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Friday, November 02, 2007
MM Lee tells Mumbai: maximum time to reach any corner of Singapore is 20 minutes
Sure, I can hear you saying: at 4am in the morning, with outriders helping me to block traffic at the lights, and no speed limit, or my vehicle is a Transformer, I'd get anywhere in Singapore in 20 minutes too.
Actually, it can be done, my skeptical reader. You see, Singapore is about 40km at its widest points, east to west, so if you travel at 120km/h without stopping, and assuming you drive in a straight line, and don't encounter any traffic lights, you CAN make it in 20 minutes.
And when you pay your $5 ERP fee along the CTE, aren't you glad this $5 is helping you not flood the roads, thereby getting you to any corner of Singapore in 20 minutes?
And don't blame the gahmen if you don't get from your corner of Singapore to your destination corner within 20 minutes. You are not staying in the correct corners, that's why.
That's just private cars, mind you. Mumbai should learn from our public transport system too! I reckon the maximum time a bus or a train needs reach any corner of Singapore is, oh, 30 minutes tops.
We're talking Star Trek teleporter speeds here in Singapore, land of the magical, uncongested roads.
From DNAindia.com: City influx shocks Singapore panel
Surendra Gangan Wednesday, October 31, 2007 03:23 ISTMUMBAI: Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was surprised to know that nearly 300 new families come to the city daily only to find accommodation in slums. Yew shared his thoughts with finance minister of state and guardian minister of the city Jayant Patil, the latter, however, was convinced that Singapore model is not suitable for Mumbai.
Mayor of Mumbai Shubha Raul’s suggestion of imposing licence system for the entry into the city was turned down by Patil as the constitution does not allow such imposition.
Yew led a delegation of the key officials from Singapore that met Patil and others in Mantralaya on Tuesday. “Population of Singapore is 26 lakh and we impose taxes on the citizens whenever development work is undertaken in the city,” he said during the discussion.
Yew told the minister that the land acquisition procedure for any developmental project is completed within two months and claims are taken in subsequent phases. “Congestion taxes on vehicles plying on busy roads are a routine course of action in Singapore. The maximum time to reach any corner of Singapore is 20 minutes as traffic is not allowed to flood the roads,” he added.
However, Patil was said to be convinced that the Singapore model is not suitable for Mumbai as restrictions on the entry into the city could not be imposed and acquisition of land for developmental projects could not be expedited.
Friday, November 2, 2007 at 01:13 AM in Random Rants | Permalink
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Comments
Probably it takes only 20min FOR MM Lee to reach every corners of singapore. =D
Posted by: pingz | Nov 2, 2007 1:56:12 AM
Sure, the maximum time to reach any corner is 20 minutes.
Take a plane.
Posted by: Someone | Nov 2, 2007 6:38:25 AM
time to fine his driver for speeding... or he has to repair his watch, i guess.
interestingly, he did not mention that it only takes 20 minutes from corner to corner in SG during peak hours.
'blow cow', anyone? lol...
Posted by: x | Nov 2, 2007 8:41:06 AM
I think what MM Lee REALLY meant was: 1 Singapore minute = 3 Indian minutes
Posted by: ILuvPAP | Nov 2, 2007 8:57:31 AM
MM Lee is hinting our competent Raymond Lim to implement no speed limit on CTE, PIE, KPE, SLE, TPE, BKE, AYE, ECP..! And in order to effectively do 20 mins in Sg, impose minimum speed limit of 180kmph...
Raymond better get that message!
Posted by: Autobahn | Nov 2, 2007 9:01:14 AM
if i have a police escort clearing traffic ahead of me, i can do the 20min thing too..
Posted by: will | Nov 2, 2007 9:06:06 AM
What with police escort?
It takes 25~45mins to take bus from Punggol to Pasir Ris.
Posted by: Henry | Nov 2, 2007 9:16:10 AM
This is true isn't it? With his police escorted car, he can get to anywhere in S'pore within 20 mins?
