the present PM himself. Unfortunately non has the blood line necessary to rule the peasant island.
ReplyDeleteTaiwan's Ma is from Harvard. Up and coming Obama is from Yale. The truth is yesterday's leaders can no longer manage today's highly competitive globalised economies. We can't fool some but not the majority, can we? Everyone has eyes to see for themselves. We can only wish Kenya the best; Malaysia the best and opposition wards the best. Talking of Opposition, I think Potong Pasir is a forgone thing. Chart the downward trend of the popular votes there for Chiam over the last three elections. Bread and butter issues are real. Hunger is and starvation are real. At the end of the day, how many critics can perform when elected? Cheo? Choo? Ling? etc., Empty vessels often make the most noise. Yes for the opposition BUT not for my ward please. No . . no . . no . . Garbage must be cleared cheaply; lifts must be serviced regularly before the car plunge; blocks need facelift cheaply; conservancy fees must be relatively cheap. i'll always remember Ling How Dong who caused us to pay higher fees. Once bitten twice shy. Not any more.
ReplyDeleteAlthough you post anonymously, I can pretty much smell who you are. I'm very sharp that way.
ReplyDeleteYou are the same guy who's been posting a lot of irrelevant comments on my recent posts.
When we talk mas selamat's escape, you talk about singapore's lack of natural resources.
When we talk about the independence of the inquiry commission, you talk abt s'pore being the world's best place to live.
Now when we talk about PM Lee's selection process for future PMs, you talk about the opposition and the living standards in HDB towns.
You ... don't think well.
Note: if you post irrelevant comments again, they will not be published. I cannot allow you to constantly distract people and ultimately lower the quality of readers' discussion and debate on my blog.
Anon 10.44 am
ReplyDeleteWho says opposition candidates cannot do a good job? Go down to Hougang and see for yourself. Garbage not collected? Lifts not serviced promptly? Conservancy charges not relatively cheap? Blocks not given facelift cheaply?ive? etc etc. What are you talking about. I repeat, go down to Hougang and see for yourself. Just because the PAP people categorised opposition wards as slums you just swallowed everything they say.
As for saying that Potong Pasir is a foregone thing, the PAP has been saying that for the last decade and two previous elections. And don't tell me there are no PAP candidates that cannot perform? You really are living in a make-believe world.
Kaffein asked if all the PAP Parliamentarians are not qualified to be PM.
ReplyDeleteMM Lee Kuan Yew should be The Only One to answer that Question.
LKY has been pondering over his successions all these years and may rise from the Grave TO ENSURE THE RIGHT ONE IS PICKED.
He has got some four decades to induct(and co-opt) the calibres into his PAP Party. But now, they face succession problem?
Nope, it is to ensure the Dynasty lasts longer!
patriot.
A certain Bush is from Yale and has a MBA from Harvard. And I believe he will be available soon. :-)
ReplyDeleteNoName
Hi;
ReplyDeleteto those who admired Lee Kuan Yew in the past and loathe him in the present. Allow me to say that You may have appreciated forms more than spirits. In the past, your appreciations for him might have been a superficial understanding. Seeing that Singapore has bloomed materially, but failed to understand that materialism ultimately led to the invocations of spirit purifications. This process goes in circle and repeats itself endlessly like the process of rain.
To succumb to materialism is the Archilles Heel of humanity. However man(kind) has always invariably consider materialism as the driving force to success. It is! However, too much want of it is akin to the love of money when one has more than sufficient. In almost everything, excesses are hardly healthy as greed sets in.
Looking at leaders craving for more power, wealth and fame gives one an idea of what greed means and the abuses arising from too much power and history is as clear as day.
Do treat leaders like the way artists are treated, valuate them(political leaders) after they become the lates.
I like to mention the late(ex) President Ong Teng Cheong. When he was in the Cabinet as a Minister, I believe no one sees him differently from his cohorts. It was only when he was a president, that the people began to appreciate him. The other ex-president Devan Nair was appreciated for the Labour Movements when he was alive. Today, how many remember him? I do; for the fact that, as a ex head of state, a leader had abandoned his country to live and end in a foreign country. Did he bring along his entire family and fortune?How do we interprete 'Loyalty'? If he was an example. Can we expect more of our leaders to behave like him? I think there will be many. Want to show them respects? Hold back your horses. You can; after they become history. No hurry Sir!
patriot.
Is the PM damn sure he will win the next GE ? Talk until must plan for 3 elections before the new PM can take over.What happen Tsunami stike pap ? May be it wont be in 2011, but after 2016, nobody can guarantee pap still in power, so all the planning will go to the drain !!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point you're trying to make, but I take issue with using Churchill as an example of a "dumbo" though. He certainly was not the best student; however, he was also intensely intellectual. The argument not to conflate intelligence with academic success is valid. However, your entry should emphasise that. I can easily see how it might be interpreted as an argument that knocks intellect a few rungs lower than you intended it to.
ReplyDeleteAlso Churchill's family was very well connected, which undoubtedly played a part in his political involvement and subsequent success. Not a great example to bring up in an argument for a solely merit-based selection of political leaders; in fact, a terrible one because IMO nepotism/favouritism is a worse charge than the consideration of A-level grades. The former hints at corruptibility. The latter is merely meaningless.
K, I think I came across more hostile than intended... the tone evolved independently of me as I wrote. If you take offence, I apologise.
Quote: Taiwan's Ma is from Harvard. Up and coming Obama is from Yale.
ReplyDeleteComment: Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University(1983)in political science and topped his class in Havard Law School(1991). That such easily available information and you got it so wrong is not a good indication of you.
Quote: The truth is yesterday's leaders can no longer manage today's highly competitive globalised economies. We can't fool some but not the majority, can we?
Comment: If you cannot fool some of course you cannot fool the majority. That is obvious. You are not only ill informed but you are not accurate as well.
Quote: Everyone has eyes to see for themselves. We can only wish Kenya the best; Malaysia the best and opposition wards the best. Talking of Opposition, I think Potong Pasir is a forgone thing. Chart the downward trend of the popular votes there for Chiam over the last three elections. Bread and butter issues are real. Hunger is and starvation are real. At the end of the day, how many critics can perform when elected? Cheo? Choo? Ling? etc., Empty vessels often make the most noise. Yes for the opposition BUT not for my ward please. No . . no . . no . . Garbage must be cleared cheaply; lifts must be serviced regularly before the car plunge; blocks need facelift cheaply; conservancy fees must be relatively cheap. i'll always remember Ling How Dong who caused us to pay higher fees. Once bitten twice shy. Not any more.
