Joker Here, Joker There, Jokers Everywhere!

After belittling Workers' Party's Chen Show Mao's views on investing in social capital, it is amusing to note that Vikram Nair wrote in his facebook that it was a joke. [Link]

I daresay there is more than one joker in Singapore Parliament.

• Tharman Shanmugaratnam joked that a family with an income of $1,000 can afford to purchase a small flat.
• Khaw Boon Wan went deeper on Tharman's joke to make it more plausible. [Link]
• Now we have Minister of State for Finance Josephine Teo, Minister of State for Defence and Education Lawrence Wong and Minister of State for Manpower and National Development Tan Chuan-Jin backing Tharman's $1,000 HDB joke. [Link]

I'm amazed by such ministerial artillery support! Their sense of humour is beyond me. Why crack a joke of 'family with an income of $1,000 can own a HDB flat' when there are so many (some with household income of even more than $1,000) not having a roof over their heads? With some camping in the beaches, parks and even void decks!

Is it the same joke as in any Dick, Dollah, Ah Seng or Muthu can have a heart bypass surgery with Class 'A' hospital accommodation for only $8.00? "My out-of-pocket expense for the hospital bill was $8 only; yes, no typo here." So wrote the ex-Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan in his facebook. [Link] The joke is most commoners like us do not have the means to pay for the expensive umbrellas (insurance premiums) to enjoy such perfect stitches!

If we need jokers in parliament, I'd rather have Kumar who makes us laugh at ourselves. Though some of his jokes touch on race, language and even religion, we accept them because the jokes have no malice and do not spite. Though insulting at times, they are jokes!

But certain joke can become serious. Vikram has now threatened that he is leaving his option open to sue TOC [Link] because of Ng E-Jay's piece in TOC [Link].

While Nigerian Scam is no longer a joke, PM Lee Hsien Loong may have to answer to something more serious in Hougang. A part-time cleaner is challenging him in High Court [Link] to find out if it is a scam not to hold a by-election in Hougang.

Singapore is getting interesting! We have corny jokes. We have threats of legal suits from the well-suited. We have a Singaporean of simple means fighting the rich and powerful PM for her constitutional rights to have a parliamentary representative.

We also have insults!

The wretched joke on Chen Show Mao for spending to many years overseas and now trying to represent Singaporeans as a MP and the low-down of "But we are not as smart as him" is quite unbecoming of a parliamentarian. WP should be proud that their MPs have not fallen onto the same slippery slope. Imagine a joke on Janil Puthucheary's 3-year-old citizenship and absence from serving NS and reservist duty before being parachuted as a MP in Punggol GRC? [Link] Oops, he was busy saving kids' live at KK?

Bet that will even make Kumar laugh!



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