In Bangkok, this is what the ministers or members of the royal family will tell you too because they will have road blocks created and escorted to their destinations without stopping at all. ;)
Posted by: fasterthanbullet | Nov 2, 2007 9:24:24 AM
I'm guessing when you're a minister, traffic regulations may not apply.. animal farm much?
Posted by: J | Nov 2, 2007 9:51:07 AM
Quite impossible! Unless you are staying in the central area and you are going Boon Lay, Woodlands or Pasir Ris. I stay in Jurong, it's quite impossible for me to get to the other side of Singapore especially during peak hours.
Posted by: James Chia | Nov 2, 2007 10:08:10 AM
speaks volumes.
how disconnected the elite is from realities on the ground.
Posted by: limpehbolui | Nov 2, 2007 10:39:55 AM
actually its true
onced on a night out in johore bahru
after finishing the dirty bars with kimono cladded lass in sentosa
(sentosa JB hor)
around 2 am
i start my kwaker 550
cleared immigration/customs
arrived home in around 20 mins or so
next to angmokio teckgheephuat constituncy
off course
i dont have the luxury of 4 outriders lark...
i just cruised @ 150mph
(miles per hour hor)
that was the first and last time
i ever ever want to caress a kimono cladded lass in johore bahru lioa...
make me sweat
dont know got camera photos of my kwacker or not?
Posted by: moshedyan | Nov 2, 2007 1:14:34 PM
The problem does not always lie in the disconnect between the elite and the ground... many a times it is the inefficient, yes men that lie in between the elite and the ground that mess up the whole country. We have many lousy people at stat board level that interpret and finally execute the intent of the elite wrongly.
Posted by: Lincoln | Nov 2, 2007 1:26:55 PM
What he meant was "Singapore is so jammed up that it takes 20 mins to reach any corner between two vehicles infront of yours".
Posted by: 9thConciousness | Nov 2, 2007 1:52:33 PM
The definition of any corners in Singapore are
1. Istana
2. Parliament
3. Aiport
4.
Posted by: Kokanadan | Nov 2, 2007 2:37:03 PM
these days he seems to just spew whatever he thinks without actual processing 1st, I am really concern....
Posted by: donutbiker | Nov 2, 2007 3:55:48 PM
I wonder have he ever tried from Istana to Yishun via CTE during PM peak hour.
Police escort also no use.
Posted by: DK | Nov 2, 2007 4:39:46 PM
If you can't get there within 20min, it's not a corner.
Posted by: Vino | Nov 2, 2007 6:07:35 PM
I don't think MM Lee actually meant it literally? The focus should be on the latter part of the sentence, about traffic being not allowed to flood the roads. Whether or not traffic floods the roads is not within the government's control, at least they TRIED implementing the ERP to correct this externality. And regarding the maximum time to reach any corner of Singapore being 20 minutes, I'm quite sure MM Lee did not mean it literally? I'm sure he knows how big Singapore is, and what the speed limit in Singapore is. Come on, we all do. He's probably just trying to emphasise that Singapore's road conditions, relative to India, are much more favourable. How do you think it'd be like to be driving past water buffaloes on the roads?
I'm not even saying this because I'm a strong supporter of MM Lee or the PAP, what I'm trying to say is maybe things shouldn't be taken on the superficial level. Even if it's a way of poking fun. In any case, I don't find it the least bit funny.
Posted by: AG | Nov 2, 2007 8:08:43 PM
give the old man a break la...he is so old already and he is still working. age catching up with him..he's not processing what he is talking already.. why all of you take it so seriously?
Posted by: bingobango | Nov 2, 2007 8:44:55 PM
age is catching up with him...
Posted by: ouch | Nov 2, 2007 8:49:16 PM
Well if you have a huge motorcade where ever you go, I guess 20mins is feasible.
