Vivi is no angel

You don't mess with VB!!!

okie?

Vivian Balakrishnan teaching the Workers' Party's MPs a lesson in parliament is all the rage this week. The environment minister traded barbs with WP chairman Sylvia Lim over the issue of cleaning up hawker centres. Vivi alleged that Sylvia and fellow WP MP Pritam Singh made "false" and "untruthful" statements. Sylvia rebutted those claims while Pritam stayed silent throughout the process.

Vivi claimed that WP's town council tried to levy extra charges on hawkers when it was supposed to be in charge of all the cleaning. After an expected retort from his target, the minister went on to unveil a dossier that displayed a quotation made by ATL maintenance, the town council’s contractor, to the hawkers, indicating that the cleaning of high areas would be $7200.

The dossier also stated that unreachable spots would not be cleaned and hawkers are required to bear additional costs. Vivi also declared that the town council's property manager asked for more money to clean the higher spots.

While the mainstream media was "fast and furious" at portraying Vivian Balakrishnan as some sort of righteous politician lecturing the newbies, there is still much to think about before we give this man in white some credit.

Without a doubt, Vivi and PAP emerged as the winners this time after the Punggol East humiliation half a year back. However, Vivian Balakrishnan himself is hardly clear of negativity since stepping into the political arena twelve years ago.

He was famous or rather infamous for sarcastically rejecting fellow PAP MP Lily Neo's request for increasing social welfare by a dollar a day when he still minister of community development, youth and sports. "How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?". That was and will always be Vivi's trademark quote.

Vivi, who is an ophthalmologist by profession, also delved into the dirty side of politics during the watershed general election in 2011. He questioned whether the opposition Singapore Democratic Party and its candidate Vincent Wijeysingha were pursuing a "gay agenda". SDP was quick to deny it. Although the matter was not brought up again, Vivi was at the receiving end of brickbats in cyberspace for the low blow.

The biggest political gaffe of Dr. Balakrishnan has got be the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. Vivi, who was then heading MCYS, had to deal with a number of screw-ups. From the bursting of the $104 million budget to the food poisoning of volunteers to the lack of manpower, everyday just seemed to get worse for the organizing committee. Singapore ended up as a laughing stock for organizing a failed international sports day for teenagers.

Back to 2013. While Sylvia Lim should just shut up, raise the white falg and apologize, she is still a politician whom I have more faith in than Balakrishnan. There will always be ups and downs. PAP had countless of downs but are still ruling the country. It is important that WP and other opposition parties take this as a learning opportunity to enhance their credibility.