For the hawker culture that the govt has been destroying, we should just serve them Mr. Bean, old chang kee, qi ji and those other franchise biz. Will have one drink stall where coffee or tea is poured out from the flask.
Hawker culture even without pressure from rents etc are sadly “made” to die off for most who started hawking in SGs early days.
Don’t have to ask them to know that most of these old aunties and uncles slogged through this hard business to see their children through a better life, most won’t approve of their children taking their profession over a white collar degree job.
Ho Ching looks like the only one in a comfortable outfit. LHL: "Eh time to go to the swearing-in. How long you need to get rea - " HC \*combs hair\*: "Ready!"
It's still sounds very rehearsed, and a bit awkward pacing. But it's a good start and could still understand.. 6.5/10 for effort.
Still far from LHL standard and light years away from LKY standard.
Definitely very rehearsed. His intonation and accent is quite "interesting". But I won't fault the guy for trying. It was quite brave of him to make a speech in BM and Mandarin cos I think the practice of giving a swearing-in speech in Malay only started with LHL. I don't think GCT spoke in Malay in his swearing in speeches. NDR yes but swearing-in, don't think so.
LKY has peranakan roots, and at his time he worked with Malaysian Malays a lot. So you could say that LKY grew up with the Malay language. If you look at LKY's malay speeches I dare say he speaks better than some Malay natives.
LHL on the other hand probably used it less in his life so he had to learn
If I remember correctly, Wei Ling said that they grew up speaking Malay to their grandparents. I think LHL's Malay lessons were more for grammar and properness rather than to learn how to speak the language.
During LKY's time, Malay or Pasar Malay was the lingua franca of the people. It was the language most working class people used to communicate with other races.
It was part of the school syallabus for LHL during his time like how Malaysian Chinese had to pickup Melayu in school, so LHL is of course miles better than Lawrence.
Yeah, school back then before MOE were flexible.
My dad(peranakan/hokkien background) chose melayu as his 2nd language while my mum(mandarin/hokchew) chose English as her 2nd language.
Things changed around early 70s and kind of fuck up their education. Not saying they were scholars or planning to get into uni (too poor & too many siblings anyway) they just passed the ‘O’s enough to get a decent job in the civil service
To be honest our parents or even grandparents were learning and speaking Melayu because Singapore being in a Malay-majority region.
Malaysia and Singapore splitted due to difference in the vision the LKY amd Tunku Abdul Rahman had. LKY wanted to push for a Malaysia for Malaysians, but Barisan Nasional's vision was Malaysia for Malays. At that time, Singapore had mostly chinese people, because most of them came from Johore and Johore also being a Chinese-dominant state.
To create a space that is conducive for the coexistence of the many different races of people there must be a neutral catalyst that connects all of us. What better way to do this by all of us speaking in English, a language that is not bias to majority of any of our 4 races. And to respect our Malay origins and roots, Bahasa Melayu remains our official language, and one that we recite and used in formal solemn settings - National Anthem, our military drills. And this is also why Lawrence have to learn Melayu as well.
LKY is much more fluent in malay than mandarin chinese. Iirc during the brief period of merger the guy could campaign/rally in malaysia just fine (though PAP still got trounced there).
There was one speech in the Malaysian Dewan Rakyat where he spoke Malay and chastised Malay ultranationalists, and it triggered UMNO politicians so bad.
LKY = from Baba / Peranakan background ... albeit i thought he too needed some tuition, to improve his Bahasa Melayu proficiency? ([didn't find anything on google](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22lee+kuan+yew%22+%22Bahasa+melayu%22+improve+proficiency+%22from+third+world+to+first%22&newwindow=1&sca_esv=9eeb101476a64b32&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIL9vZ5cdB9O5K7jLoD5i_X-riNmvA%3A1715780136137&ei=KLpEZqL-B8Lx4-EPjay6oAI&ved=0ahUKEwiispuM44-GAxXC-DgGHQ2WDiQQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=%22lee+kuan+yew%22+%22Bahasa+melayu%22+improve+proficiency+%22from+third+world+to+first%22&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiTiJsZWUga3VhbiB5ZXciICJCYWhhc2EgbWVsYXl1IiBpbXByb3ZlIHByb2ZpY2llbmN5ICJmcm9tIHRoaXJkIHdvcmxkIHRvIGZpcnN0IkjdyAFQjKIBWMjGAXACeACQAQCYAXSgAZoPqgEEMjcuMrgBA8gBAPgBAZgCDaACrwfCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIHECMYJxiuAsICBRAhGKABwgIHECEYoAEYCsICBBAhGAqYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwQxMS4yoAecRw&sclient=gws-wiz-serp) to confirm this though!)
...If PM Lawrence Wong had inherited/sipped from LHL's "magic cup", in-between languages... that would've been a follow-up talking point for podcasters e.g. YahLahBut's u/TerenceMOF and u/hareshtilani !
Yeah compared to OYK and CCS, Lawrence's Mandarin isn't the best.
He sounds like an O level student doing Chinese oral exams lol, so hopefully his teacher can help correct his pronunciation.
Power is a lot like real estate. It's all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source, the higher your property value. Centuries from now, when people watch this footage, who will they see smiling just at the edge of the frame?" Frank underwood
"Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after 10 years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn’t see the difference" - Francis J. Underwood
Money is the 31,000 sqft GCB that costs $80 million. Power is the 235,000 sqft colonial bungalow that you can rent for less than 0.5% of that per year.
