“Freak” election outcomes?

The PAP is repeatedly used the phrase “freak election result” when referring to them losing seats in the general election. How is that freak?

Yes, history is written by the victors and anything that does not fit into their worldview, is removed, watered-down or labelled as “freak”.

The PAP losing seats and not even making the 66% needed for them to amend the constitution is a huge plus for Singapore – not a freak situation. What we have had for a long time is a freak situation.

We have a minister on whose watch a detained alleged terrorist (never charged in court iirc) escaped and all he has done is to account for the breach, reprimand the officers who bungled and that’s where the buck stopped. He never offered to quit on count of this one major lapse. Any CEO of any corporation would have been put to pasture if something like that happened on his watch. But then again, we have a system that lacks accountability.

Read his comment:

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a community event, Mr Wong said: “Of course, the first mistake cannot be obliterated; it was there, I owned up to it, as a minister I took responsibility for it – that’s the right thing to do.”

Well, he owned up.  But did not offer anything by way of reprimand or punishment. Why is that so, Mr Wong? Your party had a person, the Minister of National Development, who killed himself, Mr Teh Cheang Wan (funnily, I can’t find direct references to it. It happened in 1986.) over some alleged corruption issue.  No, I am not asking you, Mr Wong, to do anything like what Mr Teh did. Just asking you to do the right thing (resigning would be good) and let an independent judicial inquiry on this issue.

By your reasoning, since you owned up and were not reprimanded, can we extend this to other areas as well? Anyone who is charged in court for any offence, as long as he owns up, he gets off scott free. Seriously.

When asked by reporters if residents in the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC had mentioned the escape of the terrorist, Mr Wong said: “Nobody raised a question of Mas Selamat with me, in any of these visits.”

Since no one asked you directly, I think we need to encourage those whom you meet over the next few walkabouts to then ask you.  What would your answer be? Brushing it aside, again?

Posted by harishpillay on April 26, 2011

http://harishpillay.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/freak-election-outcomes/