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Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Battle for Hougang (HG).

Since the expulsion of Yaw Shing Leong from Workers Party (WP), Hougang ward has become a 'hot' seat.

And when PM Lee said in parliament that is no constitution that said that Hougang must have a by-election within 3 months, he knows the odds are against him!Under normal judgment, if a PAP ward is vacant...opposition parties would be too eager to contest a by-election. Why is PAP not keen to capture back HG ? Everyone knows and PAP knows too well HG is WP's stronghold for 20 years. and it is iconic to Low Thia Khiang (LTK) as Tanjong Pagar is to Lee Kuan Yew..

PM Lee is weighing the remote possibility of winning back HG...An it will be an uphill task for PAP. YSL's moral fiasco of not befitting an MP, has nothing to do with his official functioning but more on his moral character. But the fact that as a public figure, upholding one's integrity and moral values must be the norm. There is no choice but to do what have to be done. And WP did the right thing!

This episode is only a little dent on the credibility of WP as a party. As LTK acted well and with accountability and transparency to expel YSL as compared to PAP when Wong Kan Seng, slipped as minister of Home Affairs, he was led off. (I would put WKS mistake of National security far more serious than YSL's moral wrong-doing....So the comparison is there to debate!

When is Hougang going to the polls? And how many parities will be contesting? All are curious to find out...The longer PM lee holds back, the drawing is on the board, to reflect his weakness to dare fight it out with WP. Another lost, though only a by-election will be testimony of the decline of PAP...PM Lee is in sixes and sevens.

A two party contest will be the ideal scenario...If a three corner contest is in the offing...The probability would be NSP (National Solidarity Party) ..To this end , I do not see any candidate in NSP, can stand up to WP and PAP..Politics is all about might, power, brand name. NSP has yet carved out any to be ready at Hougang.

Nonetheless, the dared will fight a longer battle..NSP can try if they feel they can stand up to that might !

Having said that...apart from WP and PAP, any other party who come in, is just to dilute the votes. Yes! some will still vote for that other party....but the margin may be lest that 10 percent and it would lose the deposit....

A four party contest will be further suicide..to come into the fray...No different like the last presidential election of 4 contestants. We saw how it ended in Tony Tan winning with a weak majority!!

FOOTNOTE: My prediction if a 3-corner contest....53% WP...37%% PAP and 10% for the third party .....Two party contest...WP...65%...PAP...35%


"Speak only if we can perfect on our silence."

patrick lee song juan

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Political connections: Asset or Liability?

Political Connections : Asset or Liability?

NUS is holding a talk on the above subject on the 26th of March..i have registered to attend with a friend.

What is political connection in the S'pore's context?
The road to stardom is as easy as ABC in a simple scenario of ting Pei Ling (TPL)...If she doesn't have any political connection in her hubby being the PPS of PM Lee, do you think she can sail easily into parliament as an MP....She may not be spotted even in this nepotic setting of our political connect!

And to name others like Grace Fu, Desmond Choo, Ong Ah Heng's son and the load of rubbish connection of the ruling elites.

So, the system is no different from any system of political connection in the world.

And even in the opposition arena, the political connection holds dear and strong...Chiam See Tong inducted his wife, a political nobody into his succession and behold she lost her election but due to the system's rule, was a NCMP in parliament. She is learning her trade well, it seems.

And we have other political connection, not necessarily to go into politics. When Aljunied GRC was still under PAP, the political connect of the system saw the upgrading of Bedok Reservoir given to the General Manager of Aljunied GRC Jeffrey Chua and he is also Managing Director of CPG Facilities Management and all contracts were given to his company. Cynthia Phua was the then Charman of Aljunied GRC..Was there a conflict of interest in this political connection???

It was published even in the ST of May 12th 2011. Prime page A4..only days after they lost the GRC...So this is downright "political connection of the legal corrupt kind!!

Saw phaik phaik too has political connection in high places to secure the top post as CEO in SMRT...It was an unwritten knowledge for all...With her qualification not in the technical aspect of SMRT, if as a normal woman applicant, she will never even be shortlisted. that is another form of political connection. And it went to the extent that speculation of Saw phaik phaik is a good friend of Ho Ching- PM's wife..ha haa h!aa!..Well! well!

