新加坡国会：部长与反对党议员以潮州话对话

(没有中午的)

March 9, 2005
Casino - porridge cooked, why wait?

By Leslie Koh

THE Government is not letting the casino debate be stirred further and become a general election issue.

Why? The 'porridge' will have been cooked by then, said Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang yesterday, quoting a Teochew saying. There's been almost a year of discussion and it's time to turn off the heat, he said when rejecting opposition MP Low Thia Khiang's call for the Government to delay its decision and make the casino an election issue.

The election, Mr Lim noted, does not have to take place until 2007, and the Government sees no reason to wait another two years.

'Mr Low Thia Khiang is a Teochew, so I'll use the phrase, by that time, mueh sek already,' he said, drawing laughter from the House.

Literally translated as 'porridge cooked', the saying means it is too late to add or do anything to the porridge because it is cooked.

The amused Hougang MP countered with another Teochew saying, hor liao tim toi, mang mang lai - meaning 'take your time and you will discover the good things hidden inside'.

Mr Low argued that more time was needed and Singaporeans should be allowed to express their views through a vote - such as at election time. 'What is the hurry? Are we going to run into economic difficulties or problems if we were to delay the decision on the casino issue?' he asked.

He made it clear he was personally against having a casino. The economic benefits of having one, he said, were not certain enough to justify the risks. 'Why should we take the risk? Is it a manageable risk? I don't think so.'


http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/singapore/story/0,5562,304560,00.html

jing hor qio...<- very funny..