[Blasterlord2]

https://theindependent.sg/nus-prof-ben-l...ally-here/

Singapore — In an essay published on Sept 21 on medium.com, NUS Professor Ben Leong wrote that he had been “deeply troubled” by last week’s lengthy debate in Parliament, and therefore, despite his heavy workload, he decided to weigh in on the issues at hand.

Prof Leong likened the strategy he believes used by Progress Singapore Party’s Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai with that of former US President Donald Trump, in a section of his essay entitled “Our Very Own Trump is Finally Here.”

“My assessment is that while the PAP might have ‘won; the debate, they actually lost the war. The PSP did not go to Parliament to win the debate. PSP went in there to get martyred. Seems to be that the PSP is following the Trump/Brexit playbook and they are actually pulling it off. Read the damn comments online! :-(,” wrote Prof Leong.

During the debate, the PSP NCMP was subjected to relentless questioning by Law Minister K Shanmugam, which left Mr Leong flustered at times. Additionally, in a hot mic moment, he was described by a PAP minister as “illiterate,” which drew an apology from Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan the next day.

“I was not offended by Vivian Balakrishnan’s comment,” wrote Prof Leong. “Instead, I was rather amused and sympathetic. I might have asked myself the same question if I had to sit through a 10-hour circus.”

However, he points out that Mr Leong has gained considerable sympathy online, since some perceived that he was bullied in Parliament last week.

“Let me say this v bluntly: LMW doesn’t do his homework and cannot even talk properly. Do we need to have whole house full of PAP MPs to take turns to hammer him? Did people find it entertaining? I found it painful and cringeworthy….

In this instance, I believe that the PAP has very severely under-estimated its political opponents. It is surprising that I have to say this given the number of generals the PAP has in Parliament, but not every political opponent will look like Chiam See Tong, Low Thia Khiang or Pritam Singh. Mutations can happen. It has happened.”

However, Prof Leong does not disagree with the point PSP was making, even as he decried how this point was being made.

“I hate fake news and what upsets me about PSP is their insistence on pedaling fake news à la Trump,” he wrote, adding, “While there are provisions under CECA for the transfer for manpower, the numbers of Indian nationals under those provisions is only about 500 a year and effectively negligible. Let’s all acknowledge this and put a stop to further misinformation about CECA.

What the PSP has done in Parliament is to distract the PAP by having it spend 10 hours trying to prove PSP wrong on CECA. The coup de grâce was to exasperate Vivian until he made a Freudian slip, and then had to publicly apologize. Genius.”

PROF LEONG ALSO WROTE THAT “WHAT PAP SHOULD HAVE DONE IS TO SIMPLY REITERATE THE FACTS BUT THEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE REALLY HAVE DO HAVE A PROBLEM…THAT THERE ARE SOME QUARTERS IN SINGAPORE WHO FEEL THAT THERE ARE TOO MANY INDIAN NATIONALS WORKING IN SINGAPORE.”

At the end of his essay, Prof Leong, who underlined that the views expressed in the piece are his and not those of NUS, asked PSP to stop using the tactics it has thus far employed.

“I would like to make a personal appeal to the PSP to abandon this strategy. While winning is important in politics, it cannot be winning at all costs. PSP’s current trajectory will lead to significant polarization. We have seen from the examples of other countries that this cannot be good for Singapore.”

He also believes that there is no need for Parliamentary debates to be so acrimonious.

“Allow me to also remind the PAP that LKY is dead. J. B. Jeyaretnam is also dead. Why is there is a need for us to have such an adversarial Parliament? Why is there the need to have a whole house full of PAP MPs all take turns to run down this one lone Opposition NCMP? Where is the honour in that? Can we all work towards a more gracious Parliament where people compete to better articulate the concerns of the rakyat, so that people can feel heard?”

[Ernesto]

We have a lot of professors just to be an audience collecting easy money . None stand out with any ideas of helping the country and solution to it. Any comments from all these elites is just a nuisance.
what is the meaning of 同胞 to them?
Contempt your 同胞 who fought for your 同胞? If many become like this , this country is the process of doomed.