In Political connection..definitely the asset is more than the liability. Liability comes only if a country is not stable and like Libya was overthrown by the people and many political connect cronies too have to run for their lives..S'pore will never have this kind of chaos! We are peace-loving citizens...all indocrinated by the systems ideology to stay well within the law, or our wings had been clipped already!

So , when the government talk about merit and meritocracy in S'pore ..we know what it is like. Merit, meritocracy, political connection and political preference are all the words and control of the ruling elites.

Like it or not that is the political connection of our S'pore...you too can be connected too..Just join PAP or befriend the systems high and mighty people and be obeisant to your master.

That is also the stepping stone of how the CC and RC work in the Grassroot level of political connection under the purview of People's Association. And it is under chairman PM LHL.

Is there a breathing space for the ordinary people to move up in such political connection???


patrick lee song juan

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

A Thought and the death of a Nightingale.

A Thought and the death of a Nightingale.

The deepest of nite, the quietness of morn
sitting at my computer, reflecting the moments of moments
can feel the flow of energy after just three hrs rest
waiting for dawn to break, the birds to appear in its nest.

to search for worms for it young
an indication of how life begins
into the helpless mouth the worm is fed....
yet in days to come, the tiny birds will spread its wings...

into a wide horizon of the blue
looking beyond its dependent days, soaring free of fear
unable to contain the paranomic view of the sky
lost in the moment of delight.

an eagle just flew into its sight
a short-lived freedom in a world of impending death
snatch by the claw of the eagle's might,
an innocent death within sight!

leesjuanpat

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Politics is a dirty and selfish business!

Politics is a dirty and selfish business !!

In answer to Amy Lauschke comment on my note on legacy of LKY......

In the world of politics and in our S'pore context...those early years were of nation building, was all from scratch. LKY did well to consolidate his power with his team...It would be either PAP or others, in the arena of dirty politics. The one who strikes first, by whatever means would vanquish the oppositions. (Hence, I had never considered myself a 'hard-hearted' politician as compared to LKY (and there is, in fact no comparison..to each his own).

I was sourced by NSP even as early as 1990, when Ken Sun was SG of NSP (I have document proof of what I say -with substance)...Then, I was with (Associate professor) Philip Motha Consultancy Pte Ltd as a Director in the marketing and valuation arm of our property firm. Who would want to be in politics then with the political climate of uncertainty in S'pore. My kids were young too. Hence, I show great respect to all politicians for their sacrifices be it PAP or oppositions. Not now with the newbie PAP hanger-on scholars inducted into a well-orchestrated party.... to become instant ministers and well connection MPs... And many of them talk cock sing song, under the brolly of PAPAtology..

We may refute LKY's early years of contribution, but the bare facts were written as I said in the annals of S'pore History that he was one of the outstanding contributors of S'pore's success story.

Like it or not, who in power would not want to grasp and consolidate power as one's own and even amassed wealth for self and family...For that reason..I would not trust myself, if I were to be in LKY's shoes, maybe it would be no different!!

History shows how rulers passed on succession after succession to one's family. Even in opposition context of one older party...the succession baton was passed to his wife...There is no different in human selfishness and power of control.

As we move on into the next lap of S'pore's political power control..PAPitology will not be able to hold firm to its hegemony. We already seen the awakening of the young Titans and the political force brewing a new cup of tea!

Come GE 2016...PAPiautocracy would have suffered another greater blow with the quality of some of their newbie eager to impress 'dude' politicians of their elite class of high intelligence scholars but lack emotional intelligence.. Other oppositions are deemed 'weaker mortals"...LOL!

S'pore will see a new awakening.....of mixed power!! A two-party system would be a good change for checks and balances. Mark my word.

patrick lee song juan

Lee kuan Yew (LKY) and his legacy.

The Man and His Legacy- Lee Kuan Yew (LKY)...

A befitting statement...the online citizen writer gave a good account of the various policy award in the name of ex-MM LKY. In certain details the writer spelled out the various supporters of the prize awards by the insitutions in LKY's name...so his legacy can live in perpetuity.

In a mono-political world of PAP politics, it is never wrong to propagate and perpetuate the legacy of LKY..Look at other countries of authoritarian rule like North Korea..their president are revered as demi-god...Past China Mao Tse Tung never died and is well-embalmed for his legacy of building Communist China.

