Sad news just in:: SDP has just withdrawing from the by-election

[yellowarse]

no lah no lah.... it a con job by sdp to trick pinkie into a by election lah.

Don't think so. BE took them by surprise. But it was a brilliant move:

- Avoid being seen as a spoiler
- shows up WP's arrogance

 

[tanwahp]

It's official. SDP sticks to its consistent message of opposition unity.

WP supporters, while sighing in relief, will paint it as 'chickening out'.

Let's see if WP reciprocates SDP's gesture in Hougang and Punggol East come GE2016. The ball is in WP's court.

I believe you are capable of objectivity, so do carry out a more objective analysis.

The problem is not SDP's withdrawal, but how their withdrawal contrasted with their insistence on contesting and all the drama that came along.

Those sighing in relief are mostly pan-opposition supporters who do not want to see a 3CF. They still make up most of those who support the opposition. SDP supporters should not create further damage by pissing them off by calling them WP supporters.

WP supporters were more pissed by SDP's insistence that WP had to play by their rules as if SDP was the CEC of the WP. Most of them were confident that SDP will lose their deposit anyway.

As for reciprocation, all the more this episode will make WP regard SDP less for one simple reason. If SDP really believed in avoiding 3CF, they would not have even announced that they want to contest.

 

[billisnotathome]

Not if it shows up once for all who's for and who's against opposition unity.

At the cost of the SDP alienating future 'moderate' (aka kiasi) voters with their antics and fucking hare-brained schemes? They have gained nothing, lost a fuck load of good-will and the whole saga just leaves a bad-taste in the fucking mouth for all sides. Let's just hope we get back to slinging arrows at the mother CBs who really deserve it during the hustings.

 

[wwabbit]

"Arrogance" is a subjective term often used by haters to describe what is genuinely justified confidence.

 

[godiva]

Not if it shows up once for all who's for and who's against opposition unity.

Hello your brain got problem or not.

NSP and SPP showed signs of opposition unity by declaring their non-interest very early.

SDP with their yes-no-yes-no drama is trying to potray opposition division ok.

Please get it right.

 

[Liquigas]

It is indeed sad news. Now we miss the opportunity to have a new and alternative voice from the Oppo to speak up for us in Parliament. WP already have 7 reps in Parliament so with the additional MP (a weak one as such) how much can it be enhanced in terms of their presence? But if we have brave men like VW or PT voted in, then things will be very different...

 

[CPT (NS) BRANDON]

Could this be a sign of internal dissent within SDP?

Perhaps Dr Wijeysingha, Dr Ang and Dr Tambyah all declined to be named as the candidate as they all didn't want to be seen as spoilers?

What other explanation could there be, after all the hoo-hah and acts of aggression and escalation by SDP?

So now we have SDA, RP and WP vs PAP?

I am actually disappointed as I thought one of the three Doctors would have made a good MP, and now there is an anti-climax after all the drama in the past few days.

RP and SDA are just making up the numbers, they have zero chance. Especially SDA's Desmond Lim who is a dud.

 

[CPT (NS) BRANDON]

I predict that the result will be something like this:

PAP 42%
WP 38%
RP 8%
SDA Less than 1%

Rest will be spoilt votes

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Tan,

The SDP like any party is a coalition of factions. Jufrie and Dr Chee wanted the contest. The potential candidates demured and backed down. I would have thought that VW would have followed Dr Chee's Lead no matter what.


Locke

I believe you are capable of objectivity, so do carry out a more objective analysis.

The problem is not SDP's withdrawal, but how their withdrawal contrasted with their insistence on contesting and all the drama that came along.

Those sighing in relief are mostly pan-opposition supporters who do not want to see a 3CF. They still make up most of those who support the opposition. SDP supporters should not create further damage by pissing them off by calling them WP supporters.

WP supporters were more pissed by SDP's insistence that WP had to play by their rules as if SDP was the CEC of the WP. Most of them were confident that SDP will lose their deposit anyway.

As for reciprocation, all the more this episode will make WP regard SDP less for one simple reason. If SDP really believed in avoiding 3CF, they would not have even announced that they want to contest.

 

[CPT (NS) BRANDON]

WP supporters were more pissed by SDP's insistence that WP had to play by their rules as if SDP was the CEC of the WP. Most of them were confident that SDP will lose their deposit anyway.

It is not only WP supporters who are pissed.

Even SDP supporters will be pissed.

PAP supporters will be glad - this is just a huge discredit to the opposition as a whole.

 

[tanwahp]

Don't think so. BE took them by surprise. But it was a brilliant move:

- Avoid being seen as a spoiler
- shows up WP's arrogance

And since you said SDP showed up WP as "arrogant", why should WP reciprocate?

 

[billisnotathome]

Including wasting the time of people out there who want to see the SDP ripped to shreds?

