We are at the half way mark of the General Elections 2015 (GE2015) campaign. And I do not like what I see, because as far as I know, there’s far little about what each party has installed for the future from what I gathered.
The PAP simply boasts about its achievements of the past 50 years, but is rather vauge on the plan going forward. Personally, I am sick of them trying to milk the legacy of the late Lee Kuan Yew. Enough is enough already. You chaps aren’t Lee Kuan Yew. PM Lee seems to think of the immigration and foreigner PMET issue as no big deal, and simply expects us to just “trust them” on it. That’s the cue that I should be looking elsewhere with my vote as well, unless someone can to my satisfaction account for CECA and why I continually feel like a minority in my country of birth .
As for some of the smallers parties like the Reform Party, the People’s Power Party, the Singapore First Party and National Solidarity Party, they simply continue to focus on public anger, and riding on the fat hope that they can ride that into Parliament. That isn’t so bad but some like the RP and NSP are clearly are doing a very good job doing themelves in. They probably breathed a sigh of relief that Lim Swee Say isn’t from the opposition. Anyway, Mr Cheo of the NSP, it is my considered opinion that motherhood isn’t a weakness, especially when you have a fellow single-mother in your party in a GRC team. The low TFR and women in the workforce these days made motherhood even more respectable. It simply isn’t something you should be joking about and my recommedation is that you should retire from politics along with Steve Chia.
As for the SPP, it was with great admiration when I saw Mr Chiam See Tong walked to the pulpit – even though with much difficulties – and make a speech. It was the symbol of a fighter, and yet also a symbol of all that is wrong with the SPP – the lack of new blood and a leadership renewal. Chiam will not be there forever.
While I can’t remember most of the speech of the other SPP candidates, Nadine Yap’s speech left a lasting impression when she talked about how some people who fall through the cracks are helped and that the government really doesn’t know everything nor does it have the best solutions for all the problems. If anyone were to tell me the opposition is out there to oppose for the sake of opposing, then Nadine would be my ‘poster girl’ to refute such claims. These are people who believed in a cause, and in making good something the PAP simply isn’t doing enough, if not doesn’t give a damn shit about.
The SDP is the only party who not only talks about the current problems, but suggest alternate policies. It is however difficult to make the electorate buy them even when they are the only ones who actually talks about a plan. They have a lot of people with good qualifications who speak eloquently. Sadly, getting the vote is not just about making good speeches but I still wish them all the best. Unlike what the media may make the SDP out to be, these are not some crazies and perhaps maybe the ones who will give to the younger generation of Singaporeans the Singapore they are looking for.
As for the Workers’ Party [WP], I am sick of listening to endless arguments over AHPETC and who is right or wrong. Let me just say this, I think all the clarifications the WP has done is good enough, but yet not enough. Let me explain why.
I understand the WP’s need to keep up with this, because not everyone is as well connected to the Internet and social media. Thus, there is this need to continually drum it into us. But it is still not enough even though I have already accepted that the state of affairs as is, and even viewed it as a set up.
It is not enough to tell me the manner in which AIM got hold of all the town councils’ computer system is much worse, and that the books at the People’s Association [PA] are in an even sorrier state. A number of us are already sick of the PAP’s hypocrisy and double standards and trust me there will definitely be a reckoning for that.
It is not enough because WP hasn’t shown itself to be better and different from the PAP, a party who never apologises and just tell us to ‘move on’ and simply expects we accept their often less than satisfactory clarifications. Show us you can do better than that, WP. A lot of us can see you are now doing your utmost to make things right in AHPETC, and things are getting better. But, tell the residents of Aljunied, Hougang and Punggol East, you are sorry you under-estimated the scope of the task you have taken over, because it was exponentially bigger than what you have managed previously in just Hougang SMC. Tell them you are sorry you did not do better and you understand their disappointment that you haven’t quite live up to expectations. Tell them their disappointment did not discourage you but instead inspired you to do better because you wanted to live up to their expectations.
Many of us will always be here to cheer you, because we all wanted so much for you to succeed.