Singapore will go down in history with a founder father figure...As it is many sectors of society from PA, CC, RC, government -link organization, NTUC and as mentioned by Online-citizen, Media-corps , DBS and SLA all supported every move to glorify the legacy of LKY.

Looking at it from a broad perspective of Singapore, many may refute my opinion, S'pore will go into the annals as a small country made good by one great man, with the aspiration of other men to help him built a legacy of an incredible successful S'pore. Hence, credit should also be shared by the other old guards..like Goh Keng Swee, S Rajaratnam, Toh Chin Chye etc..Though without LKY's leadership, S'pore may not be what it would be today!

So, his legacy will live on till posterity or otherwise. Nevertheless, naming too many price and award in his name is seen as perpetuating his name till "thy kingdom cometh"...It may not go down well with many, in view of the gaffs and bloopers of recent years of mistakes made by PAP and the old patriarch himself.

S'pore has come a long way with PAP... But the awakening of GE 2011 was a searching of minds and emotions of people that whatever legacy LKY held before...it just take a snap of the index finger and thumb, to be blown off by the very scholars of the new generation of over-enthusiastic, over-eager, and over-garrulous newbie PAP ministers and MPs as stated in the Sunday Times today... IT IS THE HARD TRUTHS....Even Baey Yam Keng (a season MP) is not spared, by the way he handled the Sun Xu affair..

Let us open our mindset of thoughts and conscientious effort to be proud of our motherland S'pore's achievement with or with a lasting legacy of Lee Kuan Yew...But then can anyone refute that ?

Though one swallow cannot make the summer!

patrick lee song juan

Sunday, March 11, 2012

A visit to Bukit Brown Cemetery.

A VISIT TO BUKIT BROWN CEMETERY....

Today in the morning a group of like-minded people converged on Bukit Brown to try to bring more awareness to the forgotten haven of rustic green and ancestor cemetery. The natural beauty of the vast green undulated with plots of tombstones..Some magnificently built.

It would be a real lost to our ancestral heritage and our tradition of burying our forebears. In land scarce S'pore cremation is the norm now..We have lost the very practice that our forefathers bought to Nanyang (S'pore) when many sailed here with only a bag of clothing on their back..And many in those early era was coolies or trishaw riders.

But many made good and beame famous on the own rights and helped their clan people established a name in S'pore..People like Lim Loh (Lim Bo Seng's father- the general who was tortured by the Japanese and diedied in War World II)... Ong Sam Leong (Boon Tat's father where Boon Tat Street was named after him...and many more!

S'pore must look beyond the the dollars and cents thing and bring into equilibrium the heritage of a past era which can never be savored by any amount of money. Or in the name of advancement and development of super highways!!...What is the point when we do not even pay the respect to our ancestors they so greatly deserved when they built S'pore with their blood and sweat..Every ancestor buried at Bukit Brown was a S'porean who in one way or another contributed to the survival of S'pore even before PAP-ilogy was even heard of!

Now in one 'order' (is it from LTA) or from whoever is so powerful to know not their very ancestors!!..They want to destroy a natural heritage of a perpetual resting place of our forebears- BUKIT BROWN.

MOST OF US DO NOT BLAME Tan Chuan-jin...he is only a minster of state and MP..There are more mightier behind who mapped the destinies of S'pore and our way of life, rightly or wrongly!!

And to these people...never forget your roots,...your traditional values...your ancestors...Would you still be in existence if not for them to procreate and bring you into this world.....So let us remember our roots...SAVE BUKIT BROWN...A RUSTIC HEAVEN ON EARTH..a unique cemetery of vast history!!..

.AND THE SERENITY OF THE RESTING PLACE is a true ABODE for our forebears !! Please let all of them... REST IN PEACE without any exhumation.

— with Wayne Wong and 14 others.

patrick lee song juan

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Domestic Workers (DWs) need a day off too !

Domestic workers need a day off too!

Human always take advantage of human especially if you are a 'lesser mortal', (MP charles chong said that )..So from time immemorial domestic workers (DWs) are exploited and worked till they literally dropped dead!!

Are we human enough to treat human as such?..All are bored by their mothers and have fathers too...So do you!! Having said that..there are good employers too, doubtless.