April 9, 2008 10:44 AM
Comment : Are you a police officer misused by the pap to monitor and disrupt critical discussions of the Singapore current affairs and politics ? Are you also instructed to post to confuse and smear those who genuinely care for the well being of Singapore. The pap must be desperate to resort to these unethical means to stay in power. If they are so good as they claimed why are they afraid of such healthy discussions ? Your informations on the oppositions are completely wrong, calculated to misinform and disparage. Go back to pap-smear training school to brush up on your information and language skill.
I say, let 'em have a go and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteThere are advantages to using academic results as a measure - it is for one independent, non-elitist and a great leveler, just to name a few.
I suppose/hope that academic results will be used as one of the many measures of a person's ability.
Dont waste your time on this. Dog can be trained to be verocious and yet take the Owner instructions faithfully. The analogy is so can human being be trained to act verocious and yet obey his master instructions. There are so many of these characters around who feasted under the moon and weigh their power. They were trained to do just precise this - rule & control, that power given is too good to give up.
ReplyDeleteHuman exploitable weakness can be bought. (once say - we need to buy him over).
This Human once trained to bark and bite, will then be socially engineered into the forefront and be presented to you as a class act. In no time, the way paved. This was how Vatican works. hey we are no communist state, we follow the communist part of the Vatican
The supposed search act had a drugs effect. It worked up the mind of all SIN.
Those YP hope-lah can continue to hope lah.
Brain drain did not happen yesterday, it had been yawns since and many more waiting to join.
See it this way, whatevr you think or say have no bearing. Top politician believe divine power gave them power to rule & made them the ruling class & that trophy once claimed is hard to give up. "I will jump up from my coffin" analogy.
Ruling class want to continue to rule becos there are much wealth to be protected and all others can remained the working class. This concept is prevailent in England. Lately some prominent SIN family become part of this England ruling class having wealth lock in and stored there.
He is not referring to 30s or 40s. He is referring to his own family member. The Family is SIN, you and i are just numbers.
Dont waste time, or it eats you. Let them do what they want and you work an avenue to go where you want to go. The money is spent by first family like it belongs to them.
Mr. Wang, be aware of this...
ReplyDeleteTHE People’s Action Party (PAP) is mounting a quiet counter-insurgency against its online critics. It has members going into Internet forums and blogs to rebut anti-establishment views and putting up postings anonymously… the initiative is driven by two sub-committees of the PAP’s ‘new media’ committee chaired by Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen… Aside from politicians, some 20 IT-savvy party activists are also involved… This can only work if activists are not ‘too obvious’ about it, Mr Baey said yesterday. Otherwise it comes across as ‘propaganda’. ‘The identity is not important. It is the message that is important,’ he added.
“PAP moves to counter criticism of party, Govt in cyberspace” by Li Xueying
The Straits Times, 3 Feb 2007
I think they will become worse nearer to election.
LOL, yes, I am aware of that. I had blogged about this before - see these two old posts of mine:
ReplyDeleteBoxing With The Shadows.
Leaks & Squealers.
Mr Wang, not sure if this should be "ressurected".
ReplyDeletehttp://lemondroplets.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!26F399664A850E81!530.entry
Why a leader should not be the best or most capable.
Because he will not be able to see others' talents.
Because he will then no be able to use others talents, so he only has 24 hours a day. Not 240 hours if he uses talents of 10 people.
Because he can evolve to become wary of talents matching his. As anyone who matches or exceeds his talents, automatically rules him out of leadership position. Criteria is "the best". And this will lead to him marginalising, or murdering others talents.
So straight A PM? I rather go for a charismatic ah beng any time.
"i'll always remember Ling How Dong who caused us to pay higher fees. Once bitten twice shy. Not any more."
ReplyDeleteAnd that was why Ai Mee lost her Seet (er Seat?). I see that you exercise poor judgement consistantly.
What insurgency? Their competency stops at peeping into toilets where people do what's normal - shitting! However, their 'watchfulness' do give you a sense of 'security' though so much so, you can even walk out of the toilets without them knowing.
ReplyDeleteWonder what they have been legally watching huh?
(mr wang, if you decided to post my comment, can you kindly replace it with the edited version below? thank you)
ReplyDeletepower corrupts. that's an undisputed truth. too much power and for too long will eventually result in someone feeling all wise( all knowing), infallible and invincible - he becomes god. elevating an imperfect specimen to god status, he soon loses sight of his sense of humanity and therefore loses touch with the humanity of those he attempts to lead. for the sake of humanity, no man should be given such clout and power - over extending his stay. to hang on to entrusted power when he should have been humbled only poisons his soul and the person will soon poison the souls of those beneath him - his colleagues/people. therefore, there is wisdom in the american political system. with their system, at most, he is given two terms - 8 years - to contribute to society. thereafter, he comes back DOWN to earth - for his sake and for everyone else. the renewal process will also provide the necessary changes to correct excessiveness and abuse of POWER.
that said, obama is too big for us.it would be a waste of his talent anyway . what we need now is an irreverent reverence richard branson to correct all the delusion of an academically possessed/obsessed, religiously bounded(in the guise of secular legalism) and strait-jacket society! in other words, successful and yet 'fun' - not the old man kind of 'fun'!
if you have an 'old man' type up there, we are not going to 'loosen up''. it is as simple as that!
even that, the above may still not be the best model!
my two cents
interestingly, there was this old tale in an ancient book. it talks about a proud king liken unto a mighty tree that reaches towards heaven. he was this tree with branches of powers that provided shade for many beasts. so obsessed with him of his glory, he ignored many early warnings. you can't blame the old fool because, he attracted and surrounded himself with beasts who basked in his glory. so great was he, he couldn't contain his great achievements and boasted everywhere. of course, his feathery elitist supporters were enjoying the fame and fortune to notice something was amidst. one day, the heaven spoke. in fact, lightning strike ( the irony)` him to the GROUND. that's right. he was DRIVEN AWAY FROM MEN, forced to eat the grass of wearisome labor until his eyes were opened to his true nature!
ReplyDeleteyou see, his usefulness can only be restored if he was humbled - if he is willing to be humbled that is. even then, heaven was kind enough to retain the good bits! but much of it has got to go though!
