Well even though SM Goh was comparing durians to rambutans, he has a point about learning from the Japanese. But why doesn’t he tell this to the elites rather than us peasants?
The following would have resigned or, bowed deeply asking for forgiveness, if they had had the Japanese spirit
— Wong Kan Seng over escape of and failure to captiure “terrorist”
— senior police officers for above especially over failure to watch his brother’s flat
— SMRT CEO for failing to set up a system to secure train depot
— his wife for calling $600,000 salary “peanuts”
— PM’s wife for being in charge of Temasek after it lost billions on Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Shin and ABC Learning
— other high ranking Temasek managers for the same
— whoever was responsible for Lions not reaching the 2010 footie world cup
— Mah Bow Tan for failing to anticpate that FTs will live in HDB flats
— transport minister for failing to anticipate that FTs will use public transport
— Water miniter for failing to prevent several consecutive “once in a century” floods.
— Malay minister for failing to keep MM abreast of developments in the Malay cummunity
— Malay minister’s sis for failing to correct MM on Malay integration when she had the opportunity to do so (she was part of team that supposedly challenged MM)
— VivienB for overspending on Kiddie Games
— whoever in MoF who consistently underestimates Budget revenues
— MM for being wrong on Malays, investment in banks etc .
This is not a comprehensive list and I may add to it.
My point is that SM is lecturing the wrong people. Us peasants only grumble. Those who do damage are allowed to “move on” without having to even admit they goofed.
Thoughts of a Cynical Investor 
I would have liked your post a little more if it was ” Respond honorably and responsibly – set example leh elites ” instead of calling it Japanese “spirit”.
As it stands, the average Singaporean mind has various inferiority complexes : SG young women having a preference towards and unfounded perception that Caucasian men are better, older SG folks having a colonial reverence for English decorum and culture ( instead of focusing on creating a brand of our own ) … Middle aged people using the term ang mo loosely and only when it is to describe a superior attribute ( are they so simple to not be able to tell between Germans, Americans, French, British, Greeks…. instead of lumping them all together !? )
if the avg keeps absorbing and building their model of the world bases upon simple analogies ad verbatim, how will we create uniquely confident and globally competitive young folks ?
As it stands, SG is already a racially diversified community, I will love my SG to aspire towards virtues instead of “modelling ourselves after a certain race”
Interesting point ))))