What is happening ?

Few months back MM Lee said that our national pledge is not a pledge but an 'aspiration'. Then in July 09, he said Singapore is not a nation yet, but 'in transition of being one.'

Now we have our Law Minister Mr Shanmugam saying that we are not a country but a 'city.'

On 30 Oct 09 in The Straits Time, it was reported that he said :
‘This is where most people make a mistake…I have tried to explain that we are different. We are a city. We are not a country,’ he told 200 lawyers, many from America, at the New York State Bar Association International Section’s meeting here.

So is this a case of those in authority twisting logic to suit the situation ?