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Singapore’s Achilles heel
A few good men ….
The conundrum of political leadership is that those who seek power do not deserve it, while those who deserve power do not want it.
In his National Day Rally Speech 2022, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong emphasized that “Singapore has ‘zero margin’ for error when it comes to leadership.”
I believe the results of the last General Election have amplified the uncertainty of politics, and it is now harder to convince good men to step forward. Being a small country, it is near impossible for people to seamlessly toggle between politics and a career.
As a firm believer that an army of sheep led by a lion will defeat an army of lions led by a sheep, leadership succession is Singapore’s Achille heel. So even as the Singapore government struggles to find leaders who place country above self, they must never compromise on the values that our leaders hold — because ships do not sink because of the water around them, but because of the water inside it.
On our part, let us turn down the hate. Just because a person has a different political ideology from you does not make them the enemy. And, it definitely does not make it okay for you to abuse them.
Our actions towards our political leaders (on both sides of the aisle) will determine the quality of leaders we get. Ultimately Singapore loses if good men stay on the sidelines.