"...conservancy fees must be relatively cheap. i'll always remember Ling How Dong who caused us to pay higher fees. Once bitten twice shy. Not any more.
ReplyDeleteApril 9, 2008 10:44 AM"
Pray tell Anon 10:44 AM. Since Ling How Dong's time, what govt. dept. fees or handling charges have not gone up? Look at the prices of basic consumer goods or utilities charges in recent years. Even the cost of upkeeping PAP as govt - as paid by the people of S'pore - have gone up by leaps and bounds!
See how illogical and stupid your blind statements are?. For christ sake, more than 20% of our lowest income earners cannot keep up with the cost in the past years! Years!
Once bitten twice shy?!? Not any more?!?
Damn right!! Things must change. From the very top. Not by just one man or the top echelon of one party. We, the citizens, must make that change.
The use of school grade to decide whether one is talented is one one of the sick mentality of our government and gov-related bodies.
ReplyDeleteI'm in my mid-forty. Recently, I applied for a job in on one ex-gov-related company. I was requested to send in my academic results to support my application. I failed to understand how my academic results obtained 20+ years ago can be use as a deciding factors to determine my suitability.
Shouldn't they look at my working experiences?
Isn't it frightening that LHL inferring that none of the of the current batch of young MPs or junior ministers are even good enough for any/preliminary trial in grooming for the PM job.
ReplyDeleteWhy are we even paying top dollars for them to be in their respective positions.
What happens if by some freak incident/accident e.g. bird flu, heart attack, old age, etc causes the top guns of the PAP to croak one after another within a short span of time. Are we then govern by sub-standard PAP MPs and junior ministers? This is what LHL is indirectly telling us. The current batch in parliament are not up to scatch.
My question here: Why are these young MPs selected and presented to the citizens of S'pore in the last election? Just to fill up the seats in parliament? Or was it just to fulfill their electorial GRC requirements? If these people are not good enough by PAP standards, why are they good enough for the people? We have lower standards?
Mind you. These MPs don't come cheap. Each of them cost tens of thousands a month to the tax paying public. Not to mention the junior ministers who runs into hundreds of thousands dollars in tax money.
Personally, I think it is OK to use A level grades as a benchmark to a person's ability to lead. The problem I see here is when it is over emphasised to the point that someone with no A levels or whose grades are poor automatically not be considered as a future leader.
ReplyDeleteA point I would like to add here that has not been mentioned. Why must we follow their benchmark? Is there no one willing to take up the challenge of striving to become the next leader? I understand that the PM must come from the ruling party. But what about the Presidency?
With someone sympathetic to Singaporeans as President, I believe he can make a fight out of it. Would he lose? Actually, we do not know cos it was rather unfirtunate in OTC's case but the fact is, we would never know what would have been the final outcome if not for the series of unfortunate events.
Philip
It surely takes a straight A leader to understand global competition to generate good policies producing the below:
ReplyDeleteHITS ON GOOGLE SEARCH
work in US
198,000,000
work in Singapore
11,700,000
work in China
50,300,000
work in UK
54,900,000
work in India
32,300,000
work in Australia
29,100,000
work in Russia
16,000,000
work in Dubai
533,000
Such wonderful leaders who understand that we must be made small fishes in our own country to be able to get ourself employment in other protectionistic countries, that we have more job sites for foreigners compared to every comparable country except the US!
Ahahahahahahaha yes yes! The civil service and stat board HR practises! So ancient! And they say pay is why people don't want to join them!
ReplyDeleteThey ask for your O LEVELS even when you have Masters degree and worked for x number of years!
Ahahahahahahahahahaha damnit, why am I laughing?! We're all paying for it!
TBH, I think he's just pointing out that Sporean talents are draining out.
ReplyDeleteMe thinks that there is irony in your title "The Search For Political Leaders". It does seem that succession has replaced election, hasn't it?
ReplyDeleteHi Mr Wang,
ReplyDeleteFor my own entertainment I will be submitting your saved blog entries and URL to all the agencies I know, including top level people who are my friends, just for kicks.
It will be so funny for me when you rot in ISD or some prison after being axed from your job.
Hahaahha!
LOL, you underestimate our local authorities. They've been tracking me, alex au, mr brown even before the 2006 general elections.
ReplyDeleteAs for saving my blog posts, URLs etc, don't bother. There is already a government body which has undertaken the responsibility to do that on a regular basis. Click here for details.
Hello all, just like to share a link that i find hilarious, related to the Mas Selamat escape: Just pure comedy, done by 1st year NTU Communication students. Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amnuJeNE1UA
ReplyDeleteIf im one of the ministers, to hear ur leader saying such things make me feel so worthless.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the ministers are no less different from the ordinary singaporean who are only allow to be stay in the middle structure and never on the top.
Simply because the top dont think u r good enough!!
One soul can be really cheap, if u want it to.
One thing that surprises me is the number of Singaporeans who clearly have a great mind of their own, yet are posting as annonymous persons.
ReplyDeleteCould Mr Wang enlighten me as to why most of your commentors are annonymous? Is it like what dr catherine lim has said, fear is in the air?
April 10, 2008 10:53 PM - "TBH, I think he's just pointing out that Sporean talents are draining out."
ReplyDeleteThe way PAP throws the word 'talent' around is quite devious. If we take LHL's definition of the word, anyone who works overseas or is going abroad to study would be a talent? There are a lot of illogical assumptions being made in his speech. And many Sporeans don't question or think hard enough about them.
There is a top level in Singapore. The people who supported LKY; when he was coming up. They were rich then itself. Now even richer; beyond their wildest dreams.
ReplyDeleteHow are these people going to give it up.All because we make some noise.No way....they are fighting back....
Any self-respecting PAP minister would ask Lee jr; why he said it....but these guys are really ...i don't know lah...
But may be these guys; the ministers and the MP's are not happy...with what is going on....maybe the questioning of certain things have started ...and father & son got oligations to rich people...therefore....they will do anything....and this must be like a warning to the Mps & Ministers
But, i believe; once the father,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, dies....shit is going to hit the roof....I don't see the son fit...not in politics...not even in the army....
fun things awaits Singapore...believe me you.
