All MPs should solve problems together: PM

Dear PM Lee,

I refer to the 31 Oct 2011 Straits Times report of your comments in Perth.

You said it takes courage to say something which is true but difficult for the population to hear. In that case, the government has been utterly lacking in courage. It lacked the courage to disclose actual job numbers created for Singaporeans, preferring to hide behind aggregated figures for Singapore residents. It lacked the courage to tell Singaporeans the flip side of asset enhancement, which is the enhancement of debts.

You said it is the government’s responsibility to speak the truth to Singaporeans. But all we have heard so far are mostly half-truths and sometimes even falsehoods from the government. You reminded the opposition of its responsibility to acknowledge the truth. That is precisely what the opposition has been doing, acknowledging the truth behind the government’s half-truths.

You said leaders from the Caribbean, Africa and Pacific countries are wowed by Singapore’s success, have read MM’s books and want some tips on how we did it. But there is no secret to how we did it; they are all well documented in books. Our success stems not from prescribed formulas that you can pick up from books. Our success stems from our people, it is our people that makes this place works, with or without the PAP government.