It all goes to show how out of touch the leaders are with the common man.
Posted by: chetan | Nov 2, 2007 9:15:49 PM
Its called exaggerating lah, who never done it before...
Posted by: MrQ | Nov 2, 2007 9:40:40 PM
I love how we go overseas and boast about the efficiency with which everything in Singapore works, then soon smack ourselves in the face by having a minister or mp say or do something really stupid. Haha. LOVE IT.
Posted by: Rachel | Nov 2, 2007 10:35:06 PM
well, the 'thumb drive' is certainly infected with virus liao.
the indians dont give a shit what the old man is saying (go check the indian papers lah), only our nation builder media makes him look like machiam an asian hero with profound wisdom. come on, this is india, not serangoon road.
Posted by: worldcrass | Nov 3, 2007 12:15:25 AM
It may sound superficial & a little trite but it takes me almost 2hrs by bus (including waiting time) to get from my home in Hougang to school at Kent Ridge...20mins only can reach interchange lah.
Posted by: LimPeh | Nov 3, 2007 12:41:02 AM
[i]I'm not even saying this because I'm a strong supporter of MM Lee or the PAP, what I'm trying to say is maybe things shouldn't be taken on the superficial level. Even if it's a way of poking fun. In any case, I don't find it the least bit funny.[/i]
you dont find it funny?
for a wellpaid man to represent singapore image
you expect him to bullshit on our behalf?
how would you feel if thaksin goes around telling us that from bangcock itself you can visit from point a to point B in 20 mins?
and when you landed in bangkok airport
only to find yourself stucked between the runways thru the immigration counters longer than 30 mins?
i find that your balllickings for that ahkong is amusing
you want to poll the audiences here?
Posted by: moshedyan | Nov 3, 2007 12:57:15 AM
uhm. i live overseas in the U.S. and have just arrived back in Singapore for a vacation. With all due respect, the airport is in the east and my family house is in the west, and we take only 20-mins to go back and forth.
I find it strange that people react so strongly to LKY's 20 min statement, because all these years abroad i've told my American colleagues that Singapore can be crossed end to end in 20-minutes. I used to work in the east (still live in west) and i'd take me 20mins by car to get to work.
today it took me only 23 mins to get from bukit batok to marine parade in rush hour traffic.. so can someone enlighten me on the ruckus?
Posted by: ang moh pai | Nov 3, 2007 2:23:35 AM
Can be done.
Ask any initial D fan-see.....they will show you how.
Posted by: Deceased | Nov 3, 2007 2:53:13 AM
I tried it last night.... I manage to get from Eunos to holland in 15 mins... on the pie.. at 130 to 140. So happy. MM say I can do it.
Sorry to the uncle that was driving the taxi on the right lane... 100km was just too slow. MM say I can reach any corner of singapore in 20 mins. In fact, if I DON'T reach any corner of singapore in 20 mins, means I just proved him wrong and will make him look stupid for passing that remark.
So traffic police... please take note. Unless you guys plan to tell him it's impossible to reach any corner in 20 mins... please don't stop my car and say i was speeding. MM say 20mins... means 20 mins.
probably try vivo to woodlands next.
Posted by: Lincoln | Nov 3, 2007 5:38:44 PM
I think ang moh pai must be living in the same Sinkapore as laulee but a different Sinkapore from the rest of us here.
Whenever I take a cab from Clementi to Changi, it take at least 40min in normal traffic. If there is a heavy traffic jam or during peak hours, usually it take me 50min and even way much more time depending on how terrible the jam is.
20-mins to go back and forth from east to west? Yeah, must be 3am in the morning plus speeding at 180km\h.
