SURFING IN THE POLITICAL SEA

Was googling for JBJ and chance upon anyhowhamtam's tribute of the man.  There were some rather interesting anecdotes than comes refreshing to me.

Was pondering over the incident of Hri Kumar's open dialogue on CPF that caused a ruckus online, what LKY said years ago surfaces.  LKY said he is going to throw them (new MPs and ministers) into the sea and let them swim, and this was in conjunction of an earlier statement that he made wanting to sit back and watch how they click..

Putting anyhowhamtam's anecdotes and this together, it dawns upon me that indeed over the years there weren't that many occasions that PAP's MPs had to struggle in the sea of real politics.  Not until now.  Challenges to the government's day to day operations aplenty, Michael Faye,  Asian financial meltdown, SARS, Global financial crisis and others.

So when I thought about Hri Kumar, I thought these days we do have some some very great waves to better our surfing skills. When to go against the tide, when to let loose with the flow, when to be fierce and when to smile.

I've been waiting for decades to see how PAP MPs swim with the sharks, and I feel blessed to be able to see it happens before I get too tired for politics.  As a spectator, I too get to enjoy the ripples and splashes and have my fair share of fun analyzing the game like a good football fan this season.

What is now happening.....Roy Ngerng vs Pm on CPF, Catherine Lim's lost trust, Hri Kumar's dialogue auntyt, Nicole Seah's middle road statement, and I bet more will emerged are all good for Singapore, and the PAP as well.

PAP already possesses the administrative and executive expertise that no oppositions has. There are a number of likeable faces among its ranks like DPM Tharman, Tan Chuan Jin, Heng Swee Kiat, and of course PM himself are all excellent in the game of charm offensive.  What is short are skillful warriors with the ability to understand terrain and warfare.  Hri Kumar being the visibly first.

In the opposition camp, they are supposed to be better in street politics but there weren't that many super politicians in reality.  Chee soon Juan, Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim, Nicole Seah, and if you may also want to add Roy Ngerng to the list.  Some may not have surfaced yet, but what we have seen so far are more disappointment than excitement.

Singaporeans, we are in an exciting era of politics, and eventually we will all be inside the sea, like it or not.  That is the arrival of a mature state of the nation after almost 50 years of plain sailing.