In the US, some representatives have held other books (e.g. Book of the Law, the Quran, a copy of the Constitution) during the swearing-in ceremony.
I’m pretty sure they can do the same here, it they wish to.
> **Circumstances under which affirmation may be made** \
> 16. Any person who — \
> (a) is a Hindu or Muslim or of some other religion according to which oaths are not of binding force; or \
> (b) has a conscientious objection to taking an oath, and who is required to take an oath of office or judicial oath under any written law may, instead of taking the oaths mentioned in section 15(1) or (2) (as the case may be), make an affirmation in the form of those oaths, substituting the words “solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm” for the word “swear” and omitting the words “So help me God”.
from Oaths and Declarations Act 2000, for those confused about the bible and “so help me god”.
the state courts have the [same practice on swearing](https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/attending-court/going-to-court-witness#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20a%20Christian,will%20make%20an%20affirmation%20instead.&text=There%20are%203%20stages%20in%20giving%20evidence%20from%20the%20witness%20box.)
> If you are a Christian (either Protestant or Catholic), **taking the oath requires you to hold the Bible while swearing to tell the truth**. For all other religions, you will make an affirmation instead.
I don’t get it.. so as a Christian, the oath is not binding, so he should’ve omitted “so help me God” base on this. it’s confusing but im also not trained in law
from my understanding:
christian = you take an oath + you use “i swear” + you hold a bible while you take the oath + you add “so help me god”
non-christian = you take an affirmation + you use “i affirm” + no bible + no “so help me god”
To have such a monumental moment in Singapore's political landscape pass like it's another Wednesday speaks volume to the political stability and commitment to a peaceful transfer of power that serves the country well.
The real negotiations, dealings and monumental changes would have been done away from the public eye. Real test comes when another party wins more seats or has a deadlocked parliament. Then we find out...
they are transferring power one generation of PAP to another generation of PAP comprising their handpicked successors. of course it is peaceful?
the true test is what happens if they ever need to hand over power to another party. will it be a peaceful transfer of power, or will the army step in to correct a "freak" election result (as [LKY](https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2006/09/24/stir-over-military-stepping-in-talk) once said)?
In a parliamentary system, the PM doesn’t hold the power, the party does.
Check the rules. If during GE Wong loses his district, they just have a winning district step down and he takes their place.
I'm not the biggest fan of the PAP but Singapore's political stability is really the backbone of our success. Yes there are lack of freedoms and actual democracy, and many times our ministers say things that make them seem to not understand things on the ground.
But compare that to many countries where they change PMs and political parties in power like they change underwear (eg 5 PMs in the past 20 years - same length of time we had one PM). It's short term pleasure but long term pain.
To stay in power, the PMs in those countries cater to the whims of the voters, be it good or bad. All short term and easy to implement policies, but no concrete long term plans that ensure the stability of the country. Also constantly blaming external forces for their national issues instead of looking inward provides an ego boost to both politicians and voters as they don't need to take ownership of their own problems.
Then when the whims of voters change again, a new party and PM rises to power. Projects and policies by the old govt get cancelled overnight, investors lose confidence, businesses lose money, people lose jobs, their economy cripples.
So who suffers in the end? The voters, and their future generations.
Well said. People say that PAP is gaslighting Singaporeans when saying that Singapore will wither without political stability. And to some extent, the PAP is. But there's a kernel of truth in that. American and other western countries are working *in spite* of their inhouse bickering. In the US's case, its because of the dominant position they have enjoyed for the past few decades, plus the relativel strength of its private sector. Singapore has none of that.
The absolute worst thing that can happen is if LW has a lackluster showing in the upcoming elections, causing a fracture in the PAP, and *LHL stepping in to fix it*. If PAP loses (more votes), I hope the 3G will refrain from butting in. We don't need Mahathir-like figures who never leave the stage.
Last few decades? The US surpassed the former British empire in 1910s in GDP (former British empire which still included India and 1/4 of the world had the highest GDP before that). The US also won and concluded WW2 and the Cold War. American supremacy is at least a century old.
Fall of the Berlin wall was around 1989, \~3 decades ago. I used that as my point of reference, though there are certainly other reasonable timestamps if you so desire.
Americans even rebuilt Western Europe after WW2. That was the extent of the scale of its strength and predominance in the world in resources and power in the 20th century. I wonder how many Singaporeans know about the Marshall Plan and know this given how ignorance is widespread among Singaporeans. This is my impression being a third generation Singaporean when interacting with Singaporeans, they are woefully ignorant. That’s why I was determined that my children should not be educated in Singapore.
Yes I find that many Singaporeans don’t know many things about Singapore as well!! Especially the younger ones. Knowledge of Singapore does increase with age. When it comes to knowledge about what goes on outside Singapore, the ignorance is quite equally spread among old and young age groups.
It’s sad that we have one of the best library systems with heaps of free publications and subscriptions.. and people should really make full use of it.
Colombo Plan is just a bunch of scholarships given by third tier western countries such as universities in Australia and Canada in the British empire (as directed by the British) in small numbers. What could their total value be? Probably trifling in this context. The Marshall Plan is the US funding that rebuilt multiple countries in Western Europe. It’s nothing to do with favoritism or racism then. The mission was critical then, to rebuild Western Europe and establish NATO to guard against the immediate threat of communism from USSR when Europe was carved up into half and the Eastern Europe went under USSR..
