By: Chee Soon Juan
The recent displays of ‘ordinariness’ by the PM and Mdm Ho Ching – his ride in India on a chartered bus rather than a motorcade and her adornment of non-designer handbags – are laudable in and of themselves.
But these public displays are distractions from severe problems that our nation faces, problems that Mr and Mrs Lee must address – for example, the lack of a coherent and viable plan to overcome our protracted economic downward spiral.
Another example is PAP’s continued neglect of our elderly and poor as the SDP has pointed out over the decades and echoed by the United Nations last week.
There are also the inescapable issues of transparency, accountability and conflicts of interest that plague Temasek Holdings, for example, its exposure in to the precarious situation in China – we are the biggest foreign investor there.
How much have we put in the country? In what industries are the funds parked? Are they secure given the deteriorating diplomatic situation over the South China Sea, not to mention the alarming debt levels in the country? How are decisions made and who is accountable? How is the leadership within Temasek appointed, etc?
These are the questions that thinking Singaporeans want answered, not the once-in-a-while overt displays of financial modesty when we know Mr and Mrs Lee are millionaires many times over.