CALL A SPADE A SPADE: A PROMOTION EXERCISE DISGUISED AS A CABINET "RESHUFFLE"

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Billed as a cabinet reshuffle, it was in actuality a promotion exercise. Speaking to the media in Xinjiang, China, where he is on an official visit cum holiday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the tasks at hand "have become more complicated and more intense" and that the existing mechanism needs to be "staffed with political leadership . . . who can do the political work, which means going out . . . engaging Singaporeans . . . understanding what people are feeling".

Not everyone was promoted. Tan Chuan-Jin had to step down as Senior Minister of State at Ministry of National Development (MND), but gets to hang on to his post as Acting Minister for Manpower. Political unknown Desmond Lee (who's he?) will be taking over the role of Minister of State at MND, the ministry handling the hot potato issue of affordable housing. Perhaps Lee felt that the Bukit Brown and bus strike brouhaha was not what he had in mind about ". . . engaging Singaporeans . . . understanding what people are feeling."

Perhaps Lee's idea of people ..."who can do the political work, which means going out..." was luring senior citizens with packet meals to boost the pathetic attendance at its election rallies. Or help shovel dirt at a tree planting photo-op when dad didn't have the physical strength to lift the farming implement.

Chan Chun Sing made his cameo appearance at the funeral of the PM's mother, claiming to be in charge of the gun carriage team. When rumors spiralled about his association in the family tree, instead of quashing the misinformation outright, he added fuel to the speculation, "I am related to the Lee family as much as I am related to all Singaporeans.. as fellow Singaporeans". The political mileage in the innuendo is not missed.

Way back in 1988 of the newspaper archives, Chan was more straight forward with the truth: "My mother is a machine-operator. I do not stay with my father became my parents are divorced." While we are still at myth busting, Wong Kan Seng is not related either - it just happens his wife has the same three-letter surname. Then again - how did Chan put it? - "...if one believes in evolution, then we all - regardless of race, language and religion - came from the same ancestor."

Tattler

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