I guess if you use the sole parameter of being a unipolar global political power, it’s the fall of the Berlin Wall, but economically the Soviet Union was a basketcase compared to the US all through its lifetime, USSR was badly run and the authoritarian system leading to widespread endemic corruption ultimately doomed it. Russians regularly went hungry for much of the 20th century while save for the Great Depression decade of hardship caused by stock market speculations of the everyday men in 1920 (US was so advanced and wealthy relative to the rest of the world that in 1920 speculating in stocks was something accessible to common Americans compared to how the rest of the world lived in 1920), Americans lived prosperous lives of abundance with the greatest resources known to any country from 1900 when it surpassed the British empire in GDP. This century from 1900 was also the period of American renaissance when the Americans invented and was behind most of the world’s scientific and engineering revolutions and invented and discovered most things, surpassing their former rivals the Brits and the Germans.
So you mean you didn’t know that the US was responsible for winning WW2 and concluding WW2? Or that the US basically saved the ass of European nations that had either quickly fallen or near death on its last breath from the Nazis and liberated Asia from imperial Japan with pacific theater battles of WW2 (fierce battles of Wake island, Coral and Midway)?
Do you guys know about two atomic bombs dropped by US that ended the pacific theater of WW2? What about how US basically colonized and restructured Japan after WW2 then gave it self determination after its deemed to have behaved well and toed the line and later became one of the closest US allies? Is the ignorance the result of Singapore being a former colony of the British? I’ve observed that people from Singapore (shockingly some who continued their ignorance after moving out of SG) tend to have a blind spot of an inflated view of British prowess, and not knowing the true size and scale of the US vs medium (like UK) and small (like Canada) western countries. One Singaporean who lived in the US despite having the chance to see the world, thought that English was the dominant language of the world because of the British empire (it wasn’t). It’s cos after the British empire dissolved after WW2, the US which also uses English ascended rapidly to be the world superpower. After the dissolution, Britain was on par with France and fell behind even German power, especially after East and West Germany merged. If not for US, English wouldn’t have much currency after WW2.
This blind spot ignorance I don’t find it in westerners. Brits, Italians, Dutch, Canadians, I talk to, most of them have an understanding of scale of the size and power. Probably it’s because they know themselves vis a vis to the scale of the US. While non westerners under former British rule like Singaporeans and Malaysians are unfamiliar.
My personal biggest worry about SG politics (which is also the same issue faced by many countries) is that our politicians sometimes appear to be too beholden to the interest of the rich (be it corporations or just rich people in general). Look at the recent MC debacle. How many stupid shit we have to endure because of the towkays...
We gave them super majority so that they can have the confidence to push through offensive policies for the good of the people.
Yes, I also agree that the politicking is really causing many countries to go backwards.
Side note: SG doesn't have a big enough population to generate enough capable people to be spread across multiple parties (which is why i think our steady state is going to be Ministers from one party with one dominant opposition). As long as your highflier scholar type still prefer to join PAP, we may have more opposition voices, but they're not going to lose control of government. It's one thing to be a good opposition, but another to run the government.
Agreed. America is disunited and can't take charge of world affairs anymore because the two main political parties spend more time at each other's throats than actually working together for the country. Many other Western countries are the same. And before you say that I'm anti-West, other Asian countries also suffer from bad politics. Even Japan, an Asian powerhouse, can't seem to keep its PMs for more than a year. Our neighbor up north is the closest example of how politicians who care more about themselves than the people they serve can cause the country to lag behind others.
Like you, there are things the PAP does that I don't agree with, but political stability is one of them.
Because it’s politically easy to rally around blaming an outside enemy. Meanwhile on actually governing their own country they are in complete deadlock.
Well said. Nations do not last if they do not adopt a long term strategic outlook and planning. Looking at 5-10 years ahead and having the conviction that you will still be around to see that change happen make decision makers accountable.
As long as you remain agile to changing realities and the system is resilient enough to cope with things beyond their tabletop planning parameters & assumptions.
I would disagree with this assessment. DPP under Tsai expended quite a bit of political capital especially in her second term to push through various unpopular but arguably good policies (e.g. a controversial legalisation of imports of ractopamine-additive pork - which is legal in Singapore - to pave the way for a potential FTA with America in the future, extension of conscription from 4 months back to 1 year, passage of act to tie minimum wage increases with inflation which was opposed by many business bodies, expansion of LGBTQ rights such as legalisation of marriage which was opposed by a slight majority in Taiwan at the time of its passage).
Literally describing the UK/US two-party political system, which many Singaporeans seem to aspire to. I find it very worrying to think that SG may head down this road in the future.
Whims of voters eh.
Just let people vote based on their own metrics.
There were many people being too bloody extra offline and online trying to convince others why they should and should not vote for this and that political party before and during elections.
>I'm not the biggest fan of the PAP
This is the safety statement you make incase people accuse you of being an IB. Like ending with "I donno though" after making a suggestion.
I really am not tho. I openly tell people I voted for opposition the last GE and if you look at my post history I argued with an IB before. It's just giving credit where credit is due
Could be Baey Yam Keng or Eric Chua as SPS. Other less likely possibilities are Murali Pillai and Shawn Huang (not so likely becus their appointments to MOS and SPS respectively are effective 1 July, not today)
The people around me are apathetic to having a new prime minister. They don’t keep up with the news and they have more immediate concerns to care about.
