I love Lim Swee Say. He says the darnedest things. Like this fable he told in Parliament:
THE story goes that in a kingdom of frogs, the tallest tower in the world is built for an annual competition.And when the event is held, many aim to become the champion by making it to the top, but fail as they are discouraged by the audience, who warn that the climb is too dangerous.
All except one frog who did reach the top. And when asked afterwards why he ignored the crowd, the frog said: 'I'm deaf. I can't hear them.'
With this tale, labour chief Lim Swee Say responded to opposition MP Low Thia Khiang (Hougang), who repeated his criticism of a day earlier that low- wage workers continue to languish, and that the labour movement ought to do better and work harder.
Mr Lim's point: Despite criticisms like those levelled by the Workers' Party chief, the labour movement continues to address problems faced by low-wage workers and to improve their situation.
'We never give up. We are like the little frog. We are deaf to all these criticisms,' he said.
The deafness may also explain the singing. I give you, once again, "Upturn the Downturn"!:
(The original video at Young NTUC was made private. Why ah? Shy issit? I found an alternative version at Youtube anyway. A song like this sung by our nation's leaders should not remain hidden. It is a jewel to be shared and enjoyed.)