[PAP losing touch?]
Last month several youths had met up with a closed-door discussion. Many times, I have had people come up to me to blow trumpets of why the like the PAP. Some of my friends at SMU are very critical. But that discussion last month was the ultimate. I felt it was the most honest discussion I've had so far.

Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo once taught me about leadership. It is 60% IQ and 40% EQ. And perhaps the ruling party has been doing so well in developing the 60% of the system that it has neglected the 40%.

I was looking back at one of my interview transcripts (I always record down what I say) and I had mentioned a caring Singapore Government. But the flaw of the system was that too much is concentrated in top-down policy making that seems to make it "imposed" on the people.

I have no doubts that the Singapore Government cares - and I am not saying this because I am in part of the party. I say this because I have seen what has been done for people who have fallen through the cracks of policy making. The only contention that I have is that perhaps sometimes, this caring side of the Government is seldom seen.

Sometimes we have to take the "bitter medicine" to prepare ourselves for the future ahead. But somehow, there is a tinge of sweet aftertaste which I hope will exist.

So instead of continuing to develop the 60%, effort should be taken to harness the 40%. If only.