Why Nigiam's retracted statement is actually more condemning than the original

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Note that nothing is said to clarify what Ngiam meant, when he made those statements. All that's reported is that he made those statements which now he feels is "unfair" because he retired in 1999, and never got to see a cabinet meeting chaired by current PM Lee.

Now that's an even more politically loaded statement than the first statement he retracted! He really hasn't denied anything really. In fact, he's confirming what he said. That is, highly paid ministers hold back because of the high pay!

What he is saying now is that the statements he made is unfair to the team of ministers PM Lee heads today, BECAUSE he retired in 1999 and never got to see a cabinet meeting chaired by PM Lee.

He has NOT denied the fact that ministers do not speak up because of their high pay. After all, BEFORE his retirement, he DID see how cabinet meetings were held. Wasn't it from here that he concluded that ministers' high pay was the hurdle to them speaking up to the PM?

If at all, his statement implies that since it would be unfair to comment on cabinet meetings chaired by PM Lee after 1999 because he was not around, his statement on ministers before his retirement is totally fair because he was around.

In essence, his main point, ie high pay will cause the ministers to hold back, is still very valid and fair. It really doesn't matter he is not present to witness such today. He did all that before he retired.

PM Lee thought he twisted Ngiam's arm well enough. Obviously he didn't twist it far enough to make Ngiam make a full 100% explicit denial that highly paid ministers equals ministers who won't speak up.

- http://wherebearsroamfree.blogspot.s...tractment.html


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