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Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 - 01:00 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

Credit Where Due

Me: Having strayed a little from my self-imposed Swisslike neutrality, it is only proper that I highlight some of the good that the great have done.

For starters, the President has invited 1500 of the less-privileged to a garden party at the Istana, for which he rightly should be applauded. Then, the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources showed some rare candour in calling a spade a spade and disavowing the "ponding" euphemism.

And, erm... taxi fares to go up... eh, Herr Ahm, is this your doing?

Herr Ahm: Can't have a proper discussion without a devil's - or in this case, opposition's - advocate, can we? Especially as they haven't thrown any consultancy business my way.

Me: Oh, alright, go rain on their parade.

Herr Ahm: With pleasure.


Hmm... the ellipsis do evoke a councillary tone...
(Source: hardwarezone.com.sg)


Herr Ahm: Your mainstream media seems to be slipping ever so slightly - in days past, I am sure that they would at least have bothered to scroll to one of the semi-positive comments (to the tune of "it's a good start"); or maybe they are banking on the bilingualism policy being in need of some aid?

Me: I certainly wouldn't want to see what qualifies as a bad review by these standards - HWZ Goes Into Meltdown?

Herr Ahm: Methinks they might as well go for broke sooner or later - look at the possibilities:


By the way, word is that he's a free agent now


Me: Don't you think this is going slightly too far?

Herr Ahm: Hello, you hired me to be your political analyst shock jock. And more importantly, often to my own detriment, I call 'em as I see 'em, boyo.

Okay, okay, seeing as today is Be Nice To The Poor Incumbents Day, I shall make their excuses for them. As I counted on in making my wonderfully prescient 30% prediction, the government didn't really have all that much leeway (in this respect only *wink*) in the magnitude of a one-time salary adjustment, as I have explained in detail, at least if they kept to expected parameters - and if there's one thing I can say about your local dominant politicians, it's that they are very good at behaving to form.

Me: So I suppose the best we can hope for is a prolonged pay freeze in the short-to-medium term?

Herr Ahm: My opinion is that the pay shouldn't exactly be the main concern; if, in some freak result, you lot actually voted the incumbents out and installed some opposition party into the hotseats, do you think that most of the stuff the people have been complaining about will magically improve?

Me: Well...

Herr Ahm: Mind, I'm not saying that things will automatically deprove either. However, if you were a lesser country where people-who-know-people sat on the boards on state-directed GLCs and PPPs, I might be concerned at all the unseemly power struggles and petty sabotage that might break out in the aftermath of a political transfer; thankfully, such happenings can surely never occur in such a paragon of meritocracy and transparency as your nation!

Me: My relief is palpable.

Herr Ahm: And I have changed my mind on the "When I made the decision to join politics in 2006, pay was not a key factor... (but) if the balance is tilted further in the future, it will make it harder for any one considering political office" brouhaha, in which one as esteemed as a Senior Minister of State was disparaged by the unwashed masses.

Me: You're not being sarcastic this time, Herr Ahm?

Herr Ahm: I shall explain with a song *breaks into tune*

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see."

Me: I don't get it...?

Herr Ahm: Well, cutting through all the crap, what is being said is that your country - or maybe, the ruling party - can't scrape together twenty good-enough people who actually want to serve the people for an internationally-competitive - yes, you can throw in perks like staffers and free travel - and sufficiently-dignified salary of say, pulling a figure out of my ass, S$30000/mth. A problem that, mind you, didn't rear its head in the likely more challenging Sixties and Seventies.

This says that your 3.25 million citizens are all some combination of bloody incompetent or bloody selfish; so tell me, O proud Singaporean, which one is it? If you can't do that, why do you deserve to be a natio - oh sorry, I mean, corporation? Which is actually unfair to corporations, seeing as many startups actually manage to find highly-talented employees who are willing to sacrifice years, perhaps even decades, of toil with no guarantee of a big payday.

Now, do you see, O Sinkie?



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