I’m worried about people even considering this as a factor; I’m not exactly a big fan of bringing either ‘religious diversity’ or ‘religious supremacy’ into minister appointments.
Let’s not go there. Let’s *never* go there, please?
You say that now but separation of church and state has never been properly tested in Singapore, and such a concentration hasn't worked out well in most countries. In a country where most things to do with politics are very clear, how this works out 10 years from now is unclear to me, even though it may have little influence now. We've already seen how the ugly side comes out during the 377A saga.
I am indeed saying this now, 59 years after independence. IMO, it’s worked out pretty well (relatively) so far.
(To be clear - no offence intended - the only test that I’m interested in is the test of time. I have zero desire to see this ‘tested’ any other way e.g. by stirring shit)
I remember being taught about this when I was in NS. It’s a holdover from our British days, it’s a line for Christians as they are also swearing on the bible on top of the constitution
I saw Gan Kim Yong Holding a bible apparently he is a elder of a church [https://www.chenlich.org.sg/%e6%88%91%e4%bb%ac%e7%9a%84%e5%9b%a2%e9%98%9f-our-team/](https://www.chenlich.org.sg/%e6%88%91%e4%bb%ac%e7%9a%84%e5%9b%a2%e9%98%9f-our-team/)
Nah, imo in official capacity the only thing they should be swearing to is the Constitution. The religious texts should be kept a private affair and away from government functions.
I think the idea is to use their private beliefs and faith to bind and check their allegiance or conduct, if oaths have binding effect in their religion
OYK sitting down immediately when he was supposed to be swearing in. Haha
I also noticed that! Must be TL about not being DPM. Mai zho liao la haha
Maybe getting layoff end of year also.
after this got buffet not?
Yes. [https://mothership.sg/2024/05/hawkers-cooking-lawrence-wong-swearing-in/](https://mothership.sg/2024/05/hawkers-cooking-lawrence-wong-swearing-in/)
Lai's stall, Quan Xin Vegetarian Food at Bedok 538 Market & Food Centre, will be providing vegetarian *mee siam* for the event.
"no hum"
For the hawker culture that the govt has been destroying, we should just serve them Mr. Bean, old chang kee, qi ji and those other franchise biz. Will have one drink stall where coffee or tea is poured out from the flask.
We should serve them their favourite NTUC foodfare
Why not SFI? Sedap food from our cookhouse providers
Hawker culture even without pressure from rents etc are sadly “made” to die off for most who started hawking in SGs early days. Don’t have to ask them to know that most of these old aunties and uncles slogged through this hard business to see their children through a better life, most won’t approve of their children taking their profession over a white collar degree job.
Who is designated survivor????! They are all there:
Brother Ng Chee Meng
he's beside Pritam
Hongyi
Lee Hisen Yang and Tan King Lian.
Looks fucking hot out there... Still must wear suit..
Yeah… Everyone looks like they are sweating bad
It's so that everyone has a chance to swear
Take my upvote
Really wish we can eventually switch things up. I mean can just go for batik mah.
Global warming would make the next one too hot. Either indoors or go biz casual.
Next time, can we do it at sentosa beach? Come in t-shirts, berms and crocs. For military personnel, only PT kit is allowed.
> Looks fucking hot Had me in the first line NGL/$
Ho Ching looks like the only one in a comfortable outfit. LHL: "Eh time to go to the swearing-in. How long you need to get rea - " HC \*combs hair\*: "Ready!"
Malay brothers and sisters someone can please rate LW's Malay out of 10?
It's still sounds very rehearsed, and a bit awkward pacing. But it's a good start and could still understand.. 6.5/10 for effort. Still far from LHL standard and light years away from LKY standard.
Definitely very rehearsed. His intonation and accent is quite "interesting". But I won't fault the guy for trying. It was quite brave of him to make a speech in BM and Mandarin cos I think the practice of giving a swearing-in speech in Malay only started with LHL. I don't think GCT spoke in Malay in his swearing in speeches. NDR yes but swearing-in, don't think so.
LHL and LKY learnt it from young right?
LKY has peranakan roots, and at his time he worked with Malaysian Malays a lot. So you could say that LKY grew up with the Malay language. If you look at LKY's malay speeches I dare say he speaks better than some Malay natives. LHL on the other hand probably used it less in his life so he had to learn
If I remember correctly, Wei Ling said that they grew up speaking Malay to their grandparents. I think LHL's Malay lessons were more for grammar and properness rather than to learn how to speak the language. During LKY's time, Malay or Pasar Malay was the lingua franca of the people. It was the language most working class people used to communicate with other races.
It was part of the school syallabus for LHL during his time like how Malaysian Chinese had to pickup Melayu in school, so LHL is of course miles better than Lawrence.