I had the "opportunity" to meet up with some "4A High-Flying" scholars in the bay area recently. It was when some esteemed government official visited. Suffice to say, they seemed like fish out of the water. They had no idea what they were talking about(this is silicon valley and most of the overseas Singaporeans work in tech companies) or any passion for what they were doing. I find it hard to comprehend why the public should even pay for such people. Some of them had not even worked in their respective fields but some other unrelated government organization but were not holding high posts in their new fancy job(one year into it as a matter a fact).
ReplyDeleteI work in a pretty major technology firm that I think almost everyone will have heard of. All I want to tell you guys is that 4As isn't everything and that real passion and commitment to your work matters a lot more. I also want to say that if any of those scholars walked up to me for an interview(I also interview candidates occasionally), don't expect a job offer from me. Go somewhere else where your incompetence is valued.
I don't think the prime minister has gotten it entirely wrong when he picked out A grade students as the sort of demographic he would look for the next generation of political leaders. Most rich countries are led by politicians who have proven themselves at the very least not to be idiots. Gordon Brown of Britain was the youngest provost ( or something) at his Scottish university. The opposition in Britain is led by people who are quite bright themselves- David Cameron was apparently brilliant in his day in Oxford.
ReplyDeleteDuring the times of LHL, only one to two handful of candidates have perfect scores. At that time very few people has private tuitions. Lee Kuan Yew's children were tutored by some of the best teachers in Singapore. They all had excellent academic result and were made President scholars. Now with 600 hundreds having perfect scores, it is kind of silly to use this as a criteria to chose your successor. First it is so much more difficult to find which one in the 600 is the best as they all have the same score. Second this perfect score is very deceptive as many of them are obtained by excessive expenditure on private tuitions. I have met some of these people and I am disappointed. They are only good in scoring exams. Some cannot speak well, some cannot present them well. One past Chairman of PSC even told my friend that some of them cannot even think properly. They cannot even engage on a discussion of current world affairs. Their horizons are so narrowly focus on studies.
ReplyDeleteIf only they can make private tution illegal then the real talented ones will shine through.
In Australia, only about one or two person has perfect score in each state. In some years there are none at all. So it is easy to identify the really naturally talented ones.
Psh. What's with the idiots harping on and on about an Ivy League education? Ivy leagues have just a slight infection of intelligence. They're not that special.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, pro-government pundits need to come up with better mantras to chant. The message is trite, and isn't easily digested.
Mr. Wang:
I agree with you that the government is lacking in credibility, even when compared to the ibanks after all the pummeling write-downs they've endured.
Everything's nicely pro forma in the government right now - the candidates are set up like polished bowling pins. They'll go down with this nice... cacophony when any real crisis heads their way.
Sooner or later people will start linking government officials to the lofty scholarships they cruised to the top on, and when standards of living drop low enough, resentment with the government will eventually spread to resentment towards these rusted mantras that have been repeated ad nauseum.
haha, i have to agree. being the smartest/best def doesnt mean u're e right one for e job.
ReplyDeletei mean, how many of those profs out there can REALLY REALLY teach well and inspire their students?
there r straight As students who cant do much except study (and getting that A). some of them think that they're e best (can u imagine having a person like that as the PM? he/she'll be like "hah, serves u right for being down and out, cause u are poor and stupid, and im eating all your money!"
eh, not to concemn smart people, just to point out that there's black sheeps everywhere, we need to focus on the qualities we want in a leader and depend on grades.
Let's get creative!! Just like the way the media development authority told us to do~~
ReplyDeleteI think we should adopt a totally contrarian strategy and prohibit all students with above median grades from working in the government.
Frankly, whilst I do understand that the top brass from time to time do commit some gaffs which probably leaves the population at large wondering "WTF is going on." The bulk of the vitriolic hate going round the internet blogs are ludicrous to say the least.
ReplyDeleteIf the government and nation of Singapore are really THAT bad, by all means leave. Pack those bags and leave. However, I don't see thousands packing their bags by the droves do I??
Actually, according to an article I quoted on my blog in 2005, Singapore had the 2nd highest emigration rate in the world, ranking only behind East Timor, and ahead of several war-torn, poverty-stricken countries.
ReplyDeleteActually, the PM's own stats (as quotes in the ST article) gives you some idea of whether people are leaving in droves or not.
ReplyDeleteAmong the 4A students, 1 out of 12 will go overseas to study AND work overseas after graduating. As for the 4A students who study in Singapore, one out of six will go overseas to work, after graduating.
If you perceive that there is a lot of "vitrolic hate" on the Internet against the government, the interesting question to ask yourself is "why?".
ReplyDeleteAccording to LHL of the 600, one third will end up studing overseas. Half of them on state scholarship and the other half on father scholarship. Those on father scholarship usually end up staying behind to work. Of the 400 studying locally about 100 will end up working overseas. So out of these 600, about 200 or one third will end up working overseas. That is a very high percentage.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous April 13, 2008 6:19 PM said "If the government and nation of Singapore are really THAT bad, by all means leave. Pack those bags and leave. However, I don't see thousands packing their bags by the droves do I??"
ReplyDelete1 in 3 Singaporean did the bravest thing in the last election. They felt that BAD to take action with their vote. PAP Gov has admitted to increasing migration. So what is so surprising of the internet's negative comments of the PAP gov?
Are they really in denial that the swings to opposition / protest votes are real? Sure they will not be dethroned but more Singaporean are prepared to sacrifice for the 'freak' result than to suffer anymore. It is time they pay attention to the voice.
Packing the bags is not an option but voting is. Are you telling 1/3 of Singaporean to pack their bag?
Only you are stupid enough to think that just because YOU are already watched by the govt means you are safe. You are obviously too stupid to realise that the govt has to act and has a great REASON to act when someone lodges an official complaint.
ReplyDeleteAlso, such a big stupid fool like you , it is no wonder you can only do Ops in a bank, and cannot be in the front office.
No wonder you are jealous of front office people in the bank and how these banks only hires those from prestigious universities to staff the front office.
You are also too dumb to realise that out of the 4A students, only a small fraction manage to make it to a top overseas university, since majority of them do not have S papers and most end up in local university. By talking about the whole lot of people with 4A, the PM is already including people who went to rubbish schools like NUS, very very politically correct and merciful already.
If he only talked about the 1/6 of the lot who went to top university, sore losers and deprived sour grapes like yourself will cry foul again and take part in the usual dead horse being flogged scholar bashing.
