The Singapore Story – A failure of pragmatism

The PAP’s brand of politics in choosing and championing pragmatism, has trumped and rendered obsolete all ideologies. But what good are the competencies and expertise of pragmatism, if it is not tempered with ideology?

Ideology is not a bad word. Ideology is but the core fundamental beliefs and political principles which exist independent of considerations for competencies and expertise. For how can we assess political leaders based solely on technocratic effectiveness and expertise in crafting policies, which pragmatism prescribes, without regard to ideology?

Just as it is possible to become too rigid and unyielding in upholding ideological beliefs by adhering excessively to principles without regard to consequences, it is equally possible to become so pragmatic that one operates without any core principles.

The ruling PAP in engendering an overcompensating desire to rid ourselves of ideology in the name of pragmatism; have robbed Singaporeans and even most of our political leaders currently in Parliament from forming inalienable values and precepts, which are critical in the forging of a true nation.

Read the rest of the article here: The Online Citizen

Comments

Lucky Tan said…
It is not true that the govt is simply pragmatic and has no ideology. The PAP ideologies are meritocracy, multiracialism, and Asian values or communitarianism.

The problem is not the lack of ideology but what the ideologies are. The PAP has stuck to its ideologies that is why "welfare is a dirty word" and they want you to be grateful and obey your leaders which are what is known to them as Asian values.

There is also ideological economic beliefs in the free market and deregulation.