Posted by: Wanderer | Nov 3, 2007 8:54:44 PM
ang moh pai
i think u spent too much time overseas. lol
the "ruckus" is about the MM saying that the ridiculous taxes that "solves" congestion is not true.
if the quote below were true
"Congestion taxes on vehicles plying on busy roads are a routine course of action in Singapore. The maximum time to reach any corner of Singapore is 20 minutes as traffic is not allowed to flood the roads"
taken in context, this means that it takes only 20 minutes even during peak hours because "traffic is not allowed to flood the roads".
but we all know that it takes a lot LONGER than that. and we arent talking about just one or two minutes.
in addition, as can be seen in Lincoln's post:
"I tried it last night.... I manage to get from Eunos to holland in 15 mins... on the pie.. at 130 to 140."
reaching your destination not even from corner to corner (which would be something like Tuas to Changi) needs some dangerous driving on your part. and, this timing isnt even taken during peak hours.
Posted by: x | Nov 3, 2007 9:51:36 PM
>>>ang mo pai
when we say the "corner of Singapore" we mean the extreme Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern ends: Woodlands, Sentosa, Jurong West and Pasir Ris respectively. Kent Ridge is more Southwest, Marine Parade is like the outskirts of CBD.
We can travel 20 mins from corner to corner, if it's 1am to 6am. We ever kenna slow traffic at 12am on the ECP from Suntec to Siglap and it was not on a weekend.
If during peak hours, it has to be no accidents, no roadworks, fine weather and even if such a dream can exist, I seriously wonder if it can be done in 20mins. I used to travel from Bedok to Toa Payoh, at 0830, that takes 15-20 mins. If it's 0930, that'll take 12-15 mins. So I guess "Yew" here never has to get to work at 9am.
Posted by: Jac | Nov 3, 2007 11:15:05 PM
correct me if im wrong. but how many of you have waited for a bus for more than 20 mins?
if im asked this question, i would answer, "Uncountable number of times." cos im a frequent public transport user.
i know of all the funny incidents that he doesnt.
Posted by: madaboutbus | Nov 3, 2007 11:20:41 PM
cool~~~~ that means I can travel to 2 corners of singapore in one bus trip today, not including the waiting time of 20+ minutes
Posted by: Okita | Nov 3, 2007 11:28:06 PM
I don't need to poll the readers because I really don't care what everyone else thinks, I just want to put my point across. I'm sure it'll be absolutely perfect for your so-called Singaporean image if MM Lee leads a delegation of the key officials from Singapore to India, and tells the media "Omg, you know, the traffic condition in Singapore is really bad. It jams all the time, the public transport takes eons to come, and we take forever to get from one place to another." And consider saying that in context of India's traffic conditions.
My main point is Singaporeans in general, should be thankful for what they have. Yes, cost of living is high, but standard of living is high too. If you don't get my point, go and check out videos of India's slums and squatter settlements. It's not just 100 or 200 of them living there, it's 40 million. And they live there their whole entire life. THAT is harsh reality, not waiting for the bloody bus for 20 mins or paying for ERP.
Erm I don't know why you're talking about Thailand and Thaksin, but anyway it's Bangkok. Maybe your spelling was a typo, but if it's not, it wasn't very funny.... Good try though.
Oh but what is funny is how so many people can just take words for their surface value.
Posted by: AG | Nov 4, 2007 12:34:52 AM
I live at the Eastern 'corner' of Singapore, near the prison. Thing is, I don't really recall taking 20 minutes to reach home from my sch which is in town. Even when I drive sometimes.
Posted by: GH | Nov 4, 2007 1:16:15 AM
Dear ang mo pai,
Welcome back to Singapore. Now, that you've arrived safely in booming Singapore, both economically and demographicaly, just when US is in flames, environmentally and financially, I'm sure you are ready to bask in the delight of forgotten miseries, past and present.
And I'm certain your testimony of 20 minutes will certainly draw the attention of the Mental Minister. Who knows he might give you a PR with honours for flattering backside, a skill you will polish to great effect when serving your National Service or did you.
Anyway, enjoy your vacation in brisky Singapore along with the hordes from India to China and of course, the east and west coast of US the A. Just make sure you take only 20 minutes ok.