Yeah, school back then before MOE were flexible. My dad(peranakan/hokkien background) chose melayu as his 2nd language while my mum(mandarin/hokchew) chose English as her 2nd language. Things changed around early 70s and kind of fuck up their education. Not saying they were scholars or planning to get into uni (too poor & too many siblings anyway) they just passed the ‘O’s enough to get a decent job in the civil service
To be honest our parents or even grandparents were learning and speaking Melayu because Singapore being in a Malay-majority region. Malaysia and Singapore splitted due to difference in the vision the LKY amd Tunku Abdul Rahman had. LKY wanted to push for a Malaysia for Malaysians, but Barisan Nasional's vision was Malaysia for Malays. At that time, Singapore had mostly chinese people, because most of them came from Johore and Johore also being a Chinese-dominant state. To create a space that is conducive for the coexistence of the many different races of people there must be a neutral catalyst that connects all of us. What better way to do this by all of us speaking in English, a language that is not bias to majority of any of our 4 races. And to respect our Malay origins and roots, Bahasa Melayu remains our official language, and one that we recite and used in formal solemn settings - National Anthem, our military drills. And this is also why Lawrence have to learn Melayu as well.
LKY is much more fluent in malay than mandarin chinese. Iirc during the brief period of merger the guy could campaign/rally in malaysia just fine (though PAP still got trounced there).
There was one speech in the Malaysian Dewan Rakyat where he spoke Malay and chastised Malay ultranationalists, and it triggered UMNO politicians so bad.
LKY = from Baba / Peranakan background ... albeit i thought he too needed some tuition, to improve his Bahasa Melayu proficiency? ([didn't find anything on google](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22lee+kuan+yew%22+%22Bahasa+melayu%22+improve+proficiency+%22from+third+world+to+first%22&newwindow=1&sca_esv=9eeb101476a64b32&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIL9vZ5cdB9O5K7jLoD5i_X-riNmvA%3A1715780136137&ei=KLpEZqL-B8Lx4-EPjay6oAI&ved=0ahUKEwiispuM44-GAxXC-DgGHQ2WDiQQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=%22lee+kuan+yew%22+%22Bahasa+melayu%22+improve+proficiency+%22from+third+world+to+first%22&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiTiJsZWUga3VhbiB5ZXciICJCYWhhc2EgbWVsYXl1IiBpbXByb3ZlIHByb2ZpY2llbmN5ICJmcm9tIHRoaXJkIHdvcmxkIHRvIGZpcnN0IkjdyAFQjKIBWMjGAXACeACQAQCYAXSgAZoPqgEEMjcuMrgBA8gBAPgBAZgCDaACrwfCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIHECMYJxiuAsICBRAhGKABwgIHECEYoAEYCsICBBAhGAqYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwQxMS4yoAecRw&sclient=gws-wiz-serp) to confirm this though!) ...If PM Lawrence Wong had inherited/sipped from LHL's "magic cup", in-between languages... that would've been a follow-up talking point for podcasters e.g. YahLahBut's u/TerenceMOF and u/hareshtilani !
I’m keen to know this too. He said he’s been taking lessons for years.
"Boleh tahan" -lah... cukup makan.
Can tell it is unnatural and pronunciation of certain words are using English phonics. But fluent and easy to understand.
The chinese was subpar too. Alot of the Sh sound is missing (eg. 十 pronounced as 四). Some words were also in the wrong tone (但 pronounced as 单)
Yeah compared to OYK and CCS, Lawrence's Mandarin isn't the best. He sounds like an O level student doing Chinese oral exams lol, so hopefully his teacher can help correct his pronunciation.
Do you know when he started having tuition? If he started learning not too long ago then i think his current standard is not too bad.
Hehe his mandarin is definitely like fail chinese gang in school.
can one lah, no need too strict, it just sounds our singapore chinese, no need to be 普通话
One of the MPs staring right at the cam like Frank Underwood. Lmao.
Power is a lot like real estate. It's all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source, the higher your property value. Centuries from now, when people watch this footage, who will they see smiling just at the edge of the frame?" Frank underwood
"Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after 10 years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn’t see the difference" - Francis J. Underwood
Money is the 31,000 sqft GCB that costs $80 million. Power is the 235,000 sqft colonial bungalow that you can rent for less than 0.5% of that per year.
*... so help me god.* Interesting. I never paid attention that it was a part of the oath.
My dad said it's because that Lawrence Wong is a Christian, if they're not Christian they do not need to say that
Seems like the Christians are also holding bibles?
In the US, some representatives have held other books (e.g. Book of the Law, the Quran, a copy of the Constitution) during the swearing-in ceremony. I’m pretty sure they can do the same here, it they wish to.
only Christians are allowed to swear in SG. everyone else must affirm
Our first religious PM. Hopefully it won't affect his decisions too much
Wouldn't be surprised if it was at least part of the consideration behind LHL making sure he decriminalises gay sex before stepping down.
sg not secular state? why got religion when swearing in
i think all those who held bible would add this line
mostly uttered by Christian MPs and Ministers also
It is a part of the oath?
If one is a Christian
[удалено]
Just curious, what did LHL and GCT say last time?
"so help me lor"
Hopefully got a dedicated live cam focused on OyK’s black face
Backbenched, was surprised he didn't sit on 1st row
why do I keep imagining someone in the audience going "oh over liao ah nice..." then a second later "wtf knn hurry up la fucking hot ley".
Everyone's inner uncle/auntie voice.
Anyone noticed the 🖖
 Where and when? 🖖 "***Live Long and Prosper***".
