The same talk was run during the Tennyson short campaign stint. It seems to be a malady among the so called elite of the Labour Party that their selected academics are politicians. Foolishness at its peak.
Residents in a constituency might not be able to define what a politician is, but they surely can name you one if asked.
Amazingly, a majority of the candidates possess good academic qualifications, with a number of them winning prestigious scholarships awarded by the government.
However, a question comes begging in my mind - Is it necessary for a person to possess excellent academic qualifications in order to become a good and able politician?
Still, we should not take any credit away from the candidates in view of the question raised, because in my honest opinion, these candidates will make accomplished or better still, high-flying professionals in their various fields with their excellent qualifications. In order to answer the question raised earlier, there are considerations one would have to make. Firstly, we will have to consider whether or not the educational environment contributes to one's political aptitude.
Secondly, we have to ajudge the relevance of a university degree and the magnitude of its application in political situations and environment. Lastly and most importantly, we also need to take into account the essential qualities of a good and able politician and consider their importance over academic qualifications.
In order to assess the relevance of a university degree in political situations, we will have to consider the implications of a university degree, or put simply, what a university degree represents. Most will agree that a university degree represents one of the highest attainable educational qualifications(of course behind PhD), hence, one gains professional status in his/her respective field if he/she possesses a degree. The experience a university graduate undergoes in political situations and environment is very much different from that he undergoes when he is practising in his profession, be it as a doctor for a medical graduate, engineer for an engineering graduate, lawyer for a law graduate, etc. The political arena, fraught with its fair share of problems, complications and uncertainties, require a different set of qualifications, which I will discuss in the subsequent paragraph, from that of a degree. An exception to the arguement is related to the one raised in the first paragraph, when there are degree programs in Political Engineering which trains graduates for future roles in politics! The few essential qualities a model politician should possess are as follows - dynamism, wisdom, will to serve the people and a good fighting spirit. Dynamism is important, especially in the socio-economic climate of Singapore (St.Lucia). Individuals ,who are dynamic, possess the creativity to come up with innovative solutions in order to negotiate the endless situations that await them. Singapore (St.Lucia) is susceptible to the flux in the global climate and it is important for its leaders to be dynamic enough to find creative and innovative solutions to deal with the changes in order to ensure its well-being. Wisdom is also important in the decision-making process at the highest level where potential traps and pitfalls are avoided and the correct path is chosen, safeguarding the interests of Singapore.(St.Lucia)
The will to serve the people is extremely essential. It is the most fundamental reason why some choose to go into politics, especially in the west. Good politicians display this will through their acts of self- sacrifice, giving up their comfortable life and jobs for the greater good of the people. It is heartening to note that a number of PAP candidates (UWP Party) possess this will which is apparent in their biography where they described how they volunteered their services to serve the community at grassroots level, sacrificing the time spent with their families. Politicians ,who possess such a will, will always consider the welfare and well-being of the people as the top priority as they plan the policies.
A good fighting spirit is also a major attribute of a model politician. When politicians suffer setbacks, there will definitely be catcalls from the public. The will to soldier on despite the setback and win back the public emanates from a good fighting spirit. In times of adversity, leaders with good fighting spirit will set an example, boosting the morale of the people. Hence, the importance of such qualities certainly outweigh that of academic qualifications. In conclusion, as far as the question is concerned, academic qualifications will only serve as an addition to the resume of a politician, only to be overshadowed by the more essential qualities of a model politician - dynamism, wisdom, good fighting spirit and desire to serve the people. Thus, whether or not a political candidate possess good academic qualifications is not important, because what really matters is whether or not he possesses the aforesaid qualities. The example of Australian senator, Paul Calvert, typefies this description of a model politician. Despite the fact that Paul did not possess a university degree, he was appointed President of the Senate! Date: 3 June 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------------Amazingly, a majority of the candidates possess good academic qualifications, with a number of them winning prestigious scholarships awarded by the government.