Posted by: Tata | Nov 4, 2007 2:42:02 AM
please lah. 20 mins is nothing. singapore has some of the best transport systems i've ever used.
Posted by: ang moh pai | Nov 4, 2007 3:42:41 AM
Mr Brown, add a few more carbon upgrades to you Curve, guzzle fifteen cups of coffee, and make sure you head off between 3 and 4am on a Sunday morning and you might get close to 20 minutes. Ride like the wind Circus Bear!!!
Posted by: Sunny Tailor | Nov 4, 2007 7:47:13 AM
The best way to improve traffic especially in built up areas in Orchard and shenton... remove pedestrian traffic... build a series of interconnecting bridges between buildings... like HK or Bangkok... lift the pedestrians off the ground and provide no rights for pedestrian crossing roads at ground level.
Imagine the time saved if there was no pedestrian crossing. Just cars moving... Anybody see the number of pedestrians from Orchard turning to Patterson infront to ION and wheelock will tell you. Remove the pedestrian crossing, traffic will improve.
Employ a more dynamic traffic light control.
Create a small bike lanes of 1.5 meters to allow bicycles to travel on..
Maybe then... I can reach from the head of Orchard to the Suntech... in 20 Mins....
Posted by: Lincoln | Nov 4, 2007 2:25:55 PM
Jokes aside, I think this shows how much the old man is disconnected with reality on the ground. Scary thought that such misinformed persons hold the power to make major life affecting decisions in our country.
Posted by: dennis | Nov 4, 2007 3:03:25 PM
wah.. that won't be good for tourism..
but 20 min.. hahaha.. patriotic.. lose credibility though.. oh well.. good salesman..
Posted by: Nic | Nov 4, 2007 5:10:07 PM
no wonder MM Lee is paid big bucks. It takes me 20 minutes just to wait for the bus that comes every 10 minutes!
Posted by: 20 seconds | Nov 4, 2007 7:54:05 PM
The point to note is that Mr Lee himself insists on accuracy when he deals with opponents. Recall the time he had a dialogue with some young journalist, yet with himself, he is willing to take liberties with such exaggeration.
When one is not willing to lead by example, he is no leader.
When one is thinks he is infallible and everyone is supposed to take what he says as biblical truth that is the start of his downfall.
The scary part is that there are people out there who thinks it is ok for him to say such thinks and let him get away with it.
He insists on measuring others with such scrutiny, then he should also be measured likewise. One who thinks it is ok for him to tell such half truths (more like lies) is akin to give up independent thoughts. Fast forward to the compulsory annuity scheme, you will start to see how they think that we should all shut up and accept it. Hoping that more of us are the unthinking category and give them absolute control.
Posted by: waiting | Nov 4, 2007 11:20:45 PM
yep, since things arent supposed to be taken "at face value", i guess it is also OK if the MM says one can get from corner to corner in SG within 20 nano seconds.
i mean, read in between the lines right?
heh. well done, deep readers.
Posted by: 20_nanoseconds | Nov 4, 2007 11:30:17 PM
be sure to catch the movie "Gone in 20 nanoseconds".
Posted by: 20_nanoseconds | Nov 4, 2007 11:39:09 PM
AG
u r the one who is 'funny'. everyone is just saying that 20 minutes isnt true. and there u r, rambling about slums and all. heh, funny, but im not laughing.
Posted by: 20_nanoseconds | Nov 4, 2007 11:55:10 PM
It's really funny how Lee likes to extol how efficient the public transport system is, when just the other day, 4 visiting professors were commenting that in no way is Singapore's transport infrastructure sufficient for 4.5 million, let alone for a projected 6 million people. They were waiting for a cab at Vivocity for 1.5 hours.
And it's kind of funny that the MM, for all his fame, isn't famous enough for an Indian reporter to get his name right.
