Singapore Democrats

He seemed to have well-learnt, but only after leaving Cabinet and becoming backbencher, that you are "constructive" also, perhaps even more so, when you scrutinise hard, even oppose, policies. Indeed, sometimes one has to "destroy" before one could reconstruct.

LKY, true to form, told him, in the dishonourably loaded words, "It's unbecoming of an old guard to hack at the foundation he had spent his lifetime building". At one adroit twist, he reduced his opposings to only sulkings over having been sidelined from office. None rose to defend his character from this onslaught, not LHL who now says Toh had been proven right at opposing a CPF policy, not even GCT who now says Toh's criticisms were aimed for the nation's good. And consider what that PAP MP said, at the wake, of Toh's "courage" at speaking out, even against LKY! (And yet, they also want to deny there exists the "climate of fear". Even an "old guard" needed to fear!)

Confucius said "Xue dao lao, huo dao lao" (live till old, learn till old). I am reassured to read now, that Toh had himself explained his stance as backbencher as his not wanting to be only a ceremonious dummy, and his wanting to really contribute.

LKY's under-the-belt retort reminds us us what he said to Jek Yuan Tong, who had also to give way to new blood. Jek had criticised the raisings of ministerial pay. LKY insulted his character too, telling him "That is the way the cards are cut", implying that Jek was insincere and only grousing over the high pay which he missed out on, having had to step down. Rajaratnam was less adroit, and simply told Jek that, when they started the initial increases whils Jek was still minister, Jek had without any qualms "pocketed it"!

I would like to believe that, like Toh, Jek had by then learnt the value of real opposition. Raja was already quite old then, but he too seemed, in extreme old age, to have learnt. As a young minister many years before, he had slandered Enright, the english professor, as being "a bird of passsge" and "a mendicant professor". I heard that when Enright revisited us some years ago, Raja asked for him, wanting to apologise.

In short, the young under LHL have much to learn from Toh Chin Chye, Jek or Raja's correcting of their ways. But don't wait till you are old or very old, for that would be many, many years, as you are so young. Besides, not all the old, even the very old, might learn!

Good post!