17 Aug 2011
By: Patrick Low
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong deserves praise for a masterful National Day Rally speech on Sunday.
I was riveted by the way he took responsibility for policies which affected his party’s showing in the May General Election.
He was sincere, treading the delicate line between humility and – when his government’s policies were in his view correct – justifiable pride.
Instead of rancour or rebuke, we saw and heard humour and wit as he urged for unity in these uncertain times.
The absence of Mr Lee Kuan Yew for the first time in the younger Lee’s seven annual rally speeches, also shows that the Prime Minister is in charge.
And if there is a message underscoring his anecdotes of the experiences of ordinary citizens, it is that we should turn away from our culture of complaining.
I recently broke my right arm up in the mountains of Malaysia. The Malaysian surgeon who operated on me took seven hours but I still did not feel right.
When I reached home, I consulted a hand specialist at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) who put my fears completely to rest by suggesting an additional procedure.
And where was she from, this hand doctor? Originally, a Malaysian, from Penang.
On Monday, I consulted the top spine surgeon at SGH as well, and he too was once a Malaysian.
Without welcoming these foreign talent, Singapore would be poorer for it, certainly.
To be sure, there are matters that require improvement, especially for the elderly:
- Scrap the levy for hiring maids to look after the aged sick and reduce the financial burden on their retired children. Make it easier for children to avoid housing their aged parents in welfare homes.
- Let seniors use Medisave for expensive outpatient procedures like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans and blood tests for non-cancer-related illnesses.The current cap is low for such expensive tests.
- Accelerate the employment of seniors, many of whom are graduates. Set up a placement agency to achieve this.
Mr Lee is not his father. His milder, gentler touch is an example for his younger colleagues and the Government to communicate with a younger, different Singapore.
I wish the Prime Minister luck, stamina and perseverance.
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