Since you think you are smarter than the people governing us, I recommend you try to get yourself out of the miserable back office job you are stuck in and maybe earn some respect by actually becoming a respectable person. Hahhaha but that would be wishful thinking on anyone's part.
Hahahah!
Enjoy your blog while it lasts, for its days are numbered. And I will make sure of that.
And trust me that I have the power to ensure that. And you have tickled my fancy enough to sustain my interest in this undertaking.
And oh Mercia, you sound really jealous of the Ivy League. You try to get in first then talk about how intelligent they are compared to you. Hahahhahahahahhahh!!! Sore losers all a bunch!!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust went to the stupid post you wrote about NLB archiving your blog. It says nothing about a complaint. Looks like you are more stupid than I estimated.
ReplyDeleteIt is also hilarious how you are so cowardly as to only show comments that support your sour grape position from other sour grapes. Hahha. you should change the blog name to Singaporesourgrapes.
It is more apt! Hahahahhaha!!
Oh btw Winston Churchill ruled more than 60s years ago, before the 2nd world war.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the hordes of sour grapes here drawing him as a parallel would do well to hop into a time machine to go back in time to more than 60 years ago, even longer than your whole life, to go to an era when education was not needed to be a PM of Britain.
Clearly, we know that sour grapes are too stupid to see anachronism staring at them in their faces, because they latch onto anything in desperation like a deprived whore that they think gives them buttress.
Clinton and Obama, the 2 people you featured in your cartoon here went to Yale and Harvard respectively. I guess it would do Singapore so good and have a leader 15 years from now who went to Heng AkiBong Secondary School and NUS to appease the insecurity of a minority of group of unhappy and disenfranchised sour grapes.
I guess sour grapes can only be happy when their leader is someone who went to the same schools as them, so that their insecurity and poison against the state can be accordingly appeased. Hahahah
This is human insecurity at its best. The elevation of things that are aligned with themselves, and the downplaying of attributes they failed at, so as to decrease their own perceived lack.
Lack of prominence, lack of intelligence, lack of voice, lack of power, lack of esteem and lack of happiness.
haha, cos those "hate" will automatically get censored by the local media if we ever try to write in to forum!
ReplyDeleteu noe, if i have the means to, i'll migrate too.haha but as usual im e "obedient citizen" that the govt has trained. lols
To Anon April 13, 2008 6:19 PM,
ReplyDeleteAre you one of the scholars? This would have proven the points mentioned above that you don't even know your own country's statistics and demographics.
You said:
"If the government and nation of Singapore are really THAT bad, by all means leave. Pack those bags and leave. However, I don't see thousands packing their bags by the droves do I??"
There ARE thousands who have packed their bags in droves. Doesn't mean that you don't see means it's not happening. Coz they are already gone, silly.
If you need another example, I can be it. I have migrated. And just recently I've met new migrants from Singapore. One couple has 3 kids. Another is not planning to have kids in Singapore. Another is a bachelor who had given up on how Singapore is run. And yet another who has 3 kids and have stayed in my surburb.
Now, these people are in 30-40s, earning an above average salary and some holding managerial posts. Their salaries may have been downgraded here but they are taking that bold step forward. And many of them will like to return to Singapore, only if the situations (ie FT policies, stress, etc) are better and the government not only listening but implementing policies to assist the citizens.
It's akin to the government trying to fill more water into a bucket with leaking holes. Plug the holes first and you might even succeed in retaining your local talents.
Like what Mr Wang has pointed out. Have you asked yourself why?
Kaffein
Frankly, if PM Lee had said he wants people from "top universities", people would be less shocked.
ReplyDeleteThe reliance on A-level results is really quite childish. Where will he look next - your Primary 5 results?
I actually understand how you feel. To you, 4 As is really something awesome. Me, I came from a top JC and then went to law school (where just about everyone has 3 or 4 As), and I work in an environment where MANY people have an MBA from some brand name university.among my personal friends and acquaintances, there are president's scholars; harvard grads; a few judges; two LKY scholars.
Sorry to say this - academic grades just don't strike me as indicative of worthy PM material. Real-world performance is much more important. As a matter of fact, nothing you do at the age of 17 or 18 should be taken seriously as an indicator of whether you should be PM at age 50.
I see that Obama, Yale alumni is so reflective of the kind of leadership that anon scholar wants in Singapore. He jus tsaid something that will so totally come out of our ministars' mouth.
ReplyDelete"It's not surprising then they get bitter. They cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
I see the anon scholar is so proud that leadership like his has led NUS to be the world's best, so that it cannot produce a Prime Minister for Singapore.
ReplyDeleteLooking down on your products of your own policies and creation. Wonderful leadership indeed scholar.
The anon scholar is so clever, he does not agree with our leaders.
ReplyDeleteSM Goh has just been tasked with retaining talent. And he wants to get local talents into NUS and NTU, and this guy is saying NUS and NTU is for lousy people only.
Such good leadership examples aplenty eh? Always contradict your boss's efforts, and go against the good of the country you are serving. That is what is so good of 4A foreign Ivy League trained scholars. Bravo lah gahmen, see what you have brought upon us and yourself.
FACT:
ReplyDeleteBush is from Yale AND Harvard and is quite widely regarded as inept.
FACT:
Gordon Brown is already struggling and ridiculed for his lack of charisma.
FACT:
We DO have thousands packing for Australia ALONE. EVERY YEAR.
Can we have a more interesting discussion? More imagination pls!
Come on! How about some dirt on Mr Wang? Skeletons in Mr Wang's closet?
NoName
Wow, going by the threads here, then people like me, born in the beginning of the 50s, are too backward in time. And worse, with a lower secondary education, means we should be consigned to be invisible class, or slightly better than pariah maybe.
ReplyDeleteWhoever thinks that qualifications makes a better man, may like to look at the dangers an educated scoundrel can inflict vis a vis a less scheming lesser paper qualified person.
Integrity and wisdom are substances of a man. So long as one is not retarded mentally and endowed with attributes of leadership, he is good enough. Heads of clans, even beggar sect, religions, instituitions, businesses, international organizations(United Nation, World Wildlife Organization etc) are not neccessarily educationally certified.
'Kuo jia an wei, pi fu yu ze' meaning that everybody plays a responsible part in the survival and viability of a nation. If and when a segment of people, especially the educated, want to exclude others from contributing to nation building, then they themselves should be deposed. It shows that they are unwise in being egoistic and class conscious.