[Ola]

lj talk

plenty of ljs like him

around 40%

all got a cbai mouth

YOU?

See your own CCBAI ham kar- chan comments  from your ass like your wife's daily prostitution for men at the door. 

Your brain is worse than rotting LJ  and no one is worse than you. 

Even your chee-ma- kan daughter will soon mati with long pain suffering death to pay your evil debts.

Your KNN  CCBAI  sister in Malaysia will die of stricken cancer to add to your bad genes.

Your parents in the grave are wallowing and burning in hell for a Devil like you.

[puntfast2]

Potential PAP candidate!

[Gemstar]

YOU?

See your own CCBAI ham kar- chan comments  from your ass like your wife's daily prostitution for men at the door. 

Your brain is worse than rotting LJ  and no one is worse than you. 

Even your chee-ma- kan daughter will soon mati with long pain suffering death to pay your evil debts.

Your KNN  CCBAI  sister in Malaysia will die of stricken cancer to add to your bad genes.

Your parents in the grave are wallowing and burning in hell for a Devil like you.

Bro, cool down and stay calm. . No need to so flare-up. Is not right to curse family members.

[Ola]

Bro, cool down and stay calm. . No need to so flare-up. Is not right to curse family members.

Whatever I say, does not bother him at all. I am sure he puts me in his Ignore list.

He can choose to use vulgarities and I also can choose to curse his family.

He made the choice himself. I did not point a knife at him.

[sgbuffett]

This Prof Ben Leong does not know what he is talking about

If you see Trump you will know his behavior is to bully, mock and falsely accused others. PAP is like Trump and did all that.

It was the PSP who stuck to the facts. It was PSP who stuck to the economic arguments not personal attacks and mockery. PAP should be ashamed ....

PAP rejected WP motion for proactive provision of data.

This is Leong Mun Wai summing up the PSP position.

Leong said "I came to this house to respond to a challenge by Minister Shanmugam  ..." He not only challenged but won on the basis of facts and logic...PAP tried their level best to bully him with their numbers many against 1.

But after 10hours of debate Leong can hold his head up high and close the debate with a clarity that is missing in PAP's muddled arguments.

If you haven't watch his closing plse see it here.....it was not shown on govt controlled TV:
.

To professor Ben Leong...plse .get your facts and logic right you don't seem intelligent from what you say..

[RiseofAsia]

This Prof Ben Leong does not know what he is talking about

If you see Trump you will know his behavior is to bully, mock and falsely accused others. PAP is like Trump and did all that.

It was the PSP who stuck to the facts. It was PSP who stuck to the economic arguments not personal attacks and mockery. PAP should be ashamed ....

PAP rejected WP motion for proactive provision of data.

This is Leong Mun Wai summing up the PSP position.

Leong said "I came to this house to respond to a challenge by Minister Shanmugam  ..." He not only challenged but won on the basis of facts and logic...PAP tried their level best to bully him with their numbers many against 1.

But after 10hours of debate Leong can hold his head up high and close the debate with a clarity that is missing in PAP's muddled arguments.

If you haven't watch his closing plse see it here.....it was not shown on govt controlled TV:
.

To professor Ben Leong...plse .get your facts and logic right you don't seem intelligent from what you say..

No proper data has been disclosing , how to get the fact right?
What homework he want LMW to do?
He is only a NMCP getting low salary..

This prof is really a joker?

[sgbuffett]

No proper data has been disclosing , how to get the fact right?
What homework he want LMW to do?

This prof is really a joker?

This professor is from NUS computer science graduated from MIT.

But his economics knowledge cannot make it.

[RiseofAsia]

This professor is from NUS computer science graduated from MIT.

But his economics knowledge cannot make it.

Not Havard, Haiyaa....
Still 1 class lower...

Have you heard of this prof?

[mikotan]

there's no need to debate. one just need to go expo station in morning and evening, will know who is right or wrong.

[Ola]

This professor is from NUS computer science graduated from MIT.

But his economics knowledge cannot make it.