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Next, I am utterly disgusted that we have taken a step backwards in our political progress. It reminds me of the gutter politics in 1990s. It utterly offends me when Lawrence Wong and Sim Ann took Dr Chee to task for something that he has already been punished for. This is not the old days where we get all taken in by all that talk about integrity and moral greatness. It’s not like people from the PAP are all paragons of virtue. We all remember from the not so distant past, Michael Palmer and Choo Wee Khiang.
I suppose Sim Ann should know the legal and justice system was never designed to make an offender accept or admit what he has done as wrong. That’s the function of religion. Even though I am not even saying what Dr Chee is doing back then is wrong, I disagreed with and is offended by his methods. But Dr Chee has already been punished, and no one, much less Lawrence Wong and Sim Ann should demand more than a pound of flesh. How presumptious of them to believe they can ride the moral high horse and beat Dr Chee with this big stick!
Lawrence Wong might want to know I am not entirely satisfied with the explanation given for the grass used for the pitch in the Sports Hub. If both Wong and Sim wants to take others to task, then expect the electorate to closer scrutinise what they do in the years ahead, should they get re-elected. Do note, we will probably be about as kind to them as they have been to Dr Chee. Live by the very standards you demand of others, alright? I wouldn’t guarantee we would be as gracious to them if they have taken the same path as Mr Lui.
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Lastly, I am not liking the campaign so far because I have seen at least two messages on social media that I object to. Take a look at the one on the right. While I am no fan of the Pink Dot movement, I am appalled by the depth some people go to distort the WP Manifesto (see image on right).
A wiser and calmer soul rightly pointed out: Repeal of Public Order Act only allows peaceful freedom of assembly by all citizens and does not mean support of Pink Dot event which takes place at Hong Lim park every year as approved by the authorities. WP will not be the government even if it wins all the 28 parliamentary seats it is contesting, only the PAP as the government can repeal Sction 377A of the Penal Code and enact laws to allow gay marriages. It maybe argued that it is actually the PAP who supports Pink Dot by allowing their annual event and also by openly saying that it will not enforce section 377A strictly unless the act is committed publicly. In fact, the civil service already take in homosexuals since the 1990s.
To add on, the accusation that the WP supports the LGBT lobby offends me on two levels. First of all, the above has only gone further to enforce the impression that Christianity is nothing but a bigoted religion of haters. How does this help to win more souls for Christ? I disagree with Pink Dot, but they are free to assemble and make their view known even when I disagree with them. I only expect the same courtesy in return. As a Christian, I remember that God has allowed me to live, when I was foolish enough to declare “There is no God!” in the follies of my youth. Shame on the person who attempts to slander and manipulate religious sentiments against the WP, simply to drive swing voters towards the ruling party. By serving your own political agenda, it wins Christians no friends in the secular world, and it hardens the hearts of those who have yet to know Jesus.
Other than the above, there is this message that was forwarded on Whatsapp (see below), allegedly sent from Sylvia Lim of WP. The sub-standard message itself would have given a bad impression of the WP candidate, and it was pretty clear that isn’t the kind of message the WP has been trying to bring to the electorate. The message actually contains some elements of what the WP and the SDP have put forward, and it suggest to me the person who put this up seems to want to bring the two opposition party into a confrontation. Pretty interesting to see why the other parties are left pretty much alone while the SDP and WP seems to get all of the ‘love and attention’
I am not sure how far and wide the message has spread, but for those of us who know how strictly WP has controlled media release, they would have been aware nothing of this sort will ever get onto any media without first appearing on WP’s official webpage. So if you see any more of such crap being forwarded to you, do not forward them.
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By the way, I almost forgot… I dislike Han Hui Hui. I personally think she should get gainfully employed and not live on donations. If you shared my sentiments, that’s fine. But please do not go and harass her at her rallies. That’s unbecoming and rude, and it also flies in the face of the concept of a democratic society. At least give her the respect for having the courage to stand for elections. In fact, at one point of time the tic-for-tac responses between the PAP and WP over AHPETC actually made even Han Hui Hui looked visionary. At least, she’s keeping to her cause on the CPF. That determination in itself is something admirable, even when I don’t agree with her methods.