Saturday, June 25, 2011

A Ringing Endorsement

The more common usage of the honorific "emeritus" is as a suffix e.g. professor emeritus, chairman emeritus, director emeritus, bishop emeritus. It can also be used as a noun, e.g. emeritus of chemistry at Stanford University. Calling Goh Chok Tong ESM is rather unfortunate, as those who toy with acronyms may spell it out as Extra Stupid Minister. Goh as good as bestowed the kiss of death on Wong Kan Seng and Mah Bow Tan during GE 2011, when he defended George Yeo by saying latter committed no sin like letting Mas Selamat escape through the toilet window or HDB prices go through  the roof.  Maybe Goh is not a presidential race contender because he can't seem to keep his mouth shut, the one prime requisite of the selected president role.

Ms Tan, who is de facto spokesperson cum media contact for her father's campaign, must be wringing her hands and stomping her feet, after hearing Goh broadcast all the way from Japan that the candidate is "eminently suitable" for the post.  Said the ESM, "He gives a real choice to the people." This unwelcome endorsement, despite the carefully orchestrated efforts to dissociate Tony Tan from the stain of party affiliation.

Main stream media mogul SPH, of which Tan was chairman of until he threw his hat into the ring on Thursday, went the extra mile of polling 60 people on the streets of Singapore to cement the message of choice. 30 reportedly said party association was not critical in the presidential race. 18 thought being close tot the PAP would be advantageous. 12 considered it would work against the candidate. "The political tide has turned, as can be seen from the last election. Anyone associated with he PAP could be received quite negatively, especially by the younger crowd, who prefer someone who will speak out," quipped a director of a childcare centre.

Make no bones about it, it's an uphill task to thwart the official scheme of things. In January 1999, Ong Teng Cheong told PM Goh Chok Tong that he intended to run again in the August presidential polls.  He was given the go-ahead in principle, but was required to undergo a medical exam - he had been diagnosed with cancer in 1992. Although doctors gave him a clean bill of health, Goh and his cabinet quietly made the decision to prop up SR Nathan for the job. Initial soundings had indicated the popular and independent-minded Ong would most likely defeat their yes-man par excellence.  As a fallback contingency plan, Goh's team lined up an alternative, lower-profile candidate than Nathan - one who would be less prickly to handle than Ong.  At the very last nail biting moment, Ong decided not to contest the election and Singapore's fate was sealed. Four doctors from Singapore General Hospital who deemed Nathan fit for office noted "hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol level, prostate enlargement and diverticulitis of the colon."

Strict eligibility requirements for the presidential slot, such as past experience in heading a statutory board or a company with a paid-up capital of at least S$100 million, restrict the number of eligible candidates, who skeptics say, will be eminently suitable for the honorifics of cronyism and nepotism.

15 comments:

  1. woazah,5 severe conditions like this also can run for President? Strangely for a top puppet job in this island, instead of good health & sound mind as the criteria, MIW chose a stupid barrier of $100m. Even world's President Obama can't top that either. It's only for their own kinds. Next time, 1 key will do. The direct descendant of GIC will qualify, 2nd key not required anymore. So in broad scheme of things, not hard to see LHL will be our next President to prevent the next profligate govt liao. A vote for TT is a vote for LHL as future President!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wayang continues till real change.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Endorsements came from Nathan, MG Chan & now ESM. How much more of an Independence or whiter than white do we get? From the old to the youth, to the international segment, they got his back covered man!

    Question to ask : Why does an ex-GIC head wants to run EP with no power? WHY? The question is WHY?

    ReplyDelete
  4. These PAP people keep on reminding Singaporean to mindful of this and that as if we don't have the mind and brain that they so much so they got to remind constantly. Are Singaporean brainless, come on we are not small little children and brainless at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOL, like your acronym better. I also like Lao Goh. Just plain fun and entertainment to see how he enjoys eating his own foot in his mouth. Now we just need Lao Lee to come up with some stern and heavy bible-preaching statement, and it will thrust the pig to fly further!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So what if nathan doesn't have clean bill of health, or Tony Tan for that matter. Just have to look at the cancer LHL ! If they want to prop you they will prop you up at all healthcare costs - of course at the generous expense of taxpayer and even cured you, at the expense of our blood-bank! They will use the healthcard to terminate OTC, but not against Prata man. Having said that, you wonder why non of the reporters at press con asked that very important question!?!! Maybe a "Presidential look" is more important than a "President who really looks" into our reserves & after our well-being.

