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TOP OF THE NEWS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014
Can PAP stay dominant?
A daunting task, says Ho
‘Freak election’, party split, or defeat
by opposition possible scenarios
By THAM YUEN-C
SINGAPORE’S best days are still
ahead of it but, in contemplating
its next 50 years, a key question
to ponder is whether the ruling
party will stay dominant, said
leading public intellectual Ho
Kwon Ping yesterday.
The People’s Action Party
(PAP), which has been in uninterrupted power for 56 years, has accomplished two major feats where
many others have failed, he said.
First, it has produced consistent economic growth with broadbased gains for its entire people,
and second – even harder – it has
maintained exemplary, transparent governance with an entrenched ethos of incorruptibility.
“Its third challenge is not to
just remain in power, nor to maintain its one-party dominance and
deny the opposition its self-de-
scribed role as a ‘co-driver’ of the
nation, but to do so in a manner
which ensures that the party truly
renews itself and retains its original vitality, vibrancy and vigour,”
said Mr Ho in the first lecture of
the Institute of Policy Studies
(IPS)-Nathan lecture series on
Singapore’s public policy.
But will it be able to do so,
asked the businessman as he
sketched out three basic possibilities.
First, an accidental or freak
election that throws out the PAP.
Second, a split within the PAP resulting in a loss to an opposition
party which might not otherwise
be stronger than a united PAP.
And third, an anticipated, outright loss to an opposition party.
“I would rate the first possibility – a freak election – as having
the highest chance, followed by
an internal split, and the least like-
ly is an outright, widely predicted
loss,” he said.
In all likelihood, it would be an
interplay of these scenarios, he
added.
While he did not think the PAP
would lose its dominance in the
next 15 years, it could happen further down the road, he said.
Only one other democratically
elected ruling party, Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party,
had ruled continuously for a longer time than the PAP’s 56 years,
said Mr Ho.
Pointing out that a change of
power can happen only when people believe an opposition party
can govern, Mr Ho noted that recent elections had established the
credibility of some opposition parties as “serious-minded, competent and constructive”.
Mr Ho, who was giving the talk
as the first S R Nathan Fellow – a
title given to honour the former
president’s contributions – predicted that the journey towards socio-political and cultural maturity
would define Singapore’s next
two decades. In yesterday’s first
of five lectures, he said: “In the
history of young nations, this is
the most precarious period of transition, when new generations who
have not the slightest personal
memories of or connections to the
founding generation, take on the
mantle of leadership.”
Noting that Singapore was at a
“watershed moment in history”,
where “economic progress must
now be matched by a more holistic maturation in other spheres of
life”, Mr Ho urged the younger
generation to grasp the nettle and
define how society should develop.
The one-time rebel and political detainee also said that this evolution would not be tension-free.
How the younger generation approached this task would determine if the country was “fated to
either decline through thoughtless
hubris, or flounder in equally
thoughtless self-doubts and anxiety”, he said.
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쐽 SEE OPINION A21
ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
Mr Ho Kwon Ping on the future of the PAP:
Political leaders who practise ‘servant leadership’ would be respected
NO MATTER how political
leaders are chosen, it is how
sincerely they treat people that
will determine if they have
legitimacy, said businessman
Ho Kwon Ping yesterday.
He said this in response to a
question about what defined
political legitimacy in
Singapore.
At a dialogue after delivering
his first lecture as part of the
Institute of Policy Studies
(IPS)-Nathan lecture series, Mr
Ho said political leaders who
truly practised “servant
leadership” would be respected
by people.
“Legitimacy is when people
recognise that the leaders who
are there... are doing it for the
sake of the people they are
supposed to lead... it is
conferred upon leaders whom
people see are truly acting in
their best interest,” he said.
During the dialogue, he was
also asked about the possibility
of a “super freak election”.
The session’s moderator, IPS
director Janadas Devan, had
asked if Mr Ho thought an
opposition party could win one
election and suddenly find itself
the majority in Parliament,
controlling as many as the 80
seats that the People’s Action
Party (PAP) had now.
