As usual, the PAP is trying to paint doomsday scenarios if opposition gets voted.
Here's a line by line analysis of MM Lee's wise words.
SINGAPORE: Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has urged the voters of Aljunied GRC to exercise their vote carefully in the 7 May General Election.
This is because a wrong choice would mean they lose a strong team of office holders and ground parliamentarians. Mr Lee was speaking to the media after a visit to Tampines Central on Friday night.
"Strong team" to who? The people? or PAP?
What has George Yeo's team done?
Let me remind Aljunied voters that in 2008, Aljunied GRC was voted one of the dirtiest towns in Singapore. And George Yeo's strong team of office holders considered raising conservancy fees as a quick fix. Thankfully they made a u-turn in the face of a barrage of online criticisms.
You see, with more opposition in parliment, we will make the PAP think twice before passing unpopular policies.
Mr Lee's visit there was to support Mr Heng Swee Keat, PAP's new candidate in the Tampines GRC slate.
Mr Heng was once Minister Mentor Lee's principal private secretary during his career in the civil service. His last post before leaving for politics was as the managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Mr Lee said: "He is the man who saw Singapore through the financial crisis and we recovered faster than other countries, but he's a potential Minister for Finance or Minister for Trade and Industry and we've got to have people like that in reserve."
MM Lee, is he also the man who oversaw our economy when we were the first Asia country to dip into recession when the crisis started?
So Mr Lee's advice to all voters and in particular those in Aljunied GRC is to look at the track record of the candidates and the programmes they have for the constituency.
We have looked into the track record. Unfortunately for your new PAP, it isn't particularly impressive considering that you have the most expensive ministers on the whole planet."During election time, all claims are made recklessly, but they are simplistic. Election rallies' slogans sell," he warned.
The Minister Mentor urged Aljunied GRC's voters to compare the property prices of their GRC with those in the neighbouring Hougang division, an opposition stronghold.
He said they would realise the prices are not the same. "You have the wrong government, you have your property prices go right down," he said.
Minister Mentor Lee went on to say: "If you are in Aljunied, ask yourself: do you want one MP, one non-constituency MP, one celebrity, two unknowns, to look after you? Or, have two ministers, one Speaker of Parliament, one very good ground worker (Ong Ye Kung) and Cynthia Phua to look after the place?
Isn't an elected government suppose to take care of ALL citizens, whether or not they are supporters?
Will Obama wash his hands off Texas because they are Republican?
So it shouldn't matter if the new team is made up of incumbent ministers or unknowns. We want to judge people on track record (yes I said it) and commitment to Singaporeans."What will happen to your property values and your own comfort, the drains and mosquitoes and so on in the five years? You have this celebrity, he has been away 30 years, he comes back, how does he connect with us?
We've given PAP nearly 50 years. Let's give this "celebrity" 5 years in office and then we will decide again. If he screws up, the voters will replace him in 2016. Let's not judge too early."It may well happen. If they win, in which case, the people of Aljunied live with the results. The only way people learn is when they have to pay a price."
And how do you know that? What if the lives of Aljunied Singaporeans actually get better? What will you say?Mr Lee was also unfazed by the large crowds at the opposition rallies, as he feels that does not translate into the final results on Polling Day.
Mr Lee also provided data to counter opposition's claims that foreigners in Singapore were taking away jobs from Singaporeans.
He said total employment in Singapore rose by 786,000 between 2006 and last year. That's a cumulative increase of 34 percent.
Last year alone, 115,900 jobs were added, with half going to Singaporeans.
Even if that were true, why are we creating 57,950 jobs for foreigners? Leave that to their own governments back home. I don't know of any country except UAE where the government creates as many jobs for foreigners. (Still, UAE citizens sit on top of the economic ladder so I hear. Not sure if it's the same here)
Preliminary estimates also show that total employment grew by 23,700 in the first three months of this year.
Mr Lee pointed out that the Singapore government has no reason to look after the interest of foreigners.
More foreigners means more spending on consumption no matter what. That will add to GDP de facto. Higher GDP growth means more bonuses for ministers. So there isn't any reason to look after the interest of foreigners?
He added that the PAP government has created more jobs than Singaporeans can fill.
That's because we have too many labour intensive jobs and exploitative MNCs on our shores. Move up the value chain, services chain-- Singaporeans are talented and hardworking and if given the chance, we can grow the economy by ourselves! Let our local run businesses thrive! Downplay the significance of MNCs.
I'm seeing ordinary foreigners taking away our PMET jobs when there are locals who can perform these jobs.
He said no country has done that except Singapore.
Mr Lee also released data stating that the overall unemployment rate was 2.2 percent last year.
The resident jobless rate was 3.1 percent, the second lowest over the period of 2000 and 2010.
Resident includes Singaporeans and PRs. PRs will have to be employed otherwise they will be out of this country. Stop skewing the statistics. Give us the jobless rate for Singaporeans only and we can judge.
Mr Lee added that foreigners are brought into Singapore to attract investments, in turn creating even more jobs for locals.
Some examples include how the equipment supplying company, Applied Materials, employs over 500 staff, and 85 percent of them are Singaporeans.
To be honest, I wouldn't expect any less. For every Applied Materials, there would be two Johnson & Johnsons or Citibanks.
And based on a construction manpower study done last year, which surveyed 1,000 contracting firms, two-thirds of professional, managerial, executive and technical positions are held by Singaporeans.
- CNA/ir
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