Are our "leaders" really leaders?

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

1. Do I want to be ruled or represented?

A “ruler” is someone who tells the voters what they want even though they don’t know this. The “ruler” usually needs to make “hard decisions” and the reason why these decisions are “hard” is because usually they end up penalizing the people and benefiting some other group e.g. big business. The representative on the other hand, is some one who is of the people so his decision process is much closer to what the people would do and which people would not vote for their own benefit? The ruler has no need to base his decision on the will of the people, the representative does if not there will be a new representative come the next elections.

2. Do I want leaders to lead?

Leadership should never be about giving commands from the rear. Leaders should lead by example. Take for example, when leaders tell those they lead to not be too fussy and take a lower pay, whilst they are rewarding themselves the highest salaries in the world, that is not leadership by example. Leadership by example would be for them to take token salaries until the issue is solved. Don’t forget one thing. Most leaders are much better off than the average voter, so they are much less effected by taking a pay cut.

3. Do I want leaders to keep their promises?

Leaders must be trustworthy and are held to an even higher standard of morality than we hold ourselves. So when a leader or past leaders give their word on something, for example, returning you money the government borrowed from you, and then reneges on it, no matter what the reason for reneging on their word, is that being “trustworthy”? Even if there are over-riding reasons, it is the responsibility of the government to explain and give choices to those the promises were made to. Any person or government who can break his/their word on one promise can break his word on others.

4. Do I want leaders to be compassionate?

Compassion is a principle that guides our actions and influences the decisions we make. Compassionate leaders should care more for those least able to fend for themselves than those regarded as the cream of society. Take for example, a Minimum Wage, no matter what its implications, speaks of caring for the lot of those who make a minimum wage. Yet Singapore has a minimum wage for the highest paid ministers in the world but not a minimum wage for the lowest paid in Singapore.

5. Do I want leaders to be materialistic?A materialistic person will make decisions based on how it benefits him. One is not materialistic “for the good of Singapore”, one is only materialistic for oneself so a materialistic person cannot naturally make selfless decisions. Materialism and selflessness are opposite faces of the coin. Populating an entire cabinet with self-confessed materialistic people who “If the balance is tilted further in the future, it will make it harder for any one considering political office.” is wholeheartedly supporting that Gordon Gecko mantra that “Greed is Good”.

6. Do I want leaders who hide what they do?

This reduces to “do I want to know what my leaders are doing?”. Some people don’t need to know because they have full confidence in being ruled by their leaders. Others on the other hand want to know so that they together with their leaders, can build a better Singapore. In A-level GP, we are thought to critique things we read. Now when we apply that to the MSM and the works of the PAP, we are being mischievous? Or perhaps only the works of the PAP cannot be criticized? Does the Norwegian SWF hide its operations in a cloak of secrecy? What ever the case, why hide anything if there is no need to hide?

7. Do I want leaders to be accountable?
This is simple. If the leaders are assured of themselves winning the next election, they will be much less accountable to the public than leaders who need to be voted in.

Give Singapore a responsible and compassionate leadership. Vote wisely.

Gangnam Style

* Submitted by TRE reader.

http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/12/11...rs-do-we-want/


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