Sounds like another idiot. Prof so what? 

The full data and reports are churned out by Ministries and Stat Board. Does the idiot even not know that Opposition has no access to it? 

Even the useless JoTeo failed to use data to analyze the job situation for 6 years. She just sit and lay eggs. 

I have come across big labels but LJ brain because knowledge and reality are on both sides of the pole.

Just like hiring CCBAI to talk in Parliament that means cream of the crop? 

Hell No!

[Blasterlord2]

Not Havard, Haiyaa....
Still 1 class lower...

Have you heard of this prof?

I knew him from very long ago. He's known for looking down even on his fellow schoolmates. Low EQ and egoistic.

[sgbuffett]

I knew him from very long ago. He's known for looking down even on his fellow schoolmates. Low EQ and egoistic.

I met him.before he seems to be a nice guy.

[RiseofAsia]

I met him.before he seems to be a nice guy.

Your intelligence outdated.
人是会变得的。

[Symmetry]

Wasn't it Shanmugam who invited him to debate about CECA? So, it seems like it is an excuse to run him down.

Using Parliament for his personal reasons is very childish. I am shocked that our PM even allow it.

Singapore Parliament is abused by PaP Ministers.

[Gemstar]

This professor is from NUS computer science graduated from MIT.

But his economics knowledge cannot make it.

The comments from this professor are very despicable. The way he put it is like an uneducated person talking. Very demeaning in character.

[Ola]

The comments from this professor are very despicable. The way he put it is like an uneducated person talking. Very demeaning in character.

PAP Ministers are behaving like Trump.

Time to vote them out.

[debono]

PAP Ministers are behaving like Trump.

Time to vote them out.

You need to wait for another 4 years for that to happen.

[whylah]

The comments from this professor are very despicable. The way he put it is like an uneducated person talking. Very demeaning in character.

i also think so. probably arrowed to do so. these people got no soul.

[debono]

i also think so. probably arrowed to do so. these people got no soul.

This prof. is under govt.'s payroll, therefore he needs to defend the ministers of the PAP ....

[Gemstar]

This prof. is under govt.'s payroll, therefore he needs to defend the ministers of the PAP ....

This is very obvious.  The water that he drinks and foods that he eat, all these comes from his master and so must always tail-gate his master back.  But, he lost his senses that it is actually the tax-payers that are feeding him. All his demeaning words are actually very insulting to all the tax-payers.

[debono]

This is very obvious.  The water that he drinks and foods that he eat, all these comes from his master and so must always tail-gate his master back.  But, he lost his senses that it is actually the tax-payers that are feeding him.  All his unduly words are actually very insulting to all the tax-payers.

The prof. must make good his stance. LMW is what we need in parliament to debate on the policies crafted by the PAP ministers...

[Blasterlord2]

A number of points Ben got wrong and I shall debunk him one by one.

“Let me say this v bluntly: LMW doesn’t do his homework and cannot even talk properly. Do we need to have whole house full of PAP MPs to take turns to hammer him? Did people find it entertaining? I found it painful and cringeworthy….

Although LMW is not exactly a good orator, he articulated his opinions very clear. And why should Ben look down on someone doesn't talk like a lawyer. Does it make him less worthy as a parliamentarian? He may find it painful to watch but actually it's worse for LMW because he had to deal those who spoke against him in much greater number. Ben's tone is that of condescending and egoistic. I doubt he'll perform better than LMW under such circumstances.

“I hate fake news and what upsets me about PSP is their insistence on pedaling fake news à la Trump,” he wrote, adding, “While there are provisions under CECA for the transfer for manpower, the numbers of Indian nationals under those provisions is only about 500 a year and effectively negligible. Let’s all acknowledge this and put a stop to further misinformation about CECA.

Ben may be good with numbers but he's naive. He believes in only 500 and nothing else? Come on, there're ways to circumvent this.

What the PSP has done in Parliament is to distract the PAP by having it spend 10 hours trying to prove PSP wrong on CECA. The coup de grâce was to exasperate Vivian until he made a Freudian slip, and then had to publicly apologize. Genius.

