No apology for cornering Govt: WP chief
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May 17, 2010 - ST Forum
No apology for cornering Govt: WP chief
I REFER to Mr Steve Tan's letter last Saturday ('Don't politicise mother tongue, offer a viable alternative') and Thursday's report, 'Govt has made 3 commitments on MTL: Low Thia Khiang'.
The three commitments stated are my understanding of the Government's position on mother tongue language (MTL) after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's press conference. I asked for government rebuttal if my impression was wrong to prevent a recurrence of the unhealthy tension over the three weeks when the Government remained silent after the Education Minister's interview, while the groundswell of opinion escalated to boiling point.
I had received emotional feedback through e-mail and on the ground. If my intention was to politicise the issue for profit as alleged by Mr Tan, I would have acted earlier instead of waiting till the Prime Minister had clarified the matter. I responded when asked by the press for my reaction after the PM's press conference.
I agree the issue is not simple and is sensitive. It reflects the kind of Singapore and Singaporeans we want in the long term, and concerns not just the immediate livelihood of Singaporeans. That was why I spent time researching the issue and did not jump into the fray at the height of public discontent.
However, it is inevitable that if the issue is not resolved satisfactorily, I will have to escalate it to a political level, as I am not convinced of the need and justification for lowering the MTL weighting at the Primary School Leaving Examination.
It may also become an election issue even though it is sensitive, as the Workers' Party and I would have to articulate our conscience and beliefs. We also have to respond to the ground reaction and serve as a voice of the people to air their grievances, dissatisfaction in policy matters and sense of injustice, to safeguard their rights and interests.
Hence, I make no apology for cornering the Government and scoring political points, if the Government itself allows this to happen.
It is wise for the Government to deny the Workers' Party and myself the chance to score political points with good policies beneficial to the people, and to be sensitive to the ground to resolve issues before they are escalated into political issues. This makes for good governance which will benefit Singaporeans, promote healthy political discourse on policy issues, build a mechanism of checks and balances in our political system, and contribute to a vibrant civil society - a culture which the Workers' Party seeks to entrench in our nation's political development.
Low Thia Khiang
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Wah.
Elections really coming.
Vote wisely.
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Originally posted by charlize:
Wah.
Elections really coming.
Vote wisely.
Election will come, sooner or later.
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
Election will come, sooner or later.
next year can vote liao
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Originally posted by nature-ones:
next year can vote liao
if there is no walkover.