One of the things I have been thinking about recently, is which opposition party to join if I want to join one. And what are the reasons for not choosing to join a particular party.
Here are the reasons why I wouldn’t join these parties:
- SDP: With the media and the Tali-PAP heavy weight out in full power to discredit Dr Chee, the SDP will find it hard to win supporters or attract voters. While I have nothing against Dr. Chee and the SDP, I find it hard to agree with his means and whatever he is struggling about. One thing though, I’ll give it to the man and his family for the sacrifices they are making.
- NSP: There was a time
Steve Stiff Chia brought some excitement to the local political scene, after Dr. Chee ‘fell from grace’. Until his wife bust his ass and his maid photos, that is. My impression of the NSP – based on my lack of knowledge of their grassroot activities – gives me the impression of it being a ‘Election Party’, i.e. it only surfaces during elections and other than that, you don’t hear much about them in between elections. Why would anyone want to have anything to do with them at all if that’s the case?
- SPP: Chiam See Tong is a hero. In spite of the fact he’s called 暂时挡 (Temporary Block in Hokkien), he has survived quite a number of elections. Unfortunately, the future of the SPP does not look bright anymore. One must question, when the day comes for Chiam to retire, who will his successor be? There is no apparent successor or heir to Chiam’s legacy. It is sad that when Chiam retires, Potong Pasir may fall once again into the hands of the Tali-PAP, and the SPP may fade into obscurity.
- SDA: The names says it all. Singapore Democratic Alliance. One the surface, it would appear that it is an alliance of opposition parties. On of the functions of this alliance is to avoid 3 party fights during elections, and to pool resources to meet the ‘minority candidate’ requirements since some parties do not have enough members to run for elections. Sounds good on the surface, but it can also be viewed as some kind of under the table political trade, and it also means that a team of candidates could end up far from where they worked on the last time. In other words, while it might allow the opposition to contest more than half the seats so the Tali-PAP isn’t returned to power on the nomination day itself, the outcome is almost concluded the moment they agree who should run where.
So that leaves only one that I would consider joining, if I do join. And it’s the one not in the above list: The Workers’ Party – founded by David Marshall, the Workers’ Pary has been around for half a century.
With the exception of the James Gomez incident, my opinion of the Workers’ Party has generally been positive ever since the days of Joshua Jeyaretnam (though in recent years I do not quite agree with some of the things he says or the things he is doing). However, current party chairman Sylvia Lim and Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang appears to be down to earth, no nonsense individuals. They do not say things lightly, nor do they do things without any meaning.
The other thing I like about this political party is that it does not take voters for granted, as can be seen by its stronger showing in Hougang the last election. The WP works the ground relentlessly, and maintains a presence between elections. It is also quick to admit its short-comings, and is constantly renewing itself.
If there’s a party anyone want to join for an alternate future other than the one envisioned by the Tali-PAP, the Workers’ Party should be it.