If I'm being honest, only a cunt of the highest order would enjoy seeing that. I am desperately hoping they wise up, get their act together in Holland/BT and bring that fucking assclown Vivian down in 2016.

 

[tanwahp]

Dear Tan,

The SDP like any party is a coalition of factions.

Not true. If you are small enough like RP and SDA, only one faction.

 

[tanwahp]

NSP and SPP showed signs of opposition unity by declaring their non-interest very early.

SDP with their yes-no-yes-no drama is trying to potray opposition division ok.

Well said.

 

[wwabbit]

It is indeed sad news. Now we miss the opportunity to have a new and alternative voice from the Oppo to speak up for us in Parliament. WP already have 7 reps in Parliament so with the additional MP (a weak one as such) how much can it be enhanced in terms of their presence? But if we have brave men like VW or PT voted in, then things will be very different...

You are assuming VW or PT had a chance in the first place.
There is no missed opportunity, just delusions of grandeur.

 

[godiva]

Well said.

SDP must change their leader. As long as CSJ is there, many middle-ground or even slightly pro-oppo supporters will be turn off by him.

 

[wwabbit]

I predict that the result will be something like this:

PAP 42%
WP 38%
RP 8%
SDA Less than 1%

Rest will be spoilt votes

you give RP way too much credit, I'd be surprise if they get any more than 2%

 

[yellowarse]

The problem is not SDP's withdrawal, but how their withdrawal contrasted with their insistence on contesting and all the drama that came along.

I don't have a hotline to the SDP CEC. 2 possibilities: 1. they wanted to contest while hoping to achieve a consensus with the other parties, but pulled out when that consensus could not be achieved; 2. it could be a ploy to convince supporters how SDP's call for unity will be rebuffed.

Either way, it was a move for unity, and puts the ball firmly in WP's court.

Those sighing in relief are mostly pan-opposition supporters who do not want to see a 3CF. They still make up most of those who support the opposition. SDP supporters should not create further damage by pissing them off by calling them WP supporters.

Not exactly true.

3 groups of supporters:

1. SDP supporters: they want SDP to contest and they're willing to accept 3CF because they know WP doesn't give a damn to other oppo parties

2. Non-partisan opposition supporters: there are some, as you say, who want a 2CF, whether it's WP vs PAP or SDP vs PAP - Scroobal was in this camp initially. But the more cynical ones I spoke to know that a deal can't be reached, but they want the best guy to go in because of WP's mediocre performance in parliament - for these folks, a 3CF is a given.

3. WP supporters - I think the majority would like a 2CF - judging by the responses here - for the simple reason that any other oppo party will split the vote, whether it loses its deposit or not.

As for reciprocation, all the more this episode will make WP regard SDP less for one simple reason. If SDP really believed in avoiding 3CF, they would not have even announced that they want to contest.

Most neutral observers would see this as SDP giving way in HG and PE. If SDP had announced right at the outset that it wasn't contesting, as NSP had done, it wouldn't have shown up WP's arrogance and the lack of opposition unity really boils down to one party.

 

[ray_of_hope]

you give RP way too much credit, I'd be surprise if they get any more than 2%

2% is also what I expect for RP, that is if its leader now chooses to contest.
He may have felt that if he lost badly he would have good company with him, in SDP.
Now that SDP has chickened-out I will not be surprised if RP follows suit.
If that happened it would be another chicken running out and then spinning some fanciful story about opposition unity.

 

[metalmickey]

The problem is not SDP's withdrawal, but how their withdrawal contrasted with their insistence on contesting and all the drama that came along.

Those sighing in relief are mostly pan-opposition supporters who do not want to see a 3CF. They still make up most of those who support the opposition. SDP supporters should not create further damage by pissing them off by calling them WP supporters.

WP supporters were more pissed by SDP's insistence that WP had to play by their rules as if SDP was the CEC of the WP. Most of them were confident that SDP will lose their deposit anyway.

As for reciprocation, all the more this episode will make WP regard SDP less for one simple reason. If SDP really believed in avoiding 3CF, they would not have even announced that they want to contest.

Sorry, being confident that Paul Thambyah will lose his deposit is a sure sign of arrogance.

At this point in time, nobody knows the real meaning of WP not responding to the emails. The WP no doubt wanted it that way. That is the purpose of silence, and silence can be interpreted in any number of ways.

The thing is that if at any point in the future, the WP continues to do things that are perceived as arrogant, they will be punished eventually. If there are talks over where people are going to contest in GE 2016 and the WP does not participate in these talks, people are going to look at them funny.

Who wins or who loses in this episode is far from clear.

What is very clear is that the stakes have been driven up as the result of this drama.

What is also very clear is that in this episode, the SDP has not triggered off the multi-corner fight.