However, a question comes begging in my mind - Is it necessary for a person to possess excellent academic qualifications in order to become a good and able politician?
Still, we should not take any credit away from the candidates in view of the question raised, because in my honest opinion, these candidates will make accomplished or better still, high-flying professionals in their various fields with their excellent qualifications. In order to answer the question raised earlier, there are considerations one would have to make. Firstly, we will have to consider whether or not the educational environment contributes to one's political aptitude.
Secondly, we have to ajudge the relevance of a university degree and the magnitude of its application in political situations and environment. Lastly and most importantly, we also need to take into account the essential qualities of a good and able politician and consider their importance over academic qualifications.
The first consideration is a forgone conclusion. The educational process from primary to tertiary level contributes very little or perhaps may not even contribute to one's aptitude as a politician. The possible reason is that the academic environment one goes through in the process of his/her education is not conducive and viable enough to boost his/her political aptitude. A typical student would have to grapple with the intricacies of his Math, Science and Humanities subjects at primary and secondary level, and pursue specialization courses at university level within the field which he/she intends to pursue, all these accomplished in an academic environment. Unless, a special school is set up to specially train future politicians, we can still safely conclude that one who fares well in his education do not necessarily possess the ability(s) to become a politician.
In order to assess the relevance of a university degree in political situations, we will have to consider the implications of a university degree, or put simply, what a university degree represents. Most will agree that a university degree represents one of the highest attainable educational qualifications(of course behind PhD), hence, one gains professional status in his/her respective field if he/she possesses a degree. The experience a university graduate undergoes in political situations and environment is very much different from that he undergoes when he is practising in his profession, be it as a doctor for a medical graduate, engineer for an engineering graduate, lawyer for a law graduate, etc. The political arena, fraught with its fair share of problems, complications and uncertainties, require a different set of qualifications, which I will discuss in the subsequent paragraph, from that of a degree. An exception to the arguement is related to the one raised in the first paragraph, when there are degree programs in Political Engineering which trains graduates for future roles in politics! The few essential qualities a model politician should possess are as follows - dynamism, wisdom, will to serve the people and a good fighting spirit. Dynamism is important, especially in the socio-economic climate of Singapore. Individuals ,who are dynamic, possess the creativity to come up with innovative solutions in order to negotiate the endless situations that await them. Singapore is susceptible to the flux in the global climate and it is important for its leaders to be dynamic enough to find creative and innovative solutions to deal with the changes in order to ensure its well-being. Wisdom is also important in the decision-making process at the highest level where potential traps and pitfalls are avoided and the correct path is chosen, safeguarding the interests of Singapore.
The will to serve the people is extremely essential. It is the most fundamental reason why some choose to go into politics, especially in the west. Good politicians display this will through their acts of self- sacrifice, giving up their comfortable life and jobs for the greater good of the people. It is heartening to note that a number of PAP candidates possess this will which is apparent in their biography where they described how they volunteered their services to serve the community at grassroots level, sacrificing the time spent with their families. Politicians ,who possess such a will, will always consider the welfare and well-being of the people as the top priority as they plan the policies.
A good fighting spirit is also a major attribute of a model politician. When politicians suffer setbacks, there will definitely be catcalls from the public. The will to soldier on despite the setback and win back the public emanates from a good fighting spirit. In times of adversity, leaders with good fighting spirit will set an example, boosting the morale of the people. Hence, the importance of such qualities certainly outweigh that of academic qualifications. In conclusion, as far as the question is concerned, academic qualifications will only serve as an addition to the resume of a politician, only to be overshadowed by the more essential qualities of a model politician - dynamism, wisdom, good fighting spirit and desire to serve the people. Thus, whether or not a political candidate possess good academic qualifications is not important, because what really matters is whether or not he possesses the aforesaid qualities. The example of Australian senator, Paul Calvert, typefies this description of a model politician. Despite the fact that Paul did not possess a university degree, he was appointed President of the Senate! Date: 3 June 2003
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