In response, Mr Ho said such
a scenario was unlikely. He
added that he did not think any
opposition party would want
such a situation.
“I don’t think the Workers’
Party (WP) itself would like to
have a situation where suddenly
it has 80 seats in Parliament
because it’s probably going to
be voted out in subsequent
elections,” he said.
Currently, the WP has seven
elected MPs and two
Non-Constituency MPs.
He quipped: “I don’t know to
what extent this super freak
scenario is going to frighten
Singaporeans to not vote for
(the opposition).”
On whether the PAP would
accept such an election result if
it happened, or there would be
an “unprecedented military
takeover”, he said he believed
the PAP would honour the
results. Noting that it “plays by
the rules, although it may push
it a little bit”, he said: “They
would recognise that losing one
election and biding time to win
again is quite easily achievable,
but disallowing the democratic
process from proceeding is
going to destroy Singapore.”
Asked how he thought the
PAP would do in the next
election, he said that it was
hard to tell.
But there was a segment of
Singaporeans for whom the
desire for an alternative voice in
Parliament is strong.
“I have not met anyone who
voiced out that they hope to see
a change in government, but I
have met people who told me
that no matter how much the
Government has done, they will
still vote opposition because
they believe in entrenching an
opposition (in Parliament),” he
said.
THAM YUEN-C
Historical trends elsewhere point towards an election
loss by the PAP in the second half of the next 50 years.
Or to put it another way, it would be extraordinary if
that did not happen.
On why the PAP could lose an election:
There are three basic possibilities: first, an accidental
or freak election. Second, a split within the PAP resulting
in a loss to an opposition party which might not
otherwise be stronger than a united PAP. And third, an
anticipated, outright loss to an opposition party... I would
rate the first possibility – a freak election – as having
the highest chance.
On his takeaway for Singapore:
First, that 50 years is a long enough time for a people to
create wonders and so we should see the next 50 years
with an excitement towards what Singapore can yet
become, and with a child-like amazement at each
unfolding opportunity. And second, that openness,
tolerance and diversity, whilst also bringing their own
risks, are the essential ingredients for greatness – a goal
not beyond our collective grasp.
Young’s DIY approach ‘can propel Singapore’s progress’
By NUR ASYIQIN
MOHAMAD SALLEH
THEIR forefathers helped Singapore make the leap from Third
World to First World. Now, it is
up to the younger generation to
keep the momentum going over
the next 50 years, said businessman Ho Kwon Ping.
He is, however, hopeful that
young Singaporeans, with their
boundless optimism, are up to the
task. Their sense of self-agency –
acting to bring about the change
they want – sets them apart from
his generation.
He said: “What unites them all
is the immediacy of self-agency;
not waiting around for somebody
else to do something you think is
needed, but doing it yourself.”
Mr Ho made the point when he
wrapped up his lecture as an S R
Nathan fellow yesterday, passing
the baton to the young while calling on them to help the country
progress beyond economics.
The younger generation’s
“do-it-yourself” approach, he
said, could spark the return of the
“participatory democracy” that
thrived in Singapore’s early years
before what he described as its surrender to a period of developmental authoritarianism.
When it comes to politics, the
young are looking towards loftier
ideals, like championing civil society causes, he said, pointing to
the mass reading event staged this
year to protest against the National Library Board’s decision to remove a book with same-sex content. “Whereas in my generation,
the Government and the PAP
were always the reference point
around which all discussion revolved, whether positive or critical, today’s young people seem to
be bored by too much purely political discussion,” said Mr Ho.
“They want to move on, to talk
about: What next?”
The young, he added, are not
content with a top-down approach, recognising that they
have a role to play in building
Singapore’s future from the
ground up. “They regard the Government and the PAP as a matter
of fact – not a saviour, not a tyrant, but somewhat like a parent
who is respected but who must be
grown out of,” said Mr Ho.