A country with Rulers who look down at its' citizenry with disdain and discrimination cannot flourish for long. It appears to me that the 'educationally qualified' in Singapore does want to have a divide, to have themselves a higher hierarchy.
Personally, I would not even mind if anyone thinks he is god, but do carry yourself the characteristics of one. And the test is, you qualify to be one when absolutely no one says a single negative word towards and about You!
patriot.
Previous leaders had gone through the hardships in overcoming problems, I wonder with better academic qualifications, they are able to overcome crisis?
ReplyDeleteI think election performance would be a good method of choosing the next PM...
ReplyDeleteall in favor say "AYE"!
Btw, to complement my earlier post above. They can pretend to be the most powerful gods for all I care.
ReplyDeleteI am but your humble atheist.
patriot.
Quote: Only you are stupid enough to think that just because YOU are already watched by the govt means you are safe. You are obviously too stupid to realise that the govt has to act and has a great REASON to act when someone lodges an official complaint.
ReplyDeleteComment : Wow, u really threaten Mr. Wang. Shit ! Who cares ? To be jailed by the pap government for political reason is a batch of honour and will be well recorded in History. Just look at the admiration Lim Chin Siong, Chia Thai Poh and Fracis Seow are getting from the younger Singaporeans.
Quote : Also, such a big stupid fool like you , it is no wonder you can only do Ops in a bank, and cannot be in the front office.
Comment: Mr Wang's postion on the trading desk as a stractured product specialist is not to be sneer at. It is obvious u r trying to work up Mr Wang. Try harder.
Quote:No wonder you are jealous of front office people in the bank and how these banks only hires those from prestigious universities to staff the front office.
Comment: Gee to spite on the basis of assumptions about someone is not an effective strategy. Will not work. Only make u look hollow.
Quote: You are also too dumb to realise that out of the 4A students, only a small fraction manage to make it to a top overseas university, since majority of them do not have S papers and most end up in local university. By talking about the whole lot of people with 4A, the PM is already including people who went to rubbish schools like NUS, very very politically correct and merciful already.
Comment: Goh Chok Tong, Tommy Koh came from "rubbish schools" - the ancestor of NUS - SU. LHL is not that smart enough to be so considerate. He is more prone to gaffe than expected of him. With pedigree like that, he should have done much better.
Quote:If he only talked about the 1/6 of the lot who went to top university, sore losers and deprived sour grapes like yourself will cry foul again and take part in the usual dead horse being flogged scholar bashing.
Comment: He could have focus on performances. Why on the meaningless perfect scores in "A" level.
Quote: Since you think you are smarter than the people governing us, I recommend you try to get yourself out of the miserable back office job you are stuck in and maybe earn some respect by actually becoming a respectable person. Hahhaha but that would be wishful thinking on anyone's part.
Comment: Such comment is totally uncalled for. So all those who are not so smart has no rights to criticise the government. Are they not Singaporeans ? Are they sub-human ? Ur attitude sucks.
Quote: Enjoy your blog while it lasts, for its days are numbered. And I will make sure of that.
And trust me that I have the power to ensure that. And you have tickled my fancy enough to sustain my interest in this undertaking.
April 14, 2008 1:35 AM
Comment : only a sour losers resort to threats. Who is afraid of paper tiger ?
1 Samuel 8:10-18:
ReplyDelete8:10 Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people who asked of him a king.
8:11 He said, “This will be the manner of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;
8:12 and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.
8:13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
8:14 He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
8:15 He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
8:16 He will take your male servants, and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
8:17 He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants.
8:18 You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”
and history repeats itself again and again.
NoName
Graduating from a top uni not equate to good leadership. It just smacks of elitism fullstop.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the ministers actually sit down and work out those statistics?
Come on, dont be daft. They rely on others to do the shit work and make a decision based on somebody's work . Do you really think our finance minister has the time to sit down and request a full data from MAS and starts to do financial modelling on excel spreadsheets? ROFL.
"Oh btw Winston Churchill ruled more than 60s years ago, before the 2nd world war".
ReplyDeleteBefore?? Guess you weren't the sharpest pencil in the box during history class eh, Anon 14 April 2008 03:31:00 ?
Over its tenure, the PAP has attempted to stem the bleeding exodus by
[1] Bullying: lose your S'pore citizenship if you don't return to the bosom every 10 years
[2] Abuse: Goh Chok Tong's wonderful 'quitter', 'disloyal' insults
[3] Appeal: to Patriotism (which is, as we all know, the last refuge of the scoundrel) by LKY
[4] Pleading: by the PM recently that society is bereft of 'a central core', loss of talent, blah, blah.
all of which has fallen upon deaf ears since for many smarter S'poreans, the writing on the wall is at best, distasteful. LHL now faces the ugly task of grooming a successor from a rapidly shrinking pool of available talent. Who must have a faultless track record dating back to the womb, apparently.
Could there be amongst that residue a sleeper - like a Mugabe - totally without scruple, willing to bide his time, capable of pulling the wool over the PM's Eye-o-Sauron? Given the overwhelming powers gathered to the executive, the ineffectual checks and balances on abuse, the lack of civil society, the laws barring protest, the consequences for the nation would not be a pretty sight. Of course only the paranoid sour grapes among us would imagine uptight S'pore ever suffering the fate of a Zimbabwe.
Curiously, by his reluctance to moderate his authoritarian ways, Dirty Harry has himself sown the seeds of that self-same mediocre government he scorned a while ago. The law of unintended consequence strikes again. Oh, how we scoffed and laughed when that ang moh dummy Prof. Samuel Huntingdon predicted that Harry's model of governance would not long survive his demise!
Ahem. Anyway, please form an orderly queue at the exit and remember to wave politely on the way out, thank you v. much. Mind the doors. And a pleasant Muahahahaha g'day to you too, Anon.
Wang idiot quote"Actually, according to an article I quoted on my blog in 2005, Singapore had the 2nd highest emigration rate in the world, ranking only behind East Timor, and ahead of several war-torn, poverty-stricken countries."
ReplyDeleteI think the poster was asking why DON't YOU leave? You are the one posting the most angry posts mah. Why don't you leave leh? Why isn't leaving an option for you? Not happy ah? Leave lah. Is anyone stopping you? the state surely isn't.