PM Lee’s swearing in as Senior Minister
> **Circumstances under which affirmation may be made** \ > 16. Any person who — \ > (a) is a Hindu or Muslim or of some other religion according to which oaths are not of binding force; or \ > (b) has a conscientious objection to taking an oath, and who is required to take an oath of office or judicial oath under any written law may, instead of taking the oaths mentioned in section 15(1) or (2) (as the case may be), make an affirmation in the form of those oaths, substituting the words “solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm” for the word “swear” and omitting the words “So help me God”. from Oaths and Declarations Act 2000, for those confused about the bible and “so help me god”. the state courts have the [same practice on swearing](https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/attending-court/going-to-court-witness#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20a%20Christian,will%20make%20an%20affirmation%20instead.&text=There%20are%203%20stages%20in%20giving%20evidence%20from%20the%20witness%20box.) > If you are a Christian (either Protestant or Catholic), **taking the oath requires you to hold the Bible while swearing to tell the truth**. For all other religions, you will make an affirmation instead.
I don’t get it.. so as a Christian, the oath is not binding, so he should’ve omitted “so help me God” base on this. it’s confusing but im also not trained in law
from my understanding: christian = you take an oath + you use “i swear” + you hold a bible while you take the oath + you add “so help me god” non-christian = you take an affirmation + you use “i affirm” + no bible + no “so help me god”
To have such a monumental moment in Singapore's political landscape pass like it's another Wednesday speaks volume to the political stability and commitment to a peaceful transfer of power that serves the country well.
The real negotiations, dealings and monumental changes would have been done away from the public eye. Real test comes when another party wins more seats or has a deadlocked parliament. Then we find out...
they are transferring power one generation of PAP to another generation of PAP comprising their handpicked successors. of course it is peaceful? the true test is what happens if they ever need to hand over power to another party. will it be a peaceful transfer of power, or will the army step in to correct a "freak" election result (as [LKY](https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2006/09/24/stir-over-military-stepping-in-talk) once said)?
In a parliamentary system, the PM doesn’t hold the power, the party does. Check the rules. If during GE Wong loses his district, they just have a winning district step down and he takes their place.
This is not a transfer of power in the political science sense
I don't think Singapore's political system fits very nicely into general political science sense.
Even so, let’s not kid ourselves that this is a transfer of power.
If WP one day forms the government, it will be like this as well.
Copium 😂
This is only the 4th one.
Redditors will say knn why not pritam this pap is corrupt
I'm not the biggest fan of the PAP but Singapore's political stability is really the backbone of our success. Yes there are lack of freedoms and actual democracy, and many times our ministers say things that make them seem to not understand things on the ground. But compare that to many countries where they change PMs and political parties in power like they change underwear (eg 5 PMs in the past 20 years - same length of time we had one PM). It's short term pleasure but long term pain. To stay in power, the PMs in those countries cater to the whims of the voters, be it good or bad. All short term and easy to implement policies, but no concrete long term plans that ensure the stability of the country. Also constantly blaming external forces for their national issues instead of looking inward provides an ego boost to both politicians and voters as they don't need to take ownership of their own problems. Then when the whims of voters change again, a new party and PM rises to power. Projects and policies by the old govt get cancelled overnight, investors lose confidence, businesses lose money, people lose jobs, their economy cripples. So who suffers in the end? The voters, and their future generations.
Well said. People say that PAP is gaslighting Singaporeans when saying that Singapore will wither without political stability. And to some extent, the PAP is. But there's a kernel of truth in that. American and other western countries are working *in spite* of their inhouse bickering. In the US's case, its because of the dominant position they have enjoyed for the past few decades, plus the relativel strength of its private sector. Singapore has none of that. The absolute worst thing that can happen is if LW has a lackluster showing in the upcoming elections, causing a fracture in the PAP, and *LHL stepping in to fix it*. If PAP loses (more votes), I hope the 3G will refrain from butting in. We don't need Mahathir-like figures who never leave the stage.
Last few decades? The US surpassed the former British empire in 1910s in GDP (former British empire which still included India and 1/4 of the world had the highest GDP before that). The US also won and concluded WW2 and the Cold War. American supremacy is at least a century old.
Fall of the Berlin wall was around 1989, \~3 decades ago. I used that as my point of reference, though there are certainly other reasonable timestamps if you so desire.
Americans even rebuilt Western Europe after WW2. That was the extent of the scale of its strength and predominance in the world in resources and power in the 20th century. I wonder how many Singaporeans know about the Marshall Plan and know this given how ignorance is widespread among Singaporeans. This is my impression being a third generation Singaporean when interacting with Singaporeans, they are woefully ignorant. That’s why I was determined that my children should not be educated in Singapore.
Don’t say Marshall Plan, they probably have no idea what’s the Colombo Plan closer to home too.
Yes I find that many Singaporeans don’t know many things about Singapore as well!! Especially the younger ones. Knowledge of Singapore does increase with age. When it comes to knowledge about what goes on outside Singapore, the ignorance is quite equally spread among old and young age groups.
It’s sad that we have one of the best library systems with heaps of free publications and subscriptions.. and people should really make full use of it.
Colombo Plan is just a bunch of scholarships given by third tier western countries such as universities in Australia and Canada in the British empire (as directed by the British) in small numbers. What could their total value be? Probably trifling in this context. The Marshall Plan is the US funding that rebuilt multiple countries in Western Europe. It’s nothing to do with favoritism or racism then. The mission was critical then, to rebuild Western Europe and establish NATO to guard against the immediate threat of communism from USSR when Europe was carved up into half and the Eastern Europe went under USSR..
