Singaporeans have enough of civil servants and generals in politics

We like who we are familiar with. This is why we seem to like candidates from Workers Party and PSP. When candidates come from backgrounds similar to us, we feel they know our issues better.

PAP candidates are often ex public and civil servants, worse still, they are leaders in those agencies. Imagine the perception that your bosses, bureaucrats will continue to govern you. We have enough of generals – My last count was we had more than 7–8 generals in recent governments. We have so many generals and civil servants that they behave and talk the same. They hold the same party line, they don’t exhibit the compassion that Chiam See Tong or Low Thia Kiang offers.

We don’t want candidates from the same establishment as the government. Quite simply, enough of leaders from grassroots associated with the incumbent party. Can we have someone from say, Maruah? Or someone who may not have performed so well at work, but has a track record of leadership in society.

If the reply is that we need smart Ministers to lead government, may we argue that we need Ministers with a heart, and we can defer technical management to senior civil servants. We need our MPs to prioritise citizen’s well being. We don’t need MPs to remind us of the hard truth; work hard or be eliminate from competition. We need MPs who approve policies that benefit Singaporeans first, then others.

Scenarios

• So what if an MP like Lee Bee Wah is appointed full Minister? Will the ministry certainly fumble? Will she not be given the same support from the civil servants in each ministry? Can she not make decisions based on common sense and in consultation of Singaporeans?
• So what if a grassroots leader like Tan Cheng Bock becomes PM? Can’t he receive support from the government organisation the same? Will he not also receive recommendations from so many senior civil servants? Why do we believe Singapore will definitely not grow as fast as before?

The big idea is that Singaporeans have evolved since 1980s. We don’t need policies to be forced down our throats. We want to have more control of our lives, and not allow a overtly strong government to control and form policies without our direct inputs.