The Pot Calling The Kettle

Khaw BW was quoted by Channelnewsasia: "The Workers' Party needs to come clean with the people what information have they got about Mr Yaw and in particular, what did they know about him prior to the May election. And if they know, why did they field Mr Yaw. I think it is sad that the voters have been misled by the Workers Party".

Oh for crap's sake.

This is the sort of irrelevant snarky remark that I've never been comfortable with since hello, there's never been much of an Opposition presence for the PAP to make snarky remarks at. Khaw may have commented before knowing of the WP's press statement that the CEC had been clueless up to the point of YSL's disappearing act.

The minister went on to "remind voters to consider a person's character when they go to the polls, adding that there is no difference between a person's personal and professional life once he or she enters politics" -CNA. Very funny. I wonder on what basis I, a voter, am supposed to make a judgment of character? On spurious media reports? Gossip? Lack of exposed skeletons?

The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of dirt, people. Before the pots start calling the kettle black, perhaps they should give the Straits Times free rein to go after any and all forms of dirt on the ruling party members the same way the ST got all orgasmic over the YSL scandal.

Dirt is dirt, there shouldn't be double standards.

Oh and I would really, really love to hear more about there being no difference between a person's personal and professional life once he or she enters politics.

Do I take it literally to mean personal and private domains are the same, and therefore what he wore to bed last night gets treated with the same relevance as which question he is going to answer in Parliament today?

Or should I accord the minister a little more credit and interpret him to mean that one's private life should be as open to scrutiny and accountability as one's public life? If so, then what's with all the lawsuits and even more curious, why didn't the senior cadre welcome a free-for-all discussion of Tin Peiling's ex-boyfriends and her weakness for Kate Spade, choosing instead to urge people to leave her private life alone?


We can hereby place KBW's comments as Exhibit 213 in the gallery of Foot In Mouth Moments. Perhaps in the near-future with a political landscape not dominated by the PAP, members can finally rest in their rightful place: the museum.