Better to leave now before you are retrenched. Then you may have to go on your knees and beg DBS to hire you.
And i'm not a scholar dipshit. I didn't even go to university and digital media in NYP. I am a usual Singaporean who thinks this mudslinging's gone way past its tolerable and sane limits. Crazy shit whine so much all day and don't do the most direct and natural and instinctive thing to do in someone of your position - brimming with hate and anger. Which is to leave.
I can't fucking stand whiners who whine all day and choose not to do the most natural thing- which is to fuck off and spare the people around you the fucking torture of your negativity. Do you know that anger and hate are contagious?
if you can't be happy here, go somewhere else. Happiness is wonderful. I think that's pretty foreign to you now huh? The last time you had a smile on your face was when your geylang $30 manwhore blew you.
Anonymous quote April 12, 2008 9:17 PM " Now with 600 hundreds having perfect scores, it is kind of silly to use this as a criteria to chose your successor. First it is so much more difficult to find which one in the 600 is the best as they all have the same score. Second this perfect score is very deceptive as many of them are obtained by excessive expenditure on private tuitions. I have met some of these people and I am disappointed. They are only good in scoring exams. Some cannot speak well, some cannot present them well.
ReplyDeleteIn Australia, only about one or two person has perfect score in each state. In some years there are none at all. So it is easy to identify the really naturally talented ones."
Fucking idiot read the fucking newspapers before you comment and make a big fool of yourself. It's in ST and one doesn't need to be in a top JC to know.
600 people is the no. for people who got 4A. Not perfect scores you redneck idiot.
The no. of people with perfect scores per year is 2-3. Perfect score = 4A level, 2 AO and 2-3 S papers you moron.
Out of the 600 people who got 4As, less than 100 took S papers and only 2 got perfect scores.
My brother is in RJ and the fucking news report came out in the Straits Times you moron.
http://www.rjc.edu.sg/newrjc/news3.htm
Only 2 people have perfect score from RJC and only 1 from HCI. Don't your country bumpkin fans read the newspapers, Mr Wang? HaHahhahahaha!!!!
600 perfect scores?!?! Yo Mr Wang, your supporters are as stupid as you! Hahahahahha!!!
And Winston Churchill took command in World World 2 you idiot! That's 60 years ago! Wake up and smell the roses fucking losers! All a bunch of whiners. Whiners nevermind. Fucking stupid as well and can't get facts right.
"Just look at the admiration Lim Chin Siong, Chia Thai Poh and Fracis Seow are getting from the younger Singaporeans."
ReplyDeleteBADGE OF HONOUR AH?! HAhahahahhahah eh eh Mr Wang your fans now exhorting you to RUN Into the Flames and martyr yourself leh! They even say you would be HONOURED!!
Consider it done!
I hate to tell you but my very family in ISD is a tinker away. All I have to do is to be sufficiently 1) bored or 2) miffed one day and yes I shall punch my speed dial button. Remember the whitley rd detention centre has no callgirl service for you Mr Wang.
When that time comes, please don't thank me hor, thank your fans who requested to me that I send you to the arms of the law.
Hahahhaha this is SO FUN!
FACT:
ReplyDeleteWe DO have thousands packing for Australia ALONE. EVERY YEAR.
Then please be one of them. May I know what's stopping you? Fucking get lost already so you will quit whining here. Whining and not doing anything about it - hallmark of loser stuck in back office of bank and his fans. Hahahhahahahahah!!
All this negative vibe is putting everyone in a bad mood. We just want to be happy and get fucking lost if you were abused sexually as a child.
And if you cannot get 4A, don't be sad. Come to NYP.
What a bunch of wanking losers.
There is one way to ensure that Harry's model works and he is already doing it. It is to ensure that there are always enough "family members" who are "talented" and willing to "sacrifice" themselves to serve the people.
ReplyDeleteWith his present network of closely nit family members and trusted allies in key position, I believe they will have indefinite rule of the island as the next generation is already getting ready. Just look at the number of "white horses" out there and lets not forget the "white mares" as well.
@random flamer:
ReplyDeleteIf the negative vibe is getting to your nerves, PLEASE LEAVE. We and Mr Wang have no reason to pander to your oh-so-delicate anti-whiner sensibilities.
I don't get it. Do you have any reason at all to suck up to the government? 'Usual Singaporeans' like you will just be kicked away by the PAP in favor of scholars and FTs. You'd be lucky to get a job cleaning tables in some godforsaken hawker center, that is if those foreign workers don't undercut your wages. Most likely you'd end up unemployed.
Or perhaps you're a masochist. Kinda explains much, come think of it.
You have to understand that these bitter dungs have nothing better to do with their lives than complain. They are no different from whiney bitches in cantonese soaps who whine all day spreading their poisonus vibes around to the people around them.
ReplyDeleteIf you're so fucking unhappy, get the fucking lost man!! Why hang around and whine non-stop, spoiling the mood of the whole nation? Who doesn't want to be happy? Hahahah Oh other countries don't want you all? I am not surprised.
A bunch of ignorant sour grapes who are too incapable to actually change their lives by getting the fuck out and sparing our ear drums and moods.
- Very Happy
Quote "I hate to tell you but my very family in ISD is a tinker away. All I have to do is to be sufficiently 1) bored or 2) miffed one day and yes I shall punch my speed dial button."
ReplyDeleteYeah sure. Ho hum. Except for yourself. You know someone who works in such and such a department. At your whim and fancy you can put people behind bars? Nice. Sooo good to day dream of having such and such authority and power. Whatsa matter? Deprived childhood?
"Don't your country bumpkin fans read the newspapers, Mr Wang? HaHahhahahaha!!"
Get out of here. You brain dead idiot. Most people don't read that sorry excuse for a newspaper.
"All this negative vibe is putting everyone in a bad mood. We just want to be happy and get fucking lost if you were abused sexually as a child."
My my temper temper. What anger! If this blog is causing you and your pals to be in a bad mood. Don't! Get out of here! Go to Sentosa, Jurong Bird Park and continue being happy. Who the hell invite you to come to this blog and get throw expletives around. Shoo! Go get help if you're sexually abuse as a child. That's your theory. For any who is angry or frustrated.
"Fucking get lost already so you will quit whining here."
Whinning and criticism are two very different things. Hmmm. Got news for you. However you like to curse and swear there will always be blogs like this one by SINGAPOREANS. Don't like it? Go take a hike out of Singapore!
hThey are too loserly to be happy. And too loserly to leave.
