First-Class

Guys and gals, it's official. According to the Straits Times (March 23, 2007), a new class of Singaporeans have emerged as victims of globalization, with "salaries well below the benchmark".

World-renowned, internationally respected and globally esteemed first-class Prime Minister Brigadier General Lee Hsien Long presented "an urgent problem" in the Administrative Dinner last night. Meticulously, he built up his agenda and concluded convincingly that "besides Civil Service salaries, we are also reviewing salaries for the political, judicial and statutory appointment holders."

Initially, I wanted to highlight the various statements made by our dear revered PM of how competent our government is...

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The Government has pursued sound policies to create an environment that is secure, competitive and pro-growth.
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As a result, Singapore has established a good brand name, and enhanced its reputation for sound government and an excellent public service.
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We did well across all indicators, but especially in the measure of governance, such as the quality of the civil service, the effectiveness of government policies, and the lack of corruption.

Singaporeans also know that when we run into problems, be it Sars or dengue fever or terrorism, they can feel protected and safe because somehow, the ministers and civil servants will figure a way out, and work day and night to keep the situation in Singapore under control.
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But soon, I realized that this entry would be tediously protracted with quotes of how immensely wonderful our leaders are.

So I decided to count the number of times the pet phrase "First-Class" was used in our outstanding Prime Minister's speech.
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It totalled a magical SEVEN times.