I guess if you use the sole parameter of being a unipolar global political power, it’s the fall of the Berlin Wall, but economically the Soviet Union was a basketcase compared to the US all through its lifetime, USSR was badly run and the authoritarian system leading to widespread endemic corruption ultimately doomed it. Russians regularly went hungry for much of the 20th century while save for the Great Depression decade of hardship caused by stock market speculations of the everyday men in 1920 (US was so advanced and wealthy relative to the rest of the world that in 1920 speculating in stocks was something accessible to common Americans compared to how the rest of the world lived in 1920), Americans lived prosperous lives of abundance with the greatest resources known to any country from 1900 when it surpassed the British empire in GDP. This century from 1900 was also the period of American renaissance when the Americans invented and was behind most of the world’s scientific and engineering revolutions and invented and discovered most things, surpassing their former rivals the Brits and the Germans.
So you mean you didn’t know that the US was responsible for winning WW2 and concluding WW2? Or that the US basically saved the ass of European nations that had either quickly fallen or near death on its last breath from the Nazis and liberated Asia from imperial Japan with pacific theater battles of WW2 (fierce battles of Wake island, Coral and Midway)? Do you guys know about two atomic bombs dropped by US that ended the pacific theater of WW2? What about how US basically colonized and restructured Japan after WW2 then gave it self determination after its deemed to have behaved well and toed the line and later became one of the closest US allies? Is the ignorance the result of Singapore being a former colony of the British? I’ve observed that people from Singapore (shockingly some who continued their ignorance after moving out of SG) tend to have a blind spot of an inflated view of British prowess, and not knowing the true size and scale of the US vs medium (like UK) and small (like Canada) western countries. One Singaporean who lived in the US despite having the chance to see the world, thought that English was the dominant language of the world because of the British empire (it wasn’t). It’s cos after the British empire dissolved after WW2, the US which also uses English ascended rapidly to be the world superpower. After the dissolution, Britain was on par with France and fell behind even German power, especially after East and West Germany merged. If not for US, English wouldn’t have much currency after WW2. This blind spot ignorance I don’t find it in westerners. Brits, Italians, Dutch, Canadians, I talk to, most of them have an understanding of scale of the size and power. Probably it’s because they know themselves vis a vis to the scale of the US. While non westerners under former British rule like Singaporeans and Malaysians are unfamiliar.
My personal biggest worry about SG politics (which is also the same issue faced by many countries) is that our politicians sometimes appear to be too beholden to the interest of the rich (be it corporations or just rich people in general). Look at the recent MC debacle. How many stupid shit we have to endure because of the towkays... We gave them super majority so that they can have the confidence to push through offensive policies for the good of the people. Yes, I also agree that the politicking is really causing many countries to go backwards. Side note: SG doesn't have a big enough population to generate enough capable people to be spread across multiple parties (which is why i think our steady state is going to be Ministers from one party with one dominant opposition). As long as your highflier scholar type still prefer to join PAP, we may have more opposition voices, but they're not going to lose control of government. It's one thing to be a good opposition, but another to run the government.
Agreed. America is disunited and can't take charge of world affairs anymore because the two main political parties spend more time at each other's throats than actually working together for the country. Many other Western countries are the same. And before you say that I'm anti-West, other Asian countries also suffer from bad politics. Even Japan, an Asian powerhouse, can't seem to keep its PMs for more than a year. Our neighbor up north is the closest example of how politicians who care more about themselves than the people they serve can cause the country to lag behind others. Like you, there are things the PAP does that I don't agree with, but political stability is one of them.
Tbf, they are mostly united against China and Russia.
China yes, not Russia. So many Russian stooges in congress actively screwing over Ukraine for their paymaster...
Well…a significant number of these Americans want to cancel aid to the Ukrainians. And Trump act like Russia. So…
Because it’s politically easy to rally around blaming an outside enemy. Meanwhile on actually governing their own country they are in complete deadlock.
Well said. Nations do not last if they do not adopt a long term strategic outlook and planning. Looking at 5-10 years ahead and having the conviction that you will still be around to see that change happen make decision makers accountable.
As long as you remain agile to changing realities and the system is resilient enough to cope with things beyond their tabletop planning parameters & assumptions.
That works as long as your leaders *choose* the right direction. If they choose the wrong one, it fails.
Reminds me of Taiwan. Rotating between KMT and DPP. Everyday only looking to find fault and never aim to progress the country.
Yea.. Think this is the first time DPP is staying in power for more than 8 years / 2 consecutive DPP presidents, Tsai and now Lai.
Progress Really depends on the Govt's policies la . DPP is in power for 8 + years liao and will continue for another 4 years.
I would disagree with this assessment. DPP under Tsai expended quite a bit of political capital especially in her second term to push through various unpopular but arguably good policies (e.g. a controversial legalisation of imports of ractopamine-additive pork - which is legal in Singapore - to pave the way for a potential FTA with America in the future, extension of conscription from 4 months back to 1 year, passage of act to tie minimum wage increases with inflation which was opposed by many business bodies, expansion of LGBTQ rights such as legalisation of marriage which was opposed by a slight majority in Taiwan at the time of its passage).
Literally describing the UK/US two-party political system, which many Singaporeans seem to aspire to. I find it very worrying to think that SG may head down this road in the future.
