Singapolitics, 7 Jun 2014
Author Catherine Lim has written an open letter to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, this time focusing on the issue of trust between the people and the Government.
Ms Lim, who frequently blogs about politics, has previously written two commentaries addressed to the Government, published twenty years ago, about what she percevied as Singaporeans' lack of affection for the ruling People's Action Party, and the Government's two "conflicting" styles of governance. She received a rebuttal from then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong over one of the commentaries.
In her latest letter, published on her blog on Saturday, she asserted that Singapore is "in the midst of a crisis where the people no longer trust their government".
In explaining the causes for the "crisis", she drew links to recent episodes, such as PM Lee's defamation suit against blogger Roy Ngerng, who had alleged in a blog post that the Prime Minister was "misappropriating" CPF funds.
While acknowledging that the Government had "made great efforts to improve the lot of the people" after the 2011 General Election, she said that the "new, better educated, globally-exposed, Internet population demand much more".
In her letter, Ms Lim suggested three ways for the Government to build trust with the people.
After her letter was put up online, it was shared widely on social media. It also garnered more than 100 comments, with some thanking her for speaking up, and others wondering if she had exaggerated the views of a minority.
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