Just saw this in another forum which apparently came from the New Paper-

“There has been concern about how Madam Lim, 43, will manage this huge sum of money. The family’s MP, Madam Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC), told The New Paper earlier that the public would want to know how the money will be used. To ward off unwanted attention, she suggested that it be kept in a trust for the family.”

I know a lot of singaporeans (not including certain insensitive elites) were saddened by the death of Mr Tan Jee Suan who killed himself recently in the MRT jumping incident. Its comforting to know that the vast majority of singaporeans are still filled with compassion for the less fortunate, so much so that $500,000 were donated to the family over the past few days. (on a side note, I really really hope this is not going to set a precedent for future tragedies.)

Madam Ho Geok Choo might be the MP of their constituency, but to call her the family MP almost make me want to puke in my mouth. Where was the “family MP” when they needed her the most? Family MP my ass. And then to come around and say the public would want to know how the money will be used is probably the height of insensitivity. Where do the PAP find people like these? Ho Geok Choo, Wee Siew Kim et al.

I didn’t go to any fancy assed GEP programme, hell I didn’t even make it to JC. I am about as unelite as an unelite can get. Proud to be one of the “uninformed masses” as Wee Shu Min is apt to call those who do not live up to her lofty standards. And even I would not be so insensitive as to demand to know how the money will be used when the family is still grieving over their loss. Call me stupid, but here is what I would probably say-

I understand the family is grieving, but I think it will be prudent for the family to start thinking about the future. I know of a few reputable financial advisers which I would happy to introduce to the family. Although the money is not small by any standard, I feel it is important for Madam Lim to start planning for the future. Since she is now the sole remaining parent of 2 young children, it would be wise for her to put into place certain financial and insurance policies to ensure her children would be well taken care of incase god forbid should anything happen to her.

There, nothing too fancy. Not the most eloquent but still I think its good enough to get the message across. Maybe the MP does indeed have the best interest of the family at heart, but really, it doesn’t kill you to practice a bit of sensitivity when dealing with such matters.

All the hip hop dancing in the world is not going to help you connect with the masses if you don’t even understand basic common sense and tact. Hell you can pole dance, strip dance, lap dance or bartop dance, but its not going to help if you don’t start putting yourself in our shoes. What kind of a MP are we getting really?

And this is the crux of the problem isn’t it. In reality we don’t really have much of a choice in the kind of MP we’re getting. I mean they seem to have this thing the other way around. One would think that in ordinary circumstances, a potential candidate would seek to connect first before pursuing political office, but only in singapore would you have people stepping into political office then look to connect with their constituents if it so behooves them. What kind of a topsy turvy world are we living in? Our electoral system is seriously in need of a overhaul if we are constitently going to get MPs like this. You don’t even have to try hard to get into parliament these days. Hitch a ride in some GRC and coattail your way into parliament.

Look at Wee Siew Kim and his half hearted apology. One can look at it as an honest and frank opinion or looking at it from another angle, its probably the height of arrogance because it tells us even if he don’t apologise, what can we do about it. Some of the more naive ones out there may think this will probably spell the end of any of the Wee’s future political inclinations but before I go, I leave you with is hypothetical scenario. What’s to stop Wee Shu Min from becoming an MP in the future if she decides to run in a walkover ward? Or worse, if she’s part of LKY’s GRC team. Farfetched perhaps, but it could happen. Think about it.