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2009 The Singapore Model – Where from; Where to?
Filed under Opinion

Is the Singapore Model a “Mud Buddha Crossing the River”? (Chinese idiom: ?????-???? Mud buddha crossing the river, can hardly save oneself). Does the Singapore model have any residual study value?

Singapore’s lap-dog media has routinely lauded the PAP government’s brilliant capability.
Among them is a report on 30th Nov 2008 with very typical wording: “Ever since China’s reform and opening up, many leaders have visited Singapore and also learnt from Singapore’s numerous effective methods. Moreover, in recent years many officials, academics and journalists have expressed deep interest in the PAP and Singapore’s political model.”
Clearly, the PAP and their supporters both think that the Singapore model is feasible, and can become a reference study for other developing nations.
However, Western academics have been doubtful of the feasibility of the Singapore model for many years. The 2008 Nobel economics prize recipient Paul Krugman wrote an economic commentary in 1994 disputing the so-called Asian economic miracle, and thought that Singapore’s economic growth benefited from the increase in foreign investments and not via gains in economic productivity.
Similarly, American political academic Samuel P. Huntington had always doubted that Singapore’s political system can persist in the post-Lee Kuan Yew era.

Is the new Singapore model proceeding towards a “eating, drinking, whoring and gambling” and “don’t care black money or yellow money as long as can make money” model?
Will Singapore degrade into a “laugh at the poor but not at the whore” kind of pragmatic society?

Today, ravaged by the financial thunderstorm, under the climate of a decelerating world economy, the Singapore model is a Mud Buddha in the water. The residual value of the Singapore model is to act as a negative educational example: one-party-rule, one-person-party is not beneficial to the long term development of a society.

The post-Lee Kuan Yew era has already begun.
Singapore must proceed towards political openness; moulding a society where a hundred flowers can bloom is the only feasible direction for Singapore’s transformation.
Hopefully after the Mud Buddha disintegrates, out of the muddy puddle will emerge an untainted and fresh new lotus blossom.

As a public service, maybe this repeat, will give this blog a boost.
How can anyone compare the RL story or any other story to this?
This is NEWS!

Fans might have noted some changes to Ms Lee's appearance, of late.

Her blog pix taken over a year or so ago, shows her very business-like and hair colour-tinted. Almost like a cover shoot from Her World. Even if she is wearing "velvet" curtains.
Quite different to the everyday blog pix of her colleagues who get theirs taken on the run, the busy people they are.
But then she is the face of ST Interactive.

We know she does not look anything like that today.

Her pix on a recent one-on-one microsite(Nurturing talent ) has her hair back to its (natural) colour, her dress sense still becoming and her appearance still vibrant and looking the biz. Pout and purr in tact.

But her latest one-on-one about furry animals (Resisting the recession with furry friends) has her looking somewhat er.."matronly."
With respect, you know what I mean.....the towkays wife type seen in MediaCorp dramas.
Only missing were the gold bangles and the "wolex" watch.
Even the pout and the purr seem subdued. But thankfully, no Singlish.

And to think the Online Editor had just spent a week....aka...a junket..at Absolute Sanctuary!
Phew..thankfully it was for free!!

By the way, regular readers know that Ms Lee is an avowed germaphobe.
Can you imagine if the little mongrel, she was holding, p-e-e-d on her?
She might never recover enough even after spending a week in a bath soaked in Dettol!!
And there would never be enough Dettol wet wipes in the land, ever.

Time to give this blog a big heave-ho, Ms Lee and relegate this and the idea to the archives. A BIG MISS.
You are banging your head against the wall.
Said so before.
All the hard woirking long suffering SME's are too busy struggling to survive than just read this bit of tat.

SINGAPORE permanent resident Zhang Yuan Yuan has drawn online flak after she participated in China's National Day parade two weeks ago.
SINGAPORE permanent resident Zhang Yuan Yuan is staying calm.
Aren't you surprised that the Online Editor has not yet come to her aid and say.. "Isn't anyone else as proud as I am.....for what she's done?"

CALLING ALL SME'S.
Read this and weep............

WOW!
SPH posts $422m profit!
SPH chairman Tony Tan noted that the 2009 financial year was a difficult one, with the global economy witnessing its deepest recession in the last fifty years and many companies suffering large losses.
He said: 'Given the circumstances, SPH did well with FY 2009 profits just a shade below that of FY 2008.'
WOW!
Nice work, if you can get it.
Like taking candy from a baby!
WOW!

All this on the back of their loyal but hapless staff taking a pay cut this year.
Not bad when newspapers around the world are going bust.
SPH should give thanks to the powers that-be that still give them the unconditional licence to print money. EXCLUSIVELY.
A monoply that ensures not only their survival but that it keeps bringing in the loot, give or take a few dollars, year in and year out.
All great stuff if you have a direct line to the gods.
WOW!

A "nobody" journalist at ST said that competition breeds innovation.
So true.
But....SPH has neither.
So its a case of same old, same old, business as usual.
Did readers and advertisers get a better deal this last year or ever?
The jury must still be out.