SINGAPOREANS have what it takes to weather the current storm, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, as he made a resounding call for people to keep their chins up.
Speaking at a Chinese New Year dinner in his Tanjong Pagar ward last night, Mr Lee sought first to ease the fears of Singaporeans, and then to rally the troops for what could be a long campaign.

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Dont worry.the Gloden ERa may have eluded us but we ll still have the Goolan era where we ll live a better life than in the 60s or 70s .even without Swiss std of living our daughters or mothers dont have to work as maids or...in other countries.

majulah singapure.

For the sake of his own legacy, this old man should just learn to keep his mouth shut.

He's still going on about the 1960s and 1970s. When will he learn that things are very different now. A whole new generation, a whole new type of economy. Instead he just goes on and on about glory days gone by. And what right does he have to talk about our forefathers when he himself treated them with contempt. The sooner he leaves the national stage the better for all of us.

Just like the party he leads, he has lost touch with the ground. PAP MPs sing praises for a budget that is skewed to helping businesses that won't be so badly affected by the downturn instead of helping people that get retrenched. It totally doesn't make sense and yet they blindly support the package because it was all they could muster.

Oh and btw, thank you Mr Lee for sacking your daughter in law. Temasek invested US$5.9 billion in Merril Lynch and that investment is now only worth US$900 million. If your Division One government had utilised that money to help 2.5 million Singapore citizens in this economic slowdown, then each c itizen would have received US$2,000. But no, the government would rather see those reserves flushed down the drain. So before you tell us to keep our chins up, perhaps you should apologise to all Singaporeans for allowing your daughter in law to lose the reserves that our forefathers helped contribute to.

That's what they said... in the Great Depression...

http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials...our062001.html

To johnkew88:

You say: "For the sake of his own legacy, this old man should just learn to keep his mouth shut."

I say to you: Without this old man, you wouldn't have the luxury of venting your anger and ingratitude, using a fast, broadband Internet that you now take for granted; probably sitting in your air-conditioned office, condominium or HDB apartment, with clean running water, flush toilet; your life safe from vicious gangsters, violent criminals, kidnappers, petty and corrupt government officials and police, and racial, religious and political riots; your children or brothers and sisters enjoying the best schools other countries cannot even compare (not even the richest country in the word); your parents enjoying a healthcare system that is far from perfect but at least much better than many others; you holding on to your job because the "old man" had the wisdom and foresight to build up Singapore's foreign reserves so that there is money in the bank for a rainy day like now; with clean air and a beautifully green environment that you don't appreciate.

Because none of these things were in existence in the "glory days gone by" because they were NOT "glory days".

And he has EVERY RIGHT, much more than you, to talk about your fathers and forefathers because many of them were illiterate, uneducated, parochial, small-minded, unable to see the way forward as a society, spitting on the roads, throwing rubbish onto the streets, urinating in the bushes, thinking only of every man for himself. He had to, like a strict father, cajole them, persuade them, praise them, argue with them, scold them, even jail them (especially Communists and rioters), and reward them.

Even if we accept your words that his "daughter in law" was "sacked", at least he has the righteousness to sack his own family member. Look around you - which country leader would do this to his/her own family?

As for the losses, hind sight is 20/20. Are you are so insightful yourself? Do you make perfect judgments all the time? If not, your slate is not clean. She has been made to pay, by your statement, by being "sacked".

If anyone should shut his mouth, I believe it should be YOU!

Lee Kuan Yew's comments on the state of Singapore's economy are more than just a rallying cry. This elderly statesman should go down as the man of of the 20th Century and also inspiring for his advice for the 21st.

The policies and leadership of Lee Kuan yew and his Successors ensure that Singapore Society has an unequalled safety net against the ravages of the outside World. Of course, the institutions created since the British left have made this much of this possible and coupled with enterprise, hard work, honesty and caring for others, Singapore will remain the Country others will look to measure up to for their own futures.

This "old man" as one of your correspondents describes him is amazing. The World needs Lee Kuan Yew to live forever for all our sakes!

Dennis Harvey UK

To Johnkew88,

Pls refrain from commenting on a subject which you know nothing abt. If it is anybody to shut his/her mouth, it should be the ungrateful you!

What have you done for the country so far? Did you take it into what it is known today? Did you even experience any of the hardships that the country and people experienced during the early 1960s and 70s? It is so easily to just sit back and criticize in the comforts of your air-condition room. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and come up with insightful suggestions on how to bring the country out of the recession.

Of course, we'll survive the recession. We'll all go back to becoming fishermen, farmers and traders again, just like our ancestors. Nothing wrong with that. We had billions once upon a time, so it was good while it lasted. That money's all gone now. Oh well, easy come, easy go. Thanks for the ride, Mr Lee.

Those of you who slammed the 'old man', just ask what the hell you think would have happened to RD if we did not have such a sharp, strong willed and selfless leader in the half a century? I think RD today will be about as important as Ipoh or at most Penang in Malaysia. Most doubtful we will be punching so much above our weight in the world as were are capable of today.

I also think our friend up north will be sniggering (no, laughing until the drop dead) at us every minute.. instead of us sitting back and enjoying a wayang unfold every now and then. Or enjoy the red shirt vs yellow shirt kickboxing match further up north.

Its alright if you guys don't understand how the people in the 60s and 70s had to struggle. But it is very bad when you don't understand the value of daring to grit one's teeth and just fighting on when faced with adversity or demean it.

Johnkew88

If you are for real (and not an institutional plant to instigate comments or to test public response), I suggest you surround yourself with some friends and cheer up, for your own sake.

MM's message is a reminder. In down times, that's a smart thing to do. While many may be hurting presently, this is relative and that needs to be kept in perspective.

Hope is crucial to foster because it encourages positive action - something that takes effort and is not natural. Inadvisable things to in a slump are to become withdrawn, feel sorry for oneself, to propagate despair and to participate in unproductive blame-mongering.