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    <title>Recent Posts in 'Must all MPs and Ministers be elected?' | sgForums.com</title>
    <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by freedom4ever @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:02:55 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_from"&gt;Originally posted by eagle:&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_body"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But many Singaporeans listen and believe the propaganda
mah...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;because they believe that the govt will never lie to it
people.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:02:55 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7992895</guid>
      <author>freedom4ever</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by qlqq9 @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:21:43 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_from"&gt;Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_body"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;PAP regime likes it that way.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ignorant of politics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They like a society that is depoliticised.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They don't like politicised society.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It will make them worry.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A politicised person is aware of PAP's bullshit, they won't vote
for PAP.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;An ignorant person is not aware of PAP's bullshit and they also
don't care, they will vote for PAP.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What you said above remind me of someone who loves "pouring cold
water" when I talk about PAP.&amp;nbsp; She will say she is neutral and
that I can't expect PAP to be perfect and that no matter how good
the gahmen is doing they will not be able to please
everyone.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Other times, she speaks ill of
PAP.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Can't stand this sickening attitude and
kiasi attitude of hers.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I shall shut her mouth
the next time she speaks ill of PAP.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; She is so
self righteous.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:21:43 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7992802</guid>
      <author>qlqq9</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Escape.Artist @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:15:14 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;i feel there is nothing wrong with
having propaganda, because every regime, if not everyone,&amp;nbsp;will
definitely want to protect their legacy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;Of course we have a choice to
oppose their propaganda, but i don't see why there is so much to
complain about when our ruling party is still doing well, from a
neutral point of view. Don't forget a party is also made up of
citizens like all of us.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;If others think they can do
better, i am for the idea that they should start running for
office, and start doing the rest of the citizens proud.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:15:14 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7992791</guid>
      <author>Escape.Artist</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by eagle @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:46:19 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_from"&gt;Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_body"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yes, it takes two hands to clap.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It takes two to make love.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But the main blame must be on the PAP regime.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They are the ones that lead.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They makes the rules.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They call the shots.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They make the propaganda.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But many Singaporeans listen and believe the propaganda
mah...&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:46:19 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7992755</guid>
      <author>eagle</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Poh Ah Pak @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:41:11 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;It takes two hands to clap - to
move forward in this case.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yes, it takes two hands to clap.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It takes two to make love.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But the main blame must be on the PAP regime.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They are the ones that lead.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They makes the rules.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They call the shots.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They make the propaganda.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:41:11 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7992746</guid>
      <author>Poh Ah Pak</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Escape.Artist @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:14:16 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #000000;"&gt;But under PAP regime, they have
killed off the killer instinct in the people.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;Well, on the citizens'
part,&amp;nbsp;most singaporeans are currently way too comfortable, and
as we all know, ignorant or politics and full of complaints. To
blame, i think the fault lies with everyone. It takes two hands to
clap - to move forward in this case.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:14:16 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7992706</guid>
      <author>Escape.Artist</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Poh Ah Pak @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:41:58 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #888888;"&gt;&lt;span style=
"color: #888888;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;I think the gist of
a government is to bring the community it governs
forward.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I agree with you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But under PAP regime, they have killed off the killer instinct
in the people.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;How to move forward?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If a country is governed with tolerance,&lt;br /&gt;
the people are comfortable and honest.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a country is governed with repression,&lt;br /&gt;
the people are depressed and crafty.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- Tao&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=
"http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/lao-tzu/works/tao-te-ching/te.htm"
rel=
"nofollow"&gt;http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/lao-tzu/works/tao-te-ching/te.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:41:58 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7992654</guid>
      <author>Poh Ah Pak</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Escape.Artist @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:19:37 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #000000;"&gt;Sure if the majority thinks that
LKY is impeding Singapore's progress, we should remove him as well.
