http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/02/22/pap-model-starting-ahead-and-finishing-last/
PAP Model : Starting Ahead and Finishing Last
February 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under Columnists, Hurr Riyahi, Opinion
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By Hurr Riyahi
One of the characteristics of PAP Model is its tendency to start ahead but finish last. This can be seen in the outcomes of most PAP policies. What is funny about this is that about two thirds of Singaporeans (about 66%) only choose to see how PAP model starts ahead. Instead they fear to see how it finishes last. They are also deluded by the initial gains which they naively think will last indefinitely and/or repeat continually. That explains how PAP is able to make the voters believe that its model works and that there is no alternative model superior than its own.
EDUCATION
If you ask Singaporeans about their education system, majority will boast about how the students start ahead of other students in other countries. The ability to do English comprehension, essays and grammar in primary one is something which many point out to show that in many western education systems, the primary one kids are incompetent in such areas. However the same Singaporeans fail to realize that when those primary one kids reach the age of university graduation, say 21-24 years, the average western kid is far more competent than our average Singaporean kid in English which though starts ahead, finishes last.
In the area of mathematics and science, Singaporeans kids start ahead of kids in developed countries in primary school by being far more competent in solving the most difficult questions. Most Singaporean families look at this as a major life achievement and superiority of the PAP educational system. However it is the kids in developed world who lag behind Singaporean kids in primary school in mathematics and science who later achieve big leaps in those two topics and using that be responsible for vast majority of the accomplishments in medicine, health sciences, engineering, information technology, natural sciences, economics, finance etc.
On the other hand, close to three quarter of the Singaporean kids who slog and perform the most tedious questions in mathematics and science in primary school do not even attain university education. Those who do attain university education have hardly achieved anything much on the global scale in the sciences.
ECONOMY
When PAP transformed Singapore from a developing to an industrialised economy, it took only twenty years whereas Europe took two hundred years. Singapore was far ahead of the pace of industrialisation. However till today Singapore has not been accepted into OECD and therefore it remains an industrialised country and not a developed country.
Europe took less than twenty years to become developed countries after becoming industrialised. PAP is taking more than thirty years and still it has not been able to get Singapore into OECD as a developed country. Instead it points to IMF or World Bank classifications, which are not benchmarks, and make political statements about Singapore being a developed country.
Even amongst the developed countries, Singapore ranks the lowest amongst all of them in so many important areas. However PAP will only pick out fanciful and superficial areas like competitiveness, openness etc and try to show how its ahead of developed economies. Where Singapore needs to demonstrate is in its sustainability. Even recently the PAP leadership has come out to say its high growth strategy wont be sustainable in post crisis and Singaporeans must accept a lower growth path.
HOUSING
PAP was ahead of many countries in resolving housing problems and achieving home ownership rates. Yet today it has one of the worst housing crisis amongst countries in developed countries.
In developed countries where housing prices are high, the people still have viable options of affordable renting. Singapore does not have such options. In terms of affordability Singapore started ahead of others in being able to provide houses which the citizens could deem as affordable. Today only the politicians and foreigners can deem the housing prices as affordable. The average Singapore citizen struggles to buy a simple house.
Though in most developed countries, the government do not provide housing solutions, they create opportunities for people to find accomodation in an affordable and sustainable way either through buying or renting.
TRANSPORT
Being a small island, it was relatively easy to set up a bus, train and road network that is far ahead of any city. PAP achieved it. However today the transport network in Singapore is one of the most congested, expensive and unpleasant all thanks to its ultra-liberal immigration policy. In many cities of developed countries, the bus and train fares are expensive but people have the option of cheaper car travel.
In a land scare Singapore, it is only prudent to make car travel expensive and public transport very cheap. However the public transport companies run by private companies that are wholly owned by government seek perpetual increase in their profits and have driven up public transport costs beyond imagination. Singapore bus drivers also had a good reputation for safety and pleasantness. Today they have been replaced with foreigner drivers who are unable to communicate and who drive buses like trucks and bullock carts. The transportation system in Singapore that started ahead of others will soon be finishing last in ranking within a decade’s time.
