Saturday, May 14, 2011

Interview on transition of power

INTERVIEW WITH THE STRAITS TIMES ON 13 MAY 2011

In your blog Think Happiness, you published two posts from an Aljunied resident, who in his first post said he noticed that the notice boards had been stripped, and also that rubbish and litter around the estate were not cleared. The second post clarified that a few days after Sunday, he went back to look at the estate again to find that most things had been cleared. Could I get your comments on these concerns that are circulating online? Why do you think they are emerging now? You mentioned in you blog post that perhaps "the Aljunied resident was perhaps reacting with mimosa-like sensitivity to the situation". Could you elaborate?

There are some segments in Aljunied that are expecting a lot from this transition. This view reflects that. They are also edgy about what happened in relation to the handover of power in Hougang and desire a seamless, cooperative transition.

People regard that as a benchmark, but it's not fair, as people must realise that the PAP is a different one today led by a different Prime Minister, who I think is sincere about accommodating dissenting views and encouraging a rigorous debate about such views to foster a more inclusive society.

It was important to get this view that I posted on the blog out in the open and to see what people think about it. And the reactions to this view speak for themselves. The view is, for lack of a better word, dramatic. It represents that of a person in the minority in Aljunied. The reactions to it show people will not be influenced by such over-exaggeration and are willing to give the transition time.

The reactions are comforting and I am glad that rationality has prevailed. And it shows, contrary to a prevailing perspective, that social media is and can be fair to the PAP.

EXTRACTS OF RELATED COVERAGE BY YAHOO! SINGAPORE

"While the letter writer chose to remain anonymous, the owner of the blog, Dharmendra Yadav, a lawyer, told Yahoo! Singapore the claims have been exaggerated.

"I felt that the writer was over-reacting," he said, before adding that he published the letter to show how an Aljunied resident felt.

Yadav also said that some people might be feeling this way because they have high expectations of the incoming WP team, which comprises the likes of party leader Low, party chairman Sylvia Lim and "star catch" Chen Show Mao...

Even the anonymous letter writer, who went back the next day to check on the cleanliness of the same block, told Yadav that most of the workers are back and the chutes have been cleared."

Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav

Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
Do leave a comment as it will make a difference.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to say this but both those posts by "Aljunied resident" are very distasteful. In giving him coverage, you've also lowered the standing of your blog and inadvertantly of yourself.