If we feel that Escape Artist represents a dangerous totalitarian
ideology, we should exterminate Escape Artist.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #000000;"&gt;Make no mistake it is not about
efficiency for the country etc. it is about personal
power.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;&lt;span style=
"color: #888888;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #888888;"&gt;&lt;span style=
"color: #993366;"&gt;Uncle, you do not have to spite me like that la,
because guess what, i agree with you. If you think i pose a threat
to social stability, by all means try and remove me. I swear by my
logic.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #888888;"&gt;&lt;span style=
"color: #888888;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;Anyway i think its
not just about personal power. If you are talking about personal
agendas like that of pervez musharraf, ultimately the people
suffer. I think the gist of a government is to bring the community
it governs forward. Although we do still see widespread corruption
elsewhere, but that's beside the point. If Mr Lee only craved
personal power, i do not think we, as a nation, will be where we
are today. Efficiency ensures the state grows at a fast
pace.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:19:37 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7992624</guid>
      <author>Escape.Artist</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by airgrinder @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:24:36 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_from"&gt;Originally posted by sir_peanuts:&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_body"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;given &lt;span&gt;PAP&lt;/span&gt;&#8217;s logic, all MPs are already being
elected now.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;and all ministers, elected or walkover, gets their endorsement,
since by not challenging them people think they&#8217;re doing a good
job.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yes. PAP's method of "election" can be improved.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:24:36 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7991823</guid>
      <author>airgrinder</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by airgrinder @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:23:22 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_from"&gt;Originally posted by robertteh:&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_body"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Someone in FS forum certainly asked the most politically
creative and important question - why must a country be governed
only by MPs or elected representatives supposedly sanctioned by
fire power of election ?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Will such elected representatives truly be people who have the
leadership and abilities to bring good life and progress to
citizens &amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
How do people judge leadership qualities and abilities? Can they
vouch it or prove it before they cast the sacred votes?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On the other hand if election is conducted in the present form
involving struggling by people fighting one another by fair or foul
means to get to power will a country end up better off or will it
end up with groups of politically-conspired individuals who will
perpetually conspire to serve their own gains at the expense of the
people thereby undermining the nation building process.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Coming to think of it many types of leadership are needed in
running a country. Some look great in form but do not necessarily
possess the substance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It seems we need many types of leadership e.g. ceremonial,
spiritual, moral, executive, judicial, legislative, social,
cultural, technocratic, technological, entrepreneurial, and
strategic, etc etc.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Elected representatives only at best fulfill only limited aspect of
leadership like ceremonial, executive, legislative and judicial
etc.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Election is superficial and is lacking substance and elected
representatives elected in the present set-ups are based on loyalty
to party leaders sp such elected MPs certainly will not be able to
fulfill the large areas of leadership in social cultural,
technological and entrepreneurial arena which may be even more
critical that party loyalty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because leadership is mostly an exercise of legitimacy citizens
will have to reexamine the role of elected MPs and bring in true
substantive leadership to make up areas of leadership like social,
cultural, technological, motivational, entrepreneurial which will
be better served by non-elected institutions or individuals.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is not enough to have leadership for ceremonial or legitimacy
purposes as we need true and competitive leadership in many areas
including people good in making good laws in the legislative and
dispense true and independent justice in the judiciary plus
entrepreneurship in the executive which are not trapped in loyalty
vicious circle.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Moreover elected representatives tend to be confrontational and
conspire against oppositions and critics and even the citizens to
serve their own narrow selfish interests as they ascended up the
throne of power as seen in our little red dot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Therefore in form elected MPs look legitimate and good to have but
in fact what we need is to put up effective people in all areas up
there to lead functions by functions which can be enumerated by
entrepreneurial proven practical people who are presently excluded
by sheer fallacies or propagandas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Let 30% of the executives, be non-elective so that proven practical
talents suitably assessed by independent resource panels can truly
arise to provide long lasting and more effective leadership
covering not only traditional areas of executive but even more
critically social cultural and economic arenas way beyond the the
narrow election processes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If someone has the ability and his ability is well recognized why
not be him lead in those areas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So when PM Lee said he is trying to spot his successor he is still
rather shallow in his whole concept of government and
leadership.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If it's elected leadership, no one but all is responsible if the
elected personal cannot lead.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In your last 2nd paragraph, who is to judge if someone has the
ability and is well recognised? But isn't this elected leadership
too, by the people who feels that he/she has the ability and is
well recognised?&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:23:22 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7991810</guid>
      <author>airgrinder</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by sir_peanuts @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:20:57 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;given &lt;span class=""&gt;PAP&lt;/span&gt;&#8217;s logic, all MPs are already
being elected now.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;and all ministers, elected or walkover, gets their endorsement,
since by not challenging them people think they&#8217;re doing a good
job.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:20:57 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7991782</guid>
      <author>sir_peanuts</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by stupidissmart @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:09:24 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Actually those are not Americans. and those who are American
terrorists&amp;nbsp;ARE guilty. In the past they used to silence
dissent though. Communist dissent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They r american citizens, and they r not guilty, and they r
tortured and caught for a long period of time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Democracy is the more transparent way to run a country - every
government including authoritarian ones is as inefficient. Depends
on the personnel themselves.&amp;nbsp;At least the people get to choose
the leader that they deserve...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Democracy do have some form of transparency compared with
authoritarian country. However the system of democracy is
inefficient. If I am the opposition, and I have a large say in the
parliament. I will oppose almost everything the president wanna
change. Why ? If he cannot make any changes, it make him look bad.
