The Singapore Commentator

Janadas Devan writes some rather sharp opinion pieces for The Straits Times. Today’s article parodying the presidential debate in the United States shows he can inject some humour into his writing as well.

In the article, he calls President George W. Bush Tweedledum and Senator John F. Kerry Tweedledee. On the question of cutting the budget deficit, he had Tweedledum give this proposal:

Tweedledum: Cut taxes. Tax revenue is not the government’s money. It belongs to taxpayers.

My opponent has a different philosophy. He believes the government should raise taxes and spend the money. I believe the government should return to taxpayers money the government doesn’t have, and spend Japanese, Chinese, European and Arab money instead.

My opponent calls me a unilateralist. That’s not true. My fiscal policy is more multilateralist than even Ronald Reagan’s was. It is more multilateralist than even my Daddy’s. Daddy and Reagan, after all, were a little ashamed of their deficits and raised taxes. I have no shame.

On the question of over-stretched US forces around the world, he had Tweedledee give this response:

Tweedledee: I have a plan. I’ll begin withdrawing US forces from Iraq within six months of taking office. I’ll train reluctant Iraqis to fight a war we started. And I’ll call a summit and get the French and Germans to join the fight.

A Tweedledee administration will stop outsourcing jobs and begin outsourcing national security.

Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what other countries can do for your country.

I wonder whether he’ll ever get around to giving Singapore politics the same treatment in The Straits Times.