No end to confusion over PAP’s arrogance
Written by Ng E-Jay01 May 2011
First, the PAP comes out to refute allegations that they are an arrogant party. Then, the next day, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew warns voters of Aljunied GRC that they would have to spend the next 5 years repenting if they voted in Mr Low Thia Khiang’s team.
And if that is not enough, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong casts a shadow on Mr Tan Jee Say’s track record as his former Principal Private Secretary, saying that Mr Tan left for the private sector as he was found not suitable for the post of Permanent Secretary.
Is this what the PAP means when they say they are not arrogant? What kind of blatant inconsistency is this?
Mr Gerald Giam, a WP candidate in East Coast GRC, had said on Thursday that 52 years in power has made the PAP “complacent and arrogant” and act as if it is “entitled” to voters’ support.
On Friday, no less than 6 ministers came out to refute this comment. Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam described it as “classic politics of negativity”, with nothing to back it up. Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew said: “It’s a word they always throw around — phrases and other descriptors. The people will decide whether we’re arrogant or not, or whether we’ve been listening to them, understanding them, working with them.”
But alas, on Saturday, all that empty talk about not being arrogant was thrown out of the window when Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that Aljunied voters will have to live with the decision for the next five years and “repent” if they voted in the WP team.
Mr Lee said: “If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent … … We accept the verdict of the people, but they must also accept the consequences of their actions. You must expect the PAP to look after PAP constituencies first.”
Now do you know why voters in Singapore are often confused, by the PAP habit of saying one thing and then doing the exact opposite just a moment later?
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on the other hand sounded like a sore loser when he spoke about Mr Tan Jee Say.
Mr Goh noted on Saturday that Mr Tan had “benefited” from his previous appointment as his former Principal Private Secretary, in obvious reference to SDP’s use of Mr Tan’s career portfolio to market him as a credible candidate.
Then Mr Goh went on to cast a negative light on Mr Tan’s career performance, saying: “He was an able, hardworking PPS. But I did not think that he could make it as the permanent secretary, so he resigned from the public service to go to the private sector in order to advance himself.”
And if that does not sound bad enough, Mr Goh Chok Tong then said that Mr Tan’s decision to join the SDP was “not wise”, and alluded to Dr Chee Soon Juan’s falling out with Mr Chiam See Tong years ago.
This does not sound like a Senior Minister who is confident of himself and the PAP team. It sounds like a person is a sore, jealous, and has given in to the temptation to nit-pick and cast aspersions on his political opponents.
And all this comes one day after 6 ministers come out in full force to claim that the PAP is not arrogant. Truly amazing!
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