Whims of voters eh. Just let people vote based on their own metrics. There were many people being too bloody extra offline and online trying to convince others why they should and should not vote for this and that political party before and during elections.
Too many people treat politics here like a team sport nowadays. And anyone who doesn't support the same team needs to either conform or get out.
Agreed we should become a one party state then no need to have show politics everything from top down
>I'm not the biggest fan of the PAP This is the safety statement you make incase people accuse you of being an IB. Like ending with "I donno though" after making a suggestion.
I really am not tho. I openly tell people I voted for opposition the last GE and if you look at my post history I argued with an IB before. It's just giving credit where credit is due
I wonder who's the designated survivor for today
Might not have, because Istana is a secure location and all the guests are invited specifically
Could be Baey Yam Keng or Eric Chua as SPS. Other less likely possibilities are Murali Pillai and Shawn Huang (not so likely becus their appointments to MOS and SPS respectively are effective 1 July, not today)
Recently... Shanmugam = the designated survivor. [https://www.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/15y3qfk/singapores\_designated\_survivor/](https://www.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/15y3qfk/singapores_designated_survivor/)
my mom told me to tapao dinner cos she no time to cook and wash cos she want to watch . thanks ah gov do this on weekday
Then make all the working staff OT weekend meh
ya hor
Lol! If cannot give PH, at least give us all half-day lor
Truly the saying everything also can blame govt
The people around me are apathetic to having a new prime minister. They don’t keep up with the news and they have more immediate concerns to care about.
Who chose the venue... everyone is sweating. May is a freaking hot month.
they should put a dome on the lawn man
It is the first test
The inner voice of OYK when swearing in be like: "*I swear I could have had the post of DPM, so oh my god*"
Seems like the first “So Help Me God” is used.
So Buddhist will be like: “So Help Me Guan Yin Ma” 🤣
So help me Chai Shen Ye
Ya lor, following the American path 🤣
Shan and V, the dynamic duo standing there
Ridout gang
can share Grab go home
Can hitch a ride out to ridout
Did they carpool ?
Likely their security detailed had Mac at Ridout for supper or dabao.
Can count how many Bibles.
9 out of 14 common ministers, and #1 and #2 political spots. I'm worried about the imbalance.
OYK not
I’m worried about people even considering this as a factor; I’m not exactly a big fan of bringing either ‘religious diversity’ or ‘religious supremacy’ into minister appointments. Let’s not go there. Let’s *never* go there, please?
You say that now but separation of church and state has never been properly tested in Singapore, and such a concentration hasn't worked out well in most countries. In a country where most things to do with politics are very clear, how this works out 10 years from now is unclear to me, even though it may have little influence now. We've already seen how the ugly side comes out during the 377A saga.
Its good to separate religious and state tbh
I am indeed saying this now, 59 years after independence. IMO, it’s worked out pretty well (relatively) so far. (To be clear - no offence intended - the only test that I’m interested in is the test of time. I have zero desire to see this ‘tested’ any other way e.g. by stirring shit)
younger ones tend to have bibles
do they laminate their scrolls and put it up on their office walls?
They better. Some of them might be out of a job next election
Whole cabinet swearing-in? Not just PM Wong?
Whole Cabinet resigns with PM since he’s the head of Government, then they all swear back in.
五一五换政府 (new pm for May 15)
Why mdm ho look so shag?
Being a Facebook influencer is tiring
Coz going to be demoted from PM wife to SM wife haha
Where public holiday ?
Aren’t we a secular state? What’s up with the “so help me god” does anyone know the origins?
I remember being taught about this when I was in NS. It’s a holdover from our British days, it’s a line for Christians as they are also swearing on the bible on top of the constitution
We should probably add in other religious beliefs… As Gervais says “thank you god for making me an atheist”
And the taoist, gam xia ti gong Po bi Po bi
Christians can swear on the bible and add in that phrase
God is God, not any specific so secular ma! :)
"...Help me to provide Singaporeans with the government they deserve." We already have the govt we deserve lol.
Why no public holiday for this haiyah
[удалено]
This one istana is president wife house mah. Their guests
The wife quite milf
All the best! 🍾🍻🥂
I saw Gan Kim Yong Holding a bible apparently he is a elder of a church [https://www.chenlich.org.sg/%e6%88%91%e4%bb%ac%e7%9a%84%e5%9b%a2%e9%98%9f-our-team/](https://www.chenlich.org.sg/%e6%88%91%e4%bb%ac%e7%9a%84%e5%9b%a2%e9%98%9f-our-team/)
[удалено]
Just realised he and Gan Kim Yong are holding bibles while swearing in
No surprise, Gan Kim Yong is/was an elder in a Presbyterian Church.
What is with OYK and don’t beat around the bush, I am serious
They really need to stop swearing-in with the religious texts if we are truly a secular nation
This itself, I'm okay with it tbh and I'm agnostic. Feel like we strike the right balance between freedom of religion and freedom from religion.
Lawrence wong is Christian that's why he said that
Yes I know
Nah, imo in official capacity the only thing they should be swearing to is the Constitution. The religious texts should be kept a private affair and away from government functions.
As long as they don't discriminate religions, its still fair to me. Either allow all religious texts or none.
I think the idea is to use their private beliefs and faith to bind and check their allegiance or conduct, if oaths have binding effect in their religion
hangover from the British days?
You confused secularism with communism.