Singapore (S'pore) without Lee Kuan Yew (LKY).
Singapore without Lee Kuan Yew (LKY)
Singaporeans were brought up with only LKY on our lips..Our parents were so beholden to the system that saw a gradual transformation of a sleepy lacklustre town into the present cosmopolitan city.
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We had come a long way..and I was then only a kid in Sec one in 1959. People's Action party (PAP) under LKY and his old guards too came a long way...When PAP first held power in S'pore in 1959, it never occurred in many of our thoughts nor beliefs that PAP will perpetuate to this day after 52 years..
And it did! It must be more than a miracle.
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And the platform was set in steel when Barisan Socialis (BS) with 13 MPs walked out of parliament (legislative assembly) in protest of PAP's policies..In certain ways, BS betrayed the trust of those voters who voted them in...and PAP never looked back, capitalising on the monopoly of parliament.
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We saw the development, the progress, the better standard of lives for the citizens. There was not much to complain on the government. S'pore Investment Trust (SIT) started to build cheap and truely affordable flats for the people on a small scale and when HDB took over, many S'poreans were housed in new estates..remembering Toa Payoh as the very first few new estates....MY family was the first to move to Toa Payoh.
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Life was still good and easy going even though we did not have MRT to speak off. And the living were in tune with the development of the population.
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Singapore under PAP and LKY was to transform the demographic changes and many policies where implementation without the least consultation in subsequent years. When it was PAP's policy it is a good policy..We all live with the 'obseisance of duress' yet we cannot utter a sound..Lives move on and many who are unable to cope and follow, fell off the wayside and suffered hardship.
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When LKY stepped down to give way to his hegemonic dynasty of empire to son PM Lee Hsien Loong (LHL)..We do not expect much of a change...And all was right to the "T". LHL wasted much of his PM life playing second fiddle in the shadow of his patriarch father.
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The awakening arrived only after the 7th May General Election (GE). It was only a mini watershed..Though the opposition won only six seats (one GRC and one SMC), the percentage of votes were 60/40..It was a real rude awakening to PAP..If the introduction of GRC was not here to stay since 1984?? (correct me if i am wrong) opposition would have at least 35 MPs in parliament..GRCs is a weightage to PAP as the re-drawing of constituency boundaries..all gerrymandering!
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LKY, GCT and three high profile ministars stood down after the watershed of only one GRC lost...Many 'arses' were buttered and lives move on in PAP camp. We will leave the big losers out (saving grace)..since everyone knows who they were!
PM LEE is quick to transform and re-invent...Many a policies softening approach and stance, showed he is rather sincere to move to engaging the citizens woes and feedbacks..But once a while his 'scholastic' 4th generation minsters still uttered rhetorics of self-denial and arrogance....Silence sometimes is the best answer!
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But the internet news media is all transparent and many netizens screwed them deep to shut up their 'senseless rhapsody'..Many young ministers and WIW think they are singing in a karaoke..it is alright to be out of tune and a wrong key. In the high office of government and that high dastardly paycheck, there is no room for idiotic errors and utterance..PM Lee is having a hard time to contain these young 'high and mighty invertebrates!.
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The recent changes in the CEC of PAP (LKY and GCT stepped down) marked a moving away from the silhouettes of LKY to PM Lee's courageous independent undertaking as a real PM.. we have seen a number of good trnsformation and re-invention...On the education front with Heng Swee Keat..in the caring of the senior sick and poor citizens..At place is Health Promotion Board's (HPB) active programme on ageing and MOH initiative on partnership with GPs to look after citzens aged 40 and above with good subsidies.
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We see a greater change of hearts to understand the 'emotional dilemma' of its citizens and the willingness to move to a neutral ground in PAP's engagement.Understanding of poor citizens lives and senior old folks loneliness in despair with sickness and penniless. Yet the govt is not assisting enough..Let us see the unfolding of compassion.
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Singapore is really transforming as of now in the beginning..due to the watershed GE (what an eye-opener for them and for us citizens!). Let us see how far its transformation towards the citzens benefit will stretch within the framework to the next GE in 2016..It is the awakening of a new era of S'pore under PM LHL..and the next chapter is to see PAP doing the balancing act with the overwhelming foreigners in our midst..We welcome them but not to this extent of encroachment of space, transport squeeze, housing price escalation and the 'cultural shock of our very own existence..' The govt erred in this respect without care and inconsequential to our call.
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What will S'pore be without LKY??..The answer lies in LHL's mind and how well he can hold fort to move himself forward to the next election with the minimal disturbance of his fate and life from grand old patriarch!?
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How able is LHL, we shall see..Will PAP disintegrate when LKY is in heavenly bliss one day??...But, many and me wish him long life...God bless.
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We shall leave it to another transformation of the natural force of human endeavour and the exuberance of 'cosmic force!'...Yet we must never forget the impermanence of life and the power of fading political control !
{first written for Facebook. Copy and paste to my blog}..
patrick lee song juan (leesjuanpat)
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