As this off day a week is going to enact by law next year, many employers (who only think of their own off-days) are up in arms because of a wider implication and complexities of giving DWs a day off each week.

A true experience of one of my sisters..She allowed her maid to move freely and when free, she can go downstairs and chit chat with other maids..Behold!..came the Bangladesh boys and problem arises of love-making and sex..She was sent home!

So...what are the repercussion of this issue when the authorities did not even consult a wider feedback of the population...and with one sweep, it is going ahead with the implementation. Is the govt consultative and respect the views of citizens and employers??

Wha t will happen if maid got into trouble...So, the buck is pushed to the employer to hold the responsibility of their maids..It is not so fair to speak if each week she goes out and get herself into trouble or become pregnant, employers would have their $5000 bond forfeited and still got to pay for the other troubles of sending the maid home...Is that a fair deal in the first place?

The policiy-makers are so daft and so straight as to dulldoze a national wide domestic workers (DWs) policy just like that??

Greater understanding of how, why, at times employers do not want DWs to have too many off -days..Yes! there are many DWs who are responsible of their own welfare to fall into trouble and got impregnated.

Hence, on the very surface, when the authorities push for something to be implemented..did they have that scholastic angst and commonsense to see a more obtuse angle, or they just see a 5 degree lesser acute angle of their myopic intelligence??...Mind you many in the elite ruling govt are all scholars hor!..I rest my case!..regards.

I for all would like to see domestic workers (DWs) being treated like human too!

patrick lee song juan

Monday, March 5, 2012

The LOVE of my life - My Wife

The LOVE of my life...My WIFE.

Wayne wong inspired the reminiscence of my love life and how to live with your the other half to gain blissful harmony!!...Read on please.....

Though a wife who is Western educated but oriental conservatism..She said kissing can transfer germs...those years I always gargle with Listerine! just joking !

Let me share with you the love of every average people like me..Courtship is heavenly bliss...everything also can....When she wanted the moon...you try to get it by placing a basin of water and when the full moon shines in the basin of water..just grapped it for her...Solved!

Then comes married...first six months, enjoyed the living daylights of just married and all the sexual love making...

When the firs baby arrived...Sex life pattern also changed....More time for baby than for sex...Second kid comes and due to S'pore's policy of stop at two...wife went for ligation and ho! and presto! sex life took another turn..Too busy with two kids..too tired for sex.. or is it the ligation has side-effect ?

My sacrifice was great .....Hence I enrolled in course after course if I was not assigned overseas and studied Sexology...human psychology on relationship and development..All my certificates just enriched my life..no further than after I embraced Buddhism and took meditation in seriousness when I was seconded to Jakarta for 3 years...living in JKT after our engagement..in 1973 t0 1975....

Came back after 3 years and got married in 1975 when I was 30 years old...Our married lasted 38 years...WHY??...it is the understanding ...the mutual respect of each others space. LOVE is not all sex in our oriental custom of life..differed greatly the western love of sex as the love of marriage and how so many marriages in Western culture failed especially in the high society of Hollywood!! Where SEX and Orgies are the predominant must in love...if not divorce would be the settlement....!

MY love for my wife has never faded ...We compromised with holidaying around the world with our two kids and my son was a product of the Swiss Alps when my wife came back conceived..So cold in the mountains I played Bed-minton lah!.

So, that is the love of my life...nothing more nothing less...Definitely not like what today's Sunday Times said .....

And as my wife is suffering from Multiple Myeloma (cancer of the spine)...Fate is the destiny of life...I love her even more...sharing her suffering with me...God bless!

..She never like roses on her birthday too..When I sent that to her office, I got a good scolding that I wasted the money..That was and is my wife...How to accommodate her whims and fancies and idiosyncrasies?...I can and I live to tell the story.

Or else I be "poisoned" to death ...hahahah! (there was a true case of a wife doing that to the husband in S'pore and she was charged in court..Luckily the husband did not die).

Living has many possibilities...it is how you compromise your needs to meet the other half's wants that life can be a song , if not, it will be a chore to your existence....

Marriage is the final sacrifice for that 'smooth' journey with serious mutual understanding !

Never be surprised, many a difference comes only after you are married for as long as you can endure !



patrick lee song juan