Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has rebutted criticism by Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang that the PAP is not a First World government.

Mr Lee said that if the PAP did not have the capabilities of a First World government, Singapore would not have risen up to the First World standards as measured by the World Bank, the World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) and the Transparency International.

The Minister Mentor's rebuttal was issued in a statement by his Press Secretary on Tuesday.

The opposition chief made his comment on Monday, after the Minister Mentor said over the weekend that Singapore would not have a First World parliament without First World opposition candidates.

In Tuesday's statement, Mr Lee reiterated that the PAP would respond at the level the opposition chooses to fight for votes.

When dealing with opposition like the Workers' Party when it was headed by Mr J B Jeyaretnam - whom Mr Lee said "played by the standards of the street fighters" - he stressed that the PAP must respond in kind.

The Minister Mentor added that the Workers' Party under Mr Low Thia Khiang must take this opportunity of having got rid of Mr Jeyaretnam to begin the process of getting the Workers' Party to First World standards. - CNA/ir

I am not sure whats wrong with me, but one thing i know about first world politics, is that politicians do not tell each other "You are not first world." Elections were held in UK quite recently. Guess what they talked about, among other things? Education and Healthcare.

The Worker's Party Manifesto is a concerted effort to talk about real issues.

Why are we not talking about them?

I know, I know - because even politics in Singapore is not first world!