ReplyDeleteThus the rest of the non-losers who want to be happy have to suffer.
To Anon April 15, 2008 12:06 AM
ReplyDeleteGee, vulgarity must be a trade mark of pap supporters. Read the Shitty Times and get brainwash ? You must be joking.
4As used to be perfect score in the old days. So for comparison it is used as the standard. Why stop at adding other papers ? Why not go all the way to the day u enter school ?
Academic qualification alone is a bad indicator of political talent. Just look at the President Scholars in the cabinet and compare their performaces to the Finance Minister and ex-Education Minister - a self confessed football nut, almost school dropout, Tan Wah Piow associate, ISD target, leaking offical secrets criminal.
All you people underestimate Mr Wang. You don't know his tactical mind. ;)
ReplyDeleteMr Wang is quite happy to let that crazy fellow rant on and on.
That way, Mr Wang doesn't have to waste time discrediting him. The Anon guy will do a great job discrediting himself.
If you are an ISD guy and you read this page + all the comments, would you act on a complaint from that Anon guy? Naaah, if anything you'd probably refer him to IMH/woodbridge.
i wonder who is that kiisiao flamer?
ReplyDeletecrazy ah? y u dun like mr wang... he steal u zhabor is it?
Freed from the effort of pretending to be an intellectual, the vulgar anon is finally telling it as it is.
ReplyDeleteFACT#:
Singaporeans voted for ISA and speaking against PM Lee can indeed get you arrested.
FACT#:
It is indeed irresponsible to ask Mr Wang to Martyr himself. fighting(?) for an ungrateful\pathetic population ala Lim chin siong, the prisoner of sentosa, etc , is as as stupid as the Yue Feis\Yangs of old china who gave up their lives for moronic emperors. Good advice!
Way to go! Jia You!
Eh what was the original topic again? Nevermind this is more interesting. c'mon .. dig up dirt on mr wang!
NoName
April 15, 2008 12:26 PM
ReplyDelete“4As used to be perfect score in the old days. So for comparison it is used as the standard. Why stop at adding other papers ? Why not go all the way to the day u enter school ?”
This is a lame way to weasel out of an expose that exposes all-out stupidity and ignorance on fact of matter you’re talking about. If you have the guts to slam, at the very least do some research to get your facts right. And have the guts to admit your errors later instead of coming up with some shit excuse.
S papers have been offered the last 2 decades and 4As have never been the ‘perfect score’, partly because it’s too easy to get it. Perfect score has always referred to PERFECT. That is why the word perfect is used. 4A was never the perfect score so no need to talk rubbish here to exonerate yourselves from the expose of your stupidity.
“Academic qualification alone is a bad indicator of political talent. Just look at the President Scholars in the cabinet and compare their performaces to the Finance Minister and ex-Education Minister - a self confessed football nut, almost school dropout, Tan Wah Piow associate, ISD target, leaking offical secrets criminal.”
This is inaccurate. People outside of the top school circle always have the impression that president’s scholarship = academics only or the best in academics. Go ask any top student in HCI or RJC what it’s is going on since you vegetables are outside of the circle peering in with your preconceived notions, ignorance and jealous minds.
President’s scholars rarely ever are the perfect scorers. Usually have a lot of ECAs, 4As and 2SDs, do well in the many rounds of interviews but they were never perfect scorers. Out of the perfect scorers in the RJC link provided, the only 2 people found to have applied and accepted scholarships on the net are Gideon Johnathan is a DSTA scholar and TAN SHIN EIK who ended up with a teaching scholarship. Li Shengwu’s name is not on the net for scholarships but we all know who he is and he won a PSC OMS. None are president’s scholar. This is the case for that year and is the case for all years in history. Please be my guest and go ask to confirm your ignorance.
Also another renowned trend that top school students know is that you know how they always advertise the top PSLE scorer and top O level scorer? Those people rarely end up doing that well at A levels. And then the best A level scholarships ie PSC top ones are rarely won by the top PSLE/O Level student in past history. Dunno why somehow they cannot live up to “top” later on. Top PSLE and O level depend on only studying. Scholarship application at A level depends on a host of factors. I strongly recommend you find out about what you are talking about. Know your enemy first to win a war. Or at least to not look stupid. As for Tharman, he went to LSE leh. How?? Don’t you all have a bone to pick with elite schools? As for performances, it is for their bosses to judge. Not the vegetables.
To the moron upstairs who used GCK and Tommy Koh to say NUS is good, GCK went to Williams College eventually and Tommy Koh has a Cambridge AND Harvard degrees later too. If they had not gone to get foreign papers, they would languish like the rest of you.
All sad case vegetables…
I can see there is a mad dog in the manger.
ReplyDeleteNYP anon, you have to understand that we're dealing with underprivileged whiney losers here who hang around but won't get lost.probably cos no other country wants trash.
ReplyDeleteIt will be so funny and delightful if Mr Wang rots behind bars. you know he doesnt need callgirl service in jail as you said? he will be adequately "serviced" there. hahahahhaha!!
This is getting acutely embarrassing. Look, people, I am an active Young PAP member and I want to assure you all that the average PAP supporter is *not* a moron like this raving mad idiot yakking about callgirls and ISD. There is more diversity of opinions within PAP/YPAP than most people realise and we are quite open to civilised discussion and debate.
ReplyDeletePlease be clear that we have nothing in common with that crazy mad dog. Just posting this, to do some damage control for the reputation of PAP members and supporters.
Actually the crux of the matter here is why is it necessary to filter whether the next PM has to have 4As in their A levels.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, does it matter if that person was given or selected for scholarship.
Shouldn't main criteria be whether he/she has the passion, loyalty, honesty, drive, etc for the job. Of more importance, criteria should also be based on what he/she has done after university - his/her experiences, achievements, successes, etc
Over and above those who are good but are likely to be concern with their salary and pension AND may be corrupt if given renumerations JUST equal to the other top leaders of the developed world.
All these, to be finally decided by the people to assess whether he/she is the best leader to advance and better of the livelihood of Singaporeans.
Well, 117 comments later, I've decided to close the comment section. It was a good discussion, although slightly marred by you-know- who-lah. But by now I think everyone has had his opportunity to speak his mind, which is good.
ReplyDelete