If he look bad,&amp;nbsp;my party&amp;nbsp;got a higher chance being voted.
U can see tis phenomenon&amp;nbsp;in a lot of countries&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, singapore is not classified as an authoritarian
country. People do get to vote&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:09:24 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7991685</guid>
      <author>stupidissmart</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by robertteh @ Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:26:24 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;The authoritarian regimes tend to borrow democracy to legitimize
their rule but when it comes to problems created by their selfish
rule they tend to dismiss such problems on democracy. It is so
typical of authoritarians to wear the crest of democracy but at the
same time push all the problems against it for being the cause of
lawlessness or instability.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We have seen so much of such hypocrisy that today we don't
bother with such device to justify iron-fisted authoritarian rule
any more. It is now entering a period where people understand the
caues of many problems under our authoritarian rule and finding new
ways to fix it. It is not whether change should heppen but rather
when it should happen. That is the crux of issues now really.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:26:24 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7988395</guid>
      <author>robertteh</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Uncle Ver SG @ Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:06:34 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They do jail a lot of their citizen when they suspect they r
terrorist yet they aren't.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Actually those are not Americans. and those who are American
terrorists&amp;nbsp;ARE guilty. In the past they used to silence
dissent though. Communist dissent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Democracy is the more transparent way to run a country - every
government including authoritarian ones is as inefficient. Depends
on the personnel themselves.&amp;nbsp;At least the people get to choose
the leader that they deserve...&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:06:34 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7988354</guid>
      <author>Uncle Ver SG</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by stupidissmart @ Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:14:45 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wow you dont read my threads do you? Like I said it is about
acquring power, democracy being the "fairer" way to doing it. It is
not about who is more "efficient" in running a country. I sure miss
those halycon LKY&amp;nbsp;days when you can send communists and their
sympathizers to jail. Back then I supported LKY.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So democracy is an inefficient way to run the country ? On the
note, for democracy, lets say the future president of america
(obama clinton McCain), they have to help their sponsor earn back
the money they had spent on them when they r campaigning. The one
with the fatter campaigning money stand at an advantage. I don't
know if tis is fair or not&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Does America jail its own citizens for dissent?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They do jail a lot of their citizen when they suspect they r
terrorist yet they aren't.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:14:45 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7988262</guid>
      <author>stupidissmart</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Uncle Ver SG @ Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:13:47 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;"Do u think democractic country do not kill people ? Democracy
decide Iraq is gonan be conquered and they too torture and kill
wantonly as well. If one day america decide Uncle Ver Sg is a
threat and proceed with eliminating him, no one is gonna
help&amp;nbsp;him too."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wow you dont read my threads do you? Like I said it is about
acquring power, democracy being the "fairer" way to doing it. It is
not about who is more "efficient" in running a country. I sure miss
those halycon LKY&amp;nbsp;days when you can send communists and their
sympathizers to jail. Back then I supported LKY.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"China behaves in a funny manner but we got to admit it is not
easy to rule such a big country with so much problems."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Does America jail its own citizens for dissent?&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:13:47 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7987113</guid>
      <author>Uncle Ver SG</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by stupidissmart @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:17:10 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sure if the majority thinks that LKY is impeding Singapore's
progress, we should remove him as well. If we feel that Escape
Artist represents a dangerous totalitarian ideology, we should
exterminate Escape Artist.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I think wat escape artist have written do make sense &lt;img src=
"/images/emoticons/classic/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=
"icon_rolleyes.gif" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I feel tat insults without apparent reason is distracting&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Do u think democractic country do not kill people ? Democracy
decide Iraq is gonan be conquered and they too torture and kill
wantonly as well. If one day america decide Uncle Ver Sg is a
threat and proceed with eliminating him, no one is gonna
help&amp;nbsp;him too.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While a government can produce results at any given point in
time, there are no guarantees that it will continue to do so.
