To all PAP leaders, watch the Hollywood classic High Noon and ask yourself:
Am I a coward?
A craven coward,
A coward till my grave
This is the refrain from the theme song. In this film, a sheriff played by Gary Cooper deliberates on his dilemma: hand over his badge and leave town with his bride (Grace Kelly) or stay and face four just released gunmen screaming for his blood.
He could have left office as planned, but he decided to face the challenge head-on, and only after despatching all four to the nether world did he go on his honeymoon.
The same question can be asked of the PAP leaders. When faced with a challenge from TCB, instead of taking up the gauntlet as our great departed leader would have done, they resorted to a cowardly dodge to avoid a fight.
Now, one after another, they come up with all kinds of rationalisation to make themselves look good.
But it will all be in vain. The damage has been done; multi-racialism and meritocracy have been sacrificed on the altar of political convenience and the disunity among the people and between and within each ethnic group will only get worse with time.
Source: Ismail Kassim
