Serving thru Empathy

A 2nd look at how a Government can serve better.

I read with interest an article posted on the ST forum on the 25th Oct. The reader suggested to our Minister of Transport, Mr Raymond Lim the following: "If the minister wants more people to take the bus or train, he could set an example. London Mayor Ken Livingstone takes the tube regularly."

Well said! How can people at the top empathise with those on the grounds ("fighting fire") if they do not step down from their pedestal to have a real good taste of the real life! Real service (to the people by the government, that is chosen by and for the people) can only come with a genuine ("unscripted", if you know what I mean) and thorough understanding of how things really work, how good or bad things are and the daily real problems which people are actually facing now and in the future? Be and get real! It is like having a heartfelt understanding and appreciation to the lyrics of a song (for example, about relationship breakups) only after you have really gone through one.

So perhaps Mr Tharman (Education Minister) should come to teach in schools for a couple of weeks, Mr Khaw Boon Wan (Health Minister) should try out the long queues at the Polyclinics and public hospitals, Mr Raymond Lim (Transport Minister) should follow the London Mayor's example in taking the public transport daily. Let these respective "Number Ones" in their own departments bypass their own thick layers of bureaucracy and have a taste of reality - 100% "unscripted"! Then let us talk about solving and improving things.

But come on, we're in Singapore. Do you think the Ministers are that daring enough to step out of their comfort zones (besides the "crappy" hip hop dancing which the newbie MPs were "arrowed" to go through)? Well they sure do step out, but only after much "scripting" by their "brain-washed underlings", as well as with the magical touch of a "beautiful" media coverage.

They sure live in a beautiful world. This reminded me of a Coldplay song "Don't Panic". The chorus goes:-

"And we live in a beautiful world,

Yeah we do, yeah we do,

We live in a beautiful world.

Oh, all that I know,

There’s nothing here to run from,

’cause everybody here’s got somebody to lean on."

So don't panic. (Hopefully) we're still in "good hands". -__- "' Haa... Mr Yeo Cheow Tong (the former Transport Minister) must be saying "Phew"!