&amp;nbsp;In the case of the communist system, there are no guarantees
that the government will not use its arbitrary powers against you
one day for no good reason. &amp;nbsp;If that were to happen, what use
is your Gucci bag, sports car and condo?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Democracy is also the same... Is there any guarantee tat
democratic country will always produce result ? Is there any
guarantee tat a democractic country will not use arbitrary force
against the citizen ? When a country has civil strife, all
government reacts to it, whether u r democratic or not it does not
matter. Indonesia do attack East timor before. Phillipines also use
force on their resistance. Sri Lanka also use force on the tamil
tigers. Iraq and Afghanistan&amp;nbsp;have its large share of using
force to control their land as well. Thailand and its muslim south,
russia with chechen British and its old problem of Ireland... there
r also many examples of countries using force against its citizen
who had used force.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But when china attack tibetians who use violence and want to
seperate, then everybody condemn them. China behaves in a funny
manner but we got to admit it is not easy to rule such a big
country with so much problems.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:17:10 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7986184</guid>
      <author>stupidissmart</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Poh Ah Pak @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:01:42 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If we feel that Escape Artist represents &lt;strong&gt;a dangerous
totalitarian ideology&lt;/strong&gt;, we should exterminate Escape
Artist.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;...In time the ruling class of Russia became acquainted with
Byzantine culture. They were dazzled by it, and sought to import it
into their wilderness domains in the north.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In this way they imposed on the Slav peoples many of the
accessories of the Byzantine Empire, such as Orthodox Christianity,
the Byzantine alphabet, the Byzantine calendar, the used of domed
ecclesiastical architecture, the name Czar (Caesar) for their
ruler, and innumerable other traits.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most important of all, they imported the Byzantine
totalitarian autocracy, under which all aspects of life, including
political, economic, intellectual, and religious, were regarded as
departments of government, under the control of an autocratic
ruler.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;These beliefs were part of the Greek tradition, and were
based ultimately on Greek inability to distinguish between state
and society.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Since society includes all human activities, the
Greeks had assumed that the state must include all human
activities.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In the days of Classical Greece this all-inclusive entity
was called the polis, a term which meant both society and state; in
the later Roman period this all-inclusive entity was called the
imperium.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The only difference was that the polis was sometimes (as in
Pericles's Athens about 450 B.C.) democratic, while the imperium
was always a military autocracy.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Both were totalitarian, so that religion and economic life
were regarded as spheres of governmental activity. This
totalitarian autocratic tradition was carried on to the Byzantine
Empire and passed from it to the Russian state in the north and to
the later Ottoman Empire in the south...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;...In the West, the Roman Empire (which continued in the
East as the Byzantine Empire) disappeared in 476 and, although many
efforts were made to revive it, there was clearly a period, about
goo, &lt;strong&gt;when there was no empire, no state, and no public
authority in the West.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The state disappeared, yet society continued.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;So also, religious and economic life continued. &lt;strong&gt;This
clearly showed that the state and society were not the same thing,
that society was the basic entity, and that the state was a
crowning, but not essential, cap to the social
structure.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This experience had revolutionary effects. &lt;strong&gt;It was
discovered that man can live without a state&lt;/strong&gt;; this became
the basis of Western liberalism. &lt;strong&gt;It was discovered that the
state, if it exists, must serve men and that it is incorrect to
believe that the purpose of men is to serve the
state.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;It was discovered that economic life, religious life, law,
and private property can all exist and function effectively without
a state.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;From this emerged laissez-faire, separation of Church and
State, rule of law, and the sanctity of private property. In Rome,
in Byzantium, and in Russia, law was regarded as an enactment of a
supreme power.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In the West, when no supreme power existed, it was
discovered that law still existed as the body of rules which govern
social life. Thus law was found by observation in the West, not
enacted by autocracy as in the East. This meant that authority was
established by law and under the law in the West, while authority
was established by power and above the law in the East.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The West felt that the rules of economic life were found and
not enacted; that individuals had rights independent of, and even
opposed to, public authority; that groups could exist, as the
Church existed, by right and not by privilege, and without the need
to have any charter of incorporation entitling them to exist as a
group or act as a group; that groups or individuals could own
property as a right and not as a privilege and that such property
could not be taken by force but must be taken by established
process of law. It was emphasized in the West that the way a thing
was done was more important than what was done, while in the East
what was done was far more significant than the way in which it was
done...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://real-world-news.org/bk-quigley/03.html" rel=
"nofollow"&gt;http://real-world-news.org/bk-quigley/03.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:01:42 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7986092</guid>
      <author>Poh Ah Pak</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Uncle Ver SG @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:48:20 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;"And to say that the communist
government uses force on its people for no good reason is very
biased. Of course there is a reason, and the reason is because they
wanted to quell dissenters, who, in their case, are no different to
the terrorists we all want to exterminate - in that they are
threatening social instability. From a civilian's standpoint, I do
think that the party is very unforgiving, but from the government's
standpoint, it is a form of efficiency? Like the chinese saying,
"&#26432;&#19968;&#23613;&#30334;", which in this case means removing one dissenter to prevent
a further hundred.&lt;/span&gt;"&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sure if the majority thinks that LKY is impeding Singapore's
progress, we should remove him as well. If we feel that Escape
Artist represents a dangerous totalitarian ideology, we should
exterminate Escape Artist.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Make no mistake it is not about efficiency for the country etc.
