Govt has changed how it engages S'poreans says PM Lee
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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says one year after the General Election in Singapore, the government has changed its approach in many areas - particularly in the process of engaging the electorate and in policy outcomes.
Mr Lee said this was a necessary and helpful change.
As Singapore enters a new phase, this two-way process should result in both sides working together to make Singapore succeed.
Mr Lee was speaking to the Singapore media in Phnom Penh at the end of the 20th ASEAN Summit.
The 6th of May 2011 will be a year since Singapore had its last General Election.
After the polls, Mr Lee had spoken of greater engagement with the people, and he says the process has been helpful.
Mr Lee said: "It's a necessary change, I think it has been helpful. But it is something that must work in a two-way process. It's not just what the government does, it's also about how the electorate sees its role in the new environment, and how it sees it can contribute and what it thinks its responsibilities towards making the system work in a different way.
"Because this is not about what more the government can do - of course the government must do all it can, that is its responsibility. But it's also how we can work together to make Singapore succeed. And that calls for Singaporeans to not just speak out, but also to participate and to feel the responsibility to do their part to make things happen the right way."
As for how Singaporeans have done on this count, Mr Lee thinks the process is still on-going.
Mr Lee said: "I believe that after a year there is a certain stability which has been restored in terms of the mood and the expectations. But it will take some time more and the balance between speaking out and working together is something which still needs to be worked upon."
He cited the example of the feedback on building studio apartments at Toh Yi for the elderly as one where speaking out and working together fell short.
Mr Lee said: "Look at the recent Toh Yi Drive case of the studio apartments and other cases where we have had senior citizens, day care centres, nursing homes that need to be built.
"People respond more articulately now, they organise together more easily, the Internet has enabled this to happen much more readily than before, and also people are much more educated and vocal. And so we have to manage this.
"We must not go into a position where NIMBY (not in my backyard) becomes a general attitude among Singaporeans because then we will stymie ourselves.
"If we take this self-centred approach to problems, we will not be able to do the best for ourselves as a community."
"It's one of our major strengths over the years, that we have been able to take it overall, rough and smooth. So on a particular project, one group may gain more than another, some groups may have some adverse effect, because there are some consequences and side effects that you live with - noise, dust, or inconvenience.
"But taken as a whole, because we have been able to go on this broad approach, Singapore has made a lot more progress and you have a much better Singapore than if we had stayed put and everything had been "No".
"And we must make sure we don't end up a lot of things "No". We have to consult, we have to adjust - you look at Bukit Brown, you have to talk, you have to explain. But if at the end, we cannot move at all, you will not only not have tomorrow's Singapore, we wouldn't even have today's Singapore."
"You will be where you were in the 1960s, and I think it will be a very unhappy state," said Mr Lee.
He said Singaporeans must also feel together ethnically so that race, language and religion do not become sensitive issues, especially in the Internet age where it is easy to get people upset about such subjects."
He also addressed the furore over blog posts by NUS scholar Sun Xu, who is from China.
Mr Lee said: "You look at the Sun Xu incident, he shouldn't have made that blog post. He did. He has been chastised. He has been disciplined. He has expressed his contrition. He's sorry about it. And I think we should accept that. We should have been able to move on from that and deal with it as one person who mis-spoke.
"We should not because of one incident make that into an issue - that all immigrants are like that, or all Singaporeans should feel like that towards not even immigrants, but towards non-Singaporeans who are in Singapore, either studying or working here. That is something we have to be conscious of."
- CNA/de -
it says "kee chiu" then proceeds to ignore the people's views...
well, the "kee chiu" part has now changed.. last time no chance to kee chiu...
however, the ignoring the people has remained the same
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Why he go all the way to Cambodia to say this?
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next GE my vote already confirm chop stamp give to who already. no need to say anything more lah
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Originally posted by the Bear:
it says "kee chiu" then proceeds to ignore the people's views...
well, the "kee chiu" part has now changed.. last time no chance to kee chiu...
however, the ignoring the people has remained the same
What?
I believed them when they said they would change.
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Originally posted by charlize:
Why he go all the way to Cambodia to say this?
the Cambodians don't understand what he's saying coz their native language is Khmer...
if they did they'd laugh their heads off...
if he says these things in Singapore, people will laugh at him right there at the meeting.. the poor sod already married to an ugly man, very poor thing one.. then people laugh at him, lagi more poor thing...
maybe should give him a break.. a long one where he can retire..
we should do him this favour by voting him out...
in a way also that can punish him.. making him jobless = he has to go see his ugly husband more... and that is cruel and unusual punishment which probably is probably banned by the Geneva Convention
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Originally posted by the Bear:
the Cambodians don't understand what he's saying coz their native language is Khmer...
if they did they'd laugh their heads off...
if he says these things in Singapore, people will laugh at him right there at the meeting.. the poor sod already married to an ugly man, very poor thing one.. then people laugh at him, lagi more poor thing...
maybe should give him a break.. a long one where he can retire..
we should do him this favour by voting him out...