    ReplyDelete
  7. //Maybe Goh is not a presidential race contender because he can't seem to keep his mouth shut, the one prime requisite of the selected president role//.

    hahaha, that's why is uniquely a "prefix"!!! you got to give LHL credit for his wicked sense of humor, just like he did to Vivian after his magnificient "gutter politics"!! Wanna bet if GY will be the next "transformer" for SPH?!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Even PM Lee has now double-confirmed that TT will bring honour & credit to SG. I thought we have hundred billions in the reserves & now we need to take a loan from his Bank meh? Maybe he meant we hv been getting good interests rates from his OCBC mothership while his wife made the losses to make it up for it? Or maybe is "pays" to have a banker at your backyard in case his wife squander it away after taking over? Whatever it is, a quid pro quo and a status-quo is definitely part of the endorsement package. Two for the price of one - $4.2m cheap!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is now saying he has no doubt that Tony Tan will be a unifying figure for all citizens and will bring honour and credit to Singapore. The irony is that by openly giving the man a blatant rubber stamp of endorsement, he is further polarising the disgrunted citizens and bringing dishonour and discredit by rehashing the cronyism and nepotism elements in Singapore.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Making storm in a teacup.
    How many Singaporeans care
    if Sin has a president(or not).
    What the fish has he got to do
    with us?

    ReplyDelete
  11. When ESM remarked that TT is eminently suitable while making no mention of the other 2 presidential hopefuls, is that not equivalent as saying the other 2 are not suitable. And if that is so, can he tell us why ?

    Otherwise if he can't tell us why, he will only make the meaning of 'extra stupid' very suitable for him to make such a remark, agree or not ?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anyone who wants to help or unify Singaporeans can and should do so anytime, anywhere in any position, there is no need to be a CEREMONIAL PRESIDENT TO DO SO.
    THOSE THAT CAN ONLY DO GOOD TO OTHERS ONLY AND WITH CONDITIONS THAT THEY BE GIVEN HIGHLY GLAMOURIZED POSITION AND REWARD TO DO SO ARE WITHOUT DOUBT, VAIN FOLKS. AND THEY KNOW THEY HAVE LITTLE OR NO AUTHORITY AND THE NEED TO DO MUCH; CEREMONIAL MAH!
    THESE PEOPLE ARE NEVER SINCERE AND CANNOT EVEN BE COMPARED TO A MONK.

    ReplyDelete
  13. At the rate things are going, we can kiss our CPF goodbye in 20 years time. There'll be nothing left in the vault. Then Singapore will be poor and truly democratic. The price we pay for being gullible.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tattler,
    Goh CT and Lee HL endorsing Tony Tan to be the next SIN President is no better than the Burmese Junta members endorsing one of their generals as the president and with the gall to make bold claims he can be trusted to heal the rift within the country.

    Both Goh CT and Lee HL may as well go a step further and proclaim LKY is eminently qualified to advise the PRC to kiss and make up with Japan for its past military invasion and brutality.

    *60% in SinCity are daft, but not that daft...
    i hope*

    ReplyDelete
  15. It seems the PAPIGS are paper intelligent only.

    Real intelligence and real wisdom continues to elude them. How surprising at their low browed intellect!

    Not surprising when self deluded self serving stupid fools continues to think they are the best and really "intelligent". Worse...no real wisdom too!!

    The irony/idiocy is that only in little singapore can they truely deem themselves as "truely intelligent"...didn't they know self praise is NO praise!...in any other country, real people sees them as they truely are...low lifes / self serving scum who needs to live off from others honest blood, sweat and tears.

    Does this alone has shown up these so called "toilet" paper intelligent human beings are truely worthless...they are only worth the paper their intelligence is printed on...even bacteria have more real value than these scums.

    Sad but true. Now go take a close look in the mirror and chew it over you self deluded scums.

    You do not need to go the far in the universe to find stupidity/self deluded self serving idiocy...just look at Singapore/Earth itself. A garbled copied requote by me from Albert Einstein.

    haizzzzz

    ReplyDelete