it is about personal power.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:48:20 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7986064</guid>
      <author>Uncle Ver SG</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by 4getmenot @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:41:51 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_from"&gt;Originally posted by Escape.Artist:&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_body"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;Although communism's major flaw is
in its lack of competition, who cares when the government continues
to produces results. Just like in Singapore, its ok to demand
things at times as humans are&amp;nbsp;born selfish, but at other
times, we shouldn't complain too much if our government&amp;nbsp;is
able to constantly bring our economy forward. Don't get me wrong
here, I am no fan of the PAP either. I just feel a need to be
as&amp;nbsp;unbiased as possible. And I must say many singaporeans are
too caught up in their tiny well to be able to discuss politics
logically.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;you shitting me right? did you actually think China is really a
'communist country as a whole presently?'&amp;nbsp;even though its run
by a communist party?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Socialism - Do your best in whatever you do and get paid for your
worth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Communism - Do your best in whatever you do and get paid for what
you Only Need.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Go do your maths before you
start&amp;nbsp;blabbering&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;making&amp;nbsp;a&amp;nbsp;fool&amp;nbsp;outta&amp;nbsp;yourself..&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:41:51 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7986051</guid>
      <author>4getmenot</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Escape.Artist @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:34:14 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While a government can produce results at any given point in
time, there are no guarantees that it will continue to do so.
&amp;nbsp;In the case of the communist system, there are no guarantees
that the government will not use its arbitrary powers against you
one day for no good reason. &amp;nbsp;If that were to happen, what use
is your Gucci bag, sports car and condo?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Speaking of tiny well, you also need to look your tiny
materialistic one as well. &amp;nbsp;Try asking a jailed dissident like
Hu Jia, or the thousands imprisoned because of their religious
beliefs whether the communist system produces 'results' or not.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'd rather have the right to elect stupid people to public
office than to have some unelected elites running my life for
me.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;I definitely agree that there are
no guarantees that a government can continue to produce results
forever, that's why i stated at the start "there isn't a so called
'correct' form of government". The chanel bag is just an example,
dude. I can always state other examples, like the chinese economy
has been enjoying double digits growth rate since they started
reforms. Don't tell me these are not results.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;And to say that the communist
government uses force on its people for no good reason is very
biased. Of course there is a reason, and the reason is because they
wanted to quell dissenters, who, in their case, are no different to
the terrorists we all want to exterminate - in that they are
threatening social instability. From a civilian's standpoint, I do
think that the party is very unforgiving, but from the government's
standpoint, it is a form of efficiency? Like the chinese saying,
"&#26432;&#19968;&#31105;&#30334;", which in this case means removing one dissenter to prevent
a further hundred.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;Even if you do not agree on this,
you have to agree that, in a non-perfect world,&amp;nbsp;there must be
sacrifices for the whole economy to prosper -&amp;nbsp;just like our
forefathers, with their sweat and blood, sowed the seeds, so that
we, as now,&amp;nbsp;can reap the fruits of their labour.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;You&amp;nbsp;are entitled&amp;nbsp;your
rights to different views, but your might want to look on this from
a more macro scale or another perspective, say, what you would do
if you are the said government in the said situation, in a logical
fashion of course.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:34:14 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7986039</guid>
      <author>Escape.Artist</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Poh Ah Pak @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:00:53 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;And I must say many singaporeans
are too caught up in their tiny well to be able to discuss politics
logically.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;PAP regime likes it that way.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ignorant of politics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They like a society that is depoliticised.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They don't like politicised society.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It will make them worry.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A politicised person is aware of PAP's bullshit, they won't vote
for PAP.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;An ignorant person is not aware of PAP's bullshit and they also
don't care, they will vote for PAP.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:00:53 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7985840</guid>
      <author>Poh Ah Pak</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by ObiterDicta @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:55:16 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_from"&gt;Originally posted by Escape.Artist:&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="quote_body"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;Although communism's major flaw is
in its lack of competition, &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;who
cares when the government continues to produces results&lt;/span&gt;.