Posted by: yuene | Nov 5, 2007 1:23:12 AM
mumbai, la. india
Posted by: candyman | Nov 5, 2007 1:02:14 PM
Reminds me of Queen Marie-Antoinette who, when told that the French populace had no bread to eat replied, "Then let them eat cake."
Posted by: kitsura | Nov 5, 2007 5:53:15 PM
Ya, go on and continue picking on the technicalities of his language if it makes you happy, I'm totally fine with it :)
Oh and is it? Is EVERYONE really just saying it's not true? Why not go and read the comments again? What's with saying MM Lee doesn't have to abide traffic rules and THEREFORE can get to any corner within 20 mins? What's with police escort? Think again before you say "everyone" next time. I'm quite sure some people just want to poke fun at what MM Lee said. Which is what I find unfunny and superficial.
Oh and I will catch that movie when it's out, thanks! :)
Posted by: AG | Nov 5, 2007 7:59:55 PM
well we pick at the technicalities of his language because that's what he does in case you didn't know. what's good for the goose is also good for the gander. If he wasn't so anal about details, we would let it pass. Take George Bush Jr for example. He makes such statements all the time and it's bushism but no one takes it seriously cause the guy is a joke. So unless you say our MM is like George Bush...
Posted by: J | Nov 5, 2007 11:35:28 PM
Gosh AG it sure is nice of you help the old man and clarify all these points for us!
we normal singaporeans are stupid and only know how to take things on a superficial level! We could not possibly have gleaned these pearls of wisdom by ourselves alone!
*baa baa..*
Posted by: munch | Nov 5, 2007 11:44:35 PM
AG, even if I don't take his "20 mins" literally, the later part of his sentence, as you said, about traffic being not allowed to flood the roads, is also hard to swallow. Have you been downtown from 5pm-8pm and not be caught in a traffic jam? Even if they raise ERP 5 fold, the jams won't disappear because people need cars to get around/go to work or home/go to dinner etc.
The sad part is maybe some naive indian believes what "Yew" said and somes here expecting to get to any corner of S'pore in 20 mins. It is one thing to impress your hosts with facts, another thing to spew half-truths.
Posted by: LC | Nov 6, 2007 12:51:48 AM
The two jokers claimed that it's possible to get to any corner in 20 minutes is either high on drugs or they are suffering from OSS syndrome.
Posted by: own self song | Nov 6, 2007 7:33:51 AM
AG, I think definitely fall into the category of the "unthinking". Without trying to be personally here, I think the MIW would be very happy with your lot.
Anyway, I think as he is supposed to be the most deserving, highest paid, etc, we should also expect from him not to tell such lies in public.
Indians are not stupid and are well travelled. Do you not think that they know better? What will they think about Singaporeans? Downright disgraceful. Think forward 20 years and Indian is a major economic power and they have an impression that since of most esteemed leader can take such liberties at the truth, what about the average Singaporeans, especially the businessmen that has to work with the Inidans. Already, I get jokes from my Indian (from Indai) colleagues.
Get a brain AG. You do us Singaporeans a disfavor when you do not think.
Posted by: waiting | Nov 6, 2007 8:35:07 AM
I'm writting from KL. 20mins or 40mins is really not that bad from corner to corner of singapore.
I can drive to downtown KL in 15mins at night, say at 3am, at a comfy 100km/h but takes maybe 1hour to get to town during peak hours. If it rains, maybe 2hours.
So comparitively, Sg's 40mins really good. In any case, I like travelling in sg because it's predictable, which is not the case in KL or other places in the world. This at least allows me to estimate traffic and manage time better.
Posted by: eric | Nov 6, 2007 6:37:38 PM
I don't need to get a brain, because I already have one, thank you very much. Anyway.. it's not very nice to say something like that to someone, what would the Indian businessmen think?