“And clearly, a paternalistic political culture is not going to excite, much less retain, the loyalty
of younger Singaporeans.”
As Singapore changes, politicians across party lines will find
the country a greater challenge to
govern. Mr Ho identified some
key trends that would make it an
uphill task, such as the struggle to
hold the political centre together
in the face of polarising extremes,
and social media eroding the
Government’s ability to control information.
The diminishing status of political leaders will also pose a challenge, he said. “Future leaders
simply cannot command sufficient respect and moral authority
to decree what is acceptable and
unacceptable criticism.”
But he cautioned that political
power being shared among competing groups could give rise to
“non-constructive” politics.
A political culture of mutual respect must, therefore, be established to prevent political discourse from descending into “theatrical farces” seen in Hong Kong
and Taiwan, he added.
In his lecture, Mr Ho also pointed out that the civil service –
which has known only “one political master in 50 years” – would
need to learn to stand on its own.
“With more electoral volatility
in the future, it is imperative that
the civil service work harder to develop its own sense of self, its
own ethos and values,” he said.
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It’s a done deal – roast meat joint
sold for $4m to conglomerate
By EUNICE QUEK
Madam Betty Kong with (from left) Aztech Group’s Mr Jeremy Mun and Mr Michael Mun, a long-time Kay Lee customer. The
company paid $500,000 more than the original asking price of $3.5 million for the roast meat joint. ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
KAY LEE Roast Meat Joint has
been sold for $4 million to conglomerate
Aztech
Group,
21/2 years after the 32-year-old
roast meat institution in Upper
Paya Lebar Road was put up for
sale.
Publicly listed Aztech, with diverse businesses in electronics,
LED lighting and marine logistics,
paid $500,000 more than the original asking price of $3.5 million.
Madam Betty Kong, 68, who
owns Kay Lee with her husband
Ha Wai Kay, 64, said the price
went up because the value of the
freehold, 1,313 sq ft shop space
had increased.
When they first put the premises and recipes up for sale, they received some 70 offers but none of
them met the asking price.
The shop attracts queues and
turns in a four-figure daily profit.
She told The Straits Times last
night: “They were very sincere
and met our asking price. We
wanted the name to continue successfully and I will support them.
When I’m 90 years old, Kay Lee
will still be here.”
Mr Jeremy Mun, 39, Aztech’s
senior vice-president of marketing, said his father, Mr Michael
Mun, 64, the company’s group
chief executive, has been a longtime customer.
The younger Mr Mun said:
“It’s not about making money,
it’s about preserving a heritage
brand because a lot of good food
has disappeared. So we want to extend the life of Kay Lee and also
expand the business.”
So the company approached
the couple in August and the deal
was completed on Sept 18. The
newly set up Kay Lee Pte Ltd will
be a subsidiary of Aztech and it
will take over operations on
Nov 18.
The couple will continue to
work at the flagship outlet, but it
is not known how long they will
stay.
Madam Kong, whose two children do not want to continue the
business, said: “I will still be there
because I have customers who
look for me at the stall. If I’m not
there, they think the flavour is not
the same.”
The roast meat business that
she and her husband built from
scratch will expand beyond their
dreams. Aztech plans to open at
least 10 casual restaurants under
the Kay Lee name, mostly in heartland malls, in the next two years.
The first is expected to open early
next year .
The younger Mr Mun said the
company had been looking to expand its food business.
“Even in bad times, people still
have to eat,” he said.
Aztech has a subsidiary called
Shiro Corporation, which sells
wines and distributes canned and
frozen food, but this is its first foray into restaurants.
The company has hired chefs
to learn how to roast the meat using Guangzhou-style recipes that
Mr Ha’s father developed in the
1950s. It will retain Kay Lee’s
staff and use its current suppliers.
By the end of the year, the company will also open a central kitchen.
Mr Mun does not rule out taking the Kay Lee brand to countries
in the region and even China.
“After all, the recipes technically came from Guangzhou,” he
said.
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