Just like in Singapore, its ok to demand things at times as humans
are&amp;nbsp;born selfish, but at other times, we shouldn't complain
too much if our government&amp;nbsp;is able to constantly bring our
economy forward. Don't get me wrong here, I am no fan of the PAP
either. I just feel a need to be as&amp;nbsp;unbiased as possible. And
I must say many singaporeans are too caught up in their tiny well
to be able to discuss politics logically.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But you are not logical either.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While a government can produce results at any given point in
time, there are no guarantees that it will continue to do so.
&amp;nbsp;In the case of the communist system, there are no guarantees
that the government will not use its arbitrary powers against you
one day for no good reason. &amp;nbsp;If that were to happen, what use
is your Gucci bag, sports car and condo?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Speaking of tiny well, you also need to look your tiny
materialistic one as well. &amp;nbsp;Try asking a jailed dissident like
Hu Jia, or the thousands imprisoned because of their religious
beliefs whether the communist system produces 'results' or not.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'd rather have the right to elect stupid people to public
office than to have some unelected elites running my life for
me.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Robertteh, for all your criticism of the PAP, your thinking
similar to the PAP system you criticise in one very important
regard: The underlying assumption that competent people will act in
the interest of the country and not themselves. &amp;nbsp;Herein you
contradict yourself, given how much you were against the
ministerial pay structure. &amp;nbsp;If you are not prepared to assume
that the people in the PAP were acting in the best interest of the
people in raising their own pay, why should you be prepared to
assume that non-elected people will act in the people's
interest?&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:55:16 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7985827</guid>
      <author>ObiterDicta</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Escape.Artist @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:05:36 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;I agree with robbertteh. Firstly,
I'm not a fan of democracy itself, neither am i a fan of communism
or any other form of legislation for that matter. But the fact is,
there isn't&amp;nbsp;a so called 'correct' form of governing, and due
to various&amp;nbsp;conflicts of interests, makes the whole idea of
forming a government more complex.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;In democracy, like currently in
the US, we have the clintons and the obamas, doing nothing since
god knows when,&amp;nbsp;except for campaigning for the presidential
election, and to add to the insult, there are actually millions of
americans who are also willing to do nothing else but hear them
speak. This is inefficiency at its worst, considering the dollars
and time involved can actually be used for better purposes, but
they are just so&amp;nbsp;obsessed with the idea of democracy, and so
easily smitten by the words of politicians.&amp;nbsp;No matter how much
we worship western ideas and influence, this, i feel, is already to
the point of retardation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;On the other hand, we have the
communist party in China. Since the ingenuity of Deng Xiaopeng, we
have seen China grow at such an amazing pace that today, they are
already threatening the balance of power held primarily by the US.
Internally, many Chinese now worry more about whether they would
beat their friends to that limited eidtion Chanel bag. Poverty to
them is only a chapter in their history. On the macro side, the
markets of the world may soon have to&amp;nbsp;woo their spending power
amidst the slowdown in the US economy. And ultimately, they are
still governed by a communist party.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #993366;"&gt;Although communism's major flaw is
in its lack of competition, who cares when the government continues
to produces results. Just like in Singapore, its ok to demand
things at times as humans are&amp;nbsp;born selfish, but at other
times, we shouldn't complain too much if our government&amp;nbsp;is
able to constantly bring our economy forward. Don't get me wrong
here, I am no fan of the PAP either. I just feel a need to be
as&amp;nbsp;unbiased as possible. And I must say many singaporeans are
too caught up in their tiny well to be able to discuss politics
logically.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:05:36 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7985698</guid>
      <author>Escape.Artist</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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      <title>Must all MPs and Ministers be elected? replied by Uncle Ver SG @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:03:11 +0800</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;u joking right? Democracy lah.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:03:11 +0800</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">politics.sgforums.com:10:313324:7984639</guid>
      <author>Uncle Ver SG</author>
      <link>http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/313324</link>
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