In any case, if you're thinking I haven't encountered problems with the traffic personally, on Monday I spent 35 mins waiting for my bus, watching 7 of the same buses come and go at the bus stop before mine came. I'm not going to be dumb and fake and say it's totally alright because it IS exasperating waiting, and I definitely took more than 20 mins to get to my destination, but I'm not complaining or criticising because whether or not that "20 mins" thing is true or not (note, right from the beginning I never did say that it's TRUE that we take 20 mins to get to anywhere) I'm thankful for our transport system.
And whose fault is it that people need cars to get around? The government's again? The COEs aren't there for nothing.
And like I said before, I (note: ME, I'm not saying it's definitely true and everyone else MUST think this way) don't think MM Lee meant it literally and since I can look at it differently, I'm sure the Indians who are "not stupid and well travelled" can think along similar lines too (I mean it, Indians are really intelligent, in case people start saying I'm being sarcastic and a racist). They know the traffic conditions in their own country, and they will understand the meaning of relativity too.
I give up trying to get my point across 'cause there's going to be never-ending opposition anyway. Bye!
Posted by: AG | Nov 6, 2007 6:55:27 PM
[i]I give up trying to get my point across 'cause there's going to be never-ending opposition anyway. Bye!
Posted by: AG | Nov 6, 2007 6:55:27 PM
[/i]
you dont have a point to rebut @ all
thats the funny part
regarding spelling
let me help
you
B O O T L I C K E R
bet with you when the ah kong command you to lick his boots
you would had said
left or right first?
would you?
Posted by: moshedyan | Nov 7, 2007 2:53:58 AM
I am an Indian.
I have stayed in mumbai. New york & Singapore recently.
Even if you pick on the 20 minutes timeline, i actually found singapore public transport better than new yorks. But then i should not compare american transport behavior to yours, they do it more wastefully, 2 or more cars per family is the norm, even if there is only one person seated inside. Mumbai is in a league of its own [6.1 million commuters on a daily basis - only on trains]. The logistics are huge & even though the Singapore travel model is enticing, you just cant levy tax to enter a part of the country.
Posted by: vishal | Nov 7, 2007 7:51:11 AM
AG,
OK, let me understand you. You agree that the 20mins is not true. That LKY is wrong. However, you go on to say that its still ok that he said those wrong things because its relative to the traffic in India.
I will give you that if we are in a pub talking about traffic off the record and having a casual talk, this should not be a problem. How often we have exaggerated or make statements which we are not 100% sure of. At least it’s among friends and not recorded and not meant for publish in any media.
Is LKY having a casual talk? He is making a statement on behalf of Singapore, representing us. Next, he also treats everyone with the scrutiny for precision, why is he allowed to take liberties at the truth? When one is one precise with him, he gives the person hell. There must be no double standards in our meritocracy.
Why is everyone upset about your position? Because its not a casual talk but a official statement. He knows better to be precise. When you choose to suggest that he does not need to be precise and its ok because it relative to the Indian traffic, it just make us Singaporeans look silly.
Our chat here is no different from a casual talk. So, should I think Indian businessmen think lowly of us criticizing you? Hell no. Whatever sides they take, they will know this is a casual talk. You need to be able to tell the difference. If you are not, then we must agree to disagree – because you cannot teach a un-teachable.
Like I said, the talk out there among the Indian professionals is that LKY dose not know what is really happening here in Singapore. I hate to have to defend LKY when I totally think he is wrong and should come out and write a clarification.
Posted by: waiting | Nov 7, 2007 8:49:30 AM
Sure, everyday I spend more than an hour getting from my home at the South to my school at the east.
And even if you take from the whole of the East West Line from Pasir Ris to Boon Lay straight, you need an hour.
Posted by: Jun Xian | Nov 9, 2007 12:35:53 AM
20mins for MM only lah... for me, i could not even get a cab even after waiting for 60 mins on a holiday!
Posted by: Ixnay | Nov 9, 2007 1:46:08 PM