How does LMW know that Vivian and anyone else will make such a gaff? Ben thinks that LMW purposely set such a trap because LMW can think ahead? Ben is quite stupid to say this.

To spend 10 hours in the parliament is actually more tiring to LMW than all the ministers and MPs there. And LMW tired himself to distract others, or others taking turn one by one to distract him with nonsensical replies? Many of us know which is which.

As I've said, Ben is a snobbish chap since donkey years ago. I know him when we were both students and know him now again from his blogs. He thought that because he can do well in exams means that he's a genius but in reality he's just a naive fella with very shallow thinking.

[mikotan]

poor thing LMW speaking up for locals for 10hrs, while the elected MPs can sleep.

[Gemstar]

A number of points Ben got wrong and I shall debunk him one by one.




Although LMW is not exactly a good orator, he articulated his opinions very clear. And why should Ben look down on someone doesn't talk like a lawyer. Does it make him less worthy as a parliamentarian? He may find it painful to watch but actually it's worse for LMW because he had to deal those who spoke against him in much greater number. Ben's tone is that of condescending and egoistic. I doubt he'll perform better than LMW under such circumstances.




Ben may be good with numbers but he's naive. He believes in only 500 and nothing else? Come on, there're ways to circumvent this.




How does LMW know that Vivian and anyone else will make such a gaff? Ben thinks that LMW purposely set such a trap because LMW can think ahead? Ben is quite stupid to say this.

To spend 10 hours in the parliament is actually more tiring to LMW than all the ministers and MPs there. And LMW tired himself to distract others, or others taking turn one by one to distract him with nonsensical replies? Many of us know which is which.

As I've said, Ben is a snobbish chap since donkey years ago. I know him when we were both students and know him now again from his blogs. He thought that because he can do well in exams means that he's a genius but in reality he's just a naive fella with very shallow thinking.

Bro, you hit all the right points and the weakness of this demeaning professor.  High education does not necessarily make a man when a person don't talk sense.  Instead, it makes him looks more stupid.

[dynamite]

If you watched a show where a pencil neck is repeatedly beaten up by a bunch of bullies, after a while you will secretly hope the weakling will train up and later punished the bullies back. That is the strategy of PSP.

[Ola]

Bro, you hit all the right points and the weakness of this demeaning professor.  High education does not necessarily make a man when a person don't talk sense.  Instead, it makes him looks more stupid.

YEP.

Academically inclined, so what?

Score well in A' levels like JoTeo, so what?

Did well in exams lik Chan CS, so what?


Stupidity of PAP has been seen several dozens of times. 

[Blasterlord2]

This is the problem with the scholarship system. The scholars get automatic promotion, stay in their cushioned jobs for years and then think that outside world is all rosy, that when people did not succeed it's all their fault. Exactly what Prof Michael Sandel has mentioned.

Ben after getting his phd, was with the civil service before jumping to the academic world. He has never dealt with real life problems. In fact, I dare say that no one will engage him for his technical expertise since he's a theorist with very little real world problem solving skills.

We need to get different types of people esp those with real world experience into the government.

[Ola]

This is the problem with the scholarship system. The scholars get automatic promotion, stay in their cushioned jobs for years and then think that outside world is all rosy, that when people did not succeed it's all their fault. Exactly what Prof Michael Sandel has mentioned.

Ben after getting his phd, was with the civil service before jumping to the academic world. He has never dealt with real life problems. In fact, I dare say that no one will engage him for his technical expertise since he's a theorist with very little real world problem solving skills.

We need to get different types of people esp those with real world experience into the government.

PAP is still using Imperial China education system to filter out people. That 1,000 Year-old ideology no longer can be fully be utilized in this era.  This is called cheesy pick- up lines where meritocracy only base on education.

For the past 6 YEARS, PAP has been lying that SkillsFuture courses build skills. But it does NOT. Without jobs, it cannot build skills. 

That is why 200,000 HR and MOE employees all laugh behind PAP. And YES, you hit the right note and there is a word use to describe this gap that the public use to laugh at PAP.