Conformity is a weakness, says PM Lee
"...We are so capable, we are so efficient, we are so comfortable that we stick with what we have tried and tested and found working and we are reluctant to take risks and try new things. And that is a weakness. It's a weakness which we have to overcome. The key to overcoming this is a mindset change. We have to see opportunities rather than challenges in new situations, we have to be less conventional, we must be prepared to venture and you've got to do this as individuals, we've got to do this as a government and I think we have to do it as a society. "
- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, National Day Rally 2004
Diverse views, unconventional ideas are welcome, says PM Lee
“We will continue to expand the space which Singaporeans have to live, to laugh, to grow and to be ourselves. Our people should feel free to express diverse views, pursue unconventional ideas, or simply be different. We should have the confidence to engage in robust debate, so as to understand problems, conceive fresh solutions, and open up new spaces... We must give people a second chance, for those who have tasted failure may be the wiser and stronger ones among us. Ours must be an open and inclusive Singapore.”
- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Inauguration Speech Aug 12, 2004
Let's be rebellious, minister urges youth
"I would prefer your generation to be rebellious. If you are just conforming to the social norms, then you are merely following our footpath, which may not be relevant to you."
- Singapore Minister Khaw Boon Wan, AP (click here for report)
You break the rules, we break your heads, says MM Lee
"I can assure you that in Singapore, when we decide that they are breaking the rules of the game, the unspoken rules as to how we survive, how we have prospered, then either their head is broken or our bones are broken."- Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew issuing warning to SIA pilots at the World Brand Forum, CNA, Dec 2, 2003
1 comment:
PM Lee is being so "open" to the youth is because he probably thinks that youth in general are forgetful, apathetic and even if they do have strong political views they do not matter because they can easily be ignored (youth below 21 can't vote and by 21 they may change after 2 1/2 years of military indoctrination).
This same openness he allows youth to have he doesn't give to the older folk, probably because unlike youth, their political leanings are pretty fixed and allowing them to be more daring would stir up a "hornet's nest" that could bring the PAP (not the government but just the party) down to its knees. Not just that, people over 21 have voting rights, and they pay taxes and they can change things if they want to. Any surprises why MM Lee crushed the pilot's union and his own spawn is now encouraging youth and only the youth to be more active?
Hades
www.evilatheist.com (Atheist in Singapore, another group that has to toe the line very carefully here)
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