in a way also that can punish him.. making him jobless = he has to go see his ugly husband more... and that is cruel and unusual punishment which probably is probably banned by the Geneva Convention
hahaha
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Originally posted by the Bear:
the Cambodians don't understand what he's saying coz their native language is Khmer...
if they did they'd laugh their heads off...
if he says these things in Singapore, people will laugh at him right there at the meeting.. the poor sod already married to an ugly man, very poor thing one.. then people laugh at him, lagi more poor thing...
maybe should give him a break.. a long one where he can retire..
we should do him this favour by voting him out...
in a way also that can punish him.. making him jobless = he has to go see his ugly husband more... and that is cruel and unusual punishment which probably is probably banned by the Geneva Convention
alamak, u r evil but gud idea
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Originally posted by charlize:
Why he go all the way to Cambodia to say this?
i think cause some1 might throw their shoes if he hold the talk in singapore...........
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Indeed... They have changed their ways on how gov engages with singaporeans...
They have changed to ignoring and not engagings singaporean anymore
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Originally posted by the Bear:
the Cambodians don't understand what he's saying coz their native language is Khmer...
if they did they'd laugh their heads off...
if he says these things in Singapore, people will laugh at him right there at the meeting.. the poor sod already married to an ugly man, very poor thing one.. then people laugh at him, lagi more poor thing...
maybe should give him a break.. a long one where he can retire..
we should do him this favour by voting him out...
in a way also that can punish him.. making him jobless = he has to go see his ugly husband more... and that is cruel and unusual punishment which probably is probably banned by the Geneva Convention
Have u seen the pic of him smiling brightly when taking photo together with some air stewardess? then another photo of him with his husband at the same place same setting but without any smile and looking damn sian...
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Times are bad.
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the engagement must be borne out of sincerity and goodwill for the people...if ever the engagement is to sing true and be sustainable towards a more integrated nation... Sing or Non-Sing....thats the question....and it must start from a sound psychological framework to truly understand the ground needs concurrent with economic and social issues than working from top down....
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Why was he is there in the first place ?
Go there to enjoy life.
He dunno what the people want and need.
Just reading from the script.
He is saying one thing and letting more immigrants into the place.
As the local become a minority, there will be less conflict.
That is the mindset that he is having.
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come on people insult the whole country - do you want them to tear down the country flag then you take action? so scared of china until like that?
PEOPLE INSULT THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE AND YOU ONLY SAY THESE? SGREANS SEE WHO YOU VOTED - THINK TWICE THE NEXT GE!
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Don't complain to the govt because of FT because we Singaporeans don't want baby then in the future= more FT if you all dw that JUST HAVE BABIES in order to minimize the FT....don't care about the high living cost if you want to see less FT...
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oh really?
what happened to bukit brown?
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Bukit Brown - Loss of heritage instead of another land for rich men playing stupid white balls.
Maybe most of croonies play the white ball game there also.
What he say is for other country to hear.
Why so serious ?
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They just leave the citizens on what to decide on the garnishings, but the choice of main course they decide.
Main policies such foreign labour force, COE quota, taxes, etc will be decided with them, other issues as what to do with the old Tanjong Pagar train terminal will be decided by Singaporeans (good thing also, gives them more time to think of how to "fix up" Singaporeans).
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Originally posted by charlize:
Why he go all the way to Cambodia to say this?
You dunno meh this ah qua not doing it for the first time. He or she no guts to say it in Sickapore.
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Originally posted by the Bear:
the Cambodians don't understand what he's saying coz their native language is Khmer...
if they did they'd laugh their heads off...
if he says these things in Singapore, people will laugh at him right there at the meeting.. the poor sod already married to an ugly man, very poor thing one.. then people laugh at him, lagi more poor thing...
maybe should give him a break.. a long one where he can retire..
we should do him this favour by voting him out...
in a way also that can punish him.. making him jobless = he has to go see his ugly husband more... and that is cruel and unusual punishment which probably is probably banned by the Geneva Convention
Will be happy to stop seeing its yucky face and hear his yucky voice.
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Originally posted by ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~:
Have u seen the pic of him smiling brightly when taking photo together with some air stewardess? then another photo of him with his husband at the same place same setting but without any smile and looking damn sian...Saw !
hahahahahah! Picture tells a thousand words. hahahahah
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Originally posted by SBS9252G:
Don't complain to the govt because of FT because we Singaporeans don't want baby then in the future= more FT if you all dw that JUST HAVE BABIES in order to minimize the FT....don't care about the high living cost if you want to see less FT...
Senseless
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wen his gonads starts to shrink, he will be beggin us
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Originally posted by βÎτά:
They just leave the citizens on what to decide on the garnishings, but the choice of main course they decide.
Main policies such foreign labour force, COE quota, taxes, etc will be decided with them, other issues as what to do with the old Tanjong Pagar train terminal will be decided by Singaporeans (good thing also, gives them more time to think of how to "fix up" Singaporeans).
Singaporeans will have the power to decide the most important things like lift upgrading.