SINGAPORE WILL FINISH LAST
In every other area of Singapore one will find the same trend in the outcomes of PAP’s policies. The sad reality is that Singapore will finish last in every area within five years time and it will be far too late for Singaporeans to rectify the situation then. About 30% of Singaporeans are being PAP faithfully. Another 40% are not sure but they are afraid of change and they are also not intellectual enough to imagine beyond PAP. Hence they rather dream along the rhetoric put out to them. In fact some of this 40% want change without PAP not voted out of power. However PAP has set up a highly interlinked system where it cannot touch one single area without upsetting other areas. Hence it will only make cosmetic changes.
What is required is a major overhaul of the whole system. That reality alarms the 40% also who have no intellectual ability or confidence to see how it can be achieved. The 30% who wants to see change remain too few to see any real reforms becoming possible even though they may be loud. Singapore started ahead to Singaporeans and PAP. But it will also finish last due to Singaporeans and PAP.
ZZZzzzZZZZZZZzzzz
i deduce from your post, you trying to say singapore is an industrialised country aiming to become a 3rd world country.
i counter that you are wrong and that singapore is actually a 3rd world country trying to sink itself into the south china sea for insurance money
ZZZzzzZZZZZZZzzzz
ah girl want to sleep, you go home and sleep
You parent never teach you manner ah?
Anyhow sleep later outside, your rambutan open and eat already how?
Originally posted by PedoBear:i deduce from your post, you trying to say singapore is an industrialised country aiming to become a 3rd world country.
i counter that you are wrong and that singapore is actually a 3rd world country trying to sink itself into the south china sea for insurance money
About 30% of Singaporeans are being PAP faithfully. Another 40% are not sure but they are afraid of change and they are also not intellectual enough to imagine beyond PAP.
Hence they rather dream along the rhetoric put out to them. In fact some of this 40% want change without PAP not voted out of power.
However PAP has set up a highly interlinked system where it cannot touch one single area without upsetting other areas.
Hence it will only make cosmetic changes.
This is the present pathetic situation in Singapore, and it is sad that many are too "zwei-siao" and prefer to immobilize themselves into inaction, and wait perpetually for some imaginary circumstances - as in the "zwei-siao" idea of bidding their time for the supposed right opportunity.
Wait, while the PAP entrenched themselves further by making cosmetic changes to appease the petty demands and keep the structure intact to safeguard the PAP.
Waiting for the Messiah to turn up - which will be the last days itself.
Messiah?? what is that?? your maid?
Old aunties and uncles in the street will shout and criticise PAP, but end up voting them themselves
Young peoples like me looking for a change will look around and ask ourselves, where is the opposition, any credible ones?? Not one of them. So, using the no fish take shrimp frame, they end up voting PAP again.
You want the truth, that is the truth, but can you handle the truth. Hope you dun commit suicide when PAP wins again, by a larger Margin
angel70,
if the messiah is a maid...then u are the maid's assistant.
angel70,
u dont need to put yer vote on pap side........its legal for u to put a vote with both parties crossed out as a sign of no confidence but yer name must be there in case gov want to arrest u for not voting!
so play smart ya!:)
I will put a face on the voting paper. Spoil vote counts the most ya
Originally posted by Atobe:
This is the present pathetic situation in Singapore, and it is sad that many are too "zwei-siao" and prefer to immobilize themselves into inaction, and wait perpetually for some imaginary circumstances - as in the "zwei-siao" idea of bidding their time for the supposed right opportunity.
Wait, while the PAP entrenched themselves further by making cosmetic changes to appease the petty demands and keep the structure intact to safeguard the PAP.
Waiting for the Messiah to turn up - which will be the last days itself.
The only problem SIngaporeans have right now is that a piece of turd from turdistan wants to act like a singporean and can only whine and whine.
Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
The only problem SIngaporeans have right now is that a piece of turd from turdistan wants to act like a singporean and can only whine and whine.
Obviously, the hog understand more about whining then anyone else - to be able to hear only whine and whine - a "zwei-siao" sound that is so familiar to itself.
The handicapped intellect of a "zwei-siao-Hog" will only allow itself to be concerned with - the whining about the temperature of the turd that it loves to wallow in; its own whining about the loudness of the whines that it imagine coming from others; whining about opposition failures in politics; whining of its own impotence; whining over its unfulfilled wet dreams as a pathetic ‘mother fucker’
What more can one expect from a "zwei-siao-Hog" ?