<TABLE class=forumline border=0 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=row1 vAlign=top width=150 align=left>yenyenpark
Joined: 26 Aug 2009
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 10:05 pm Post subject: A volunteer of an opposition party</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap>
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>A volunteer of an opposition party
May 13th, 2011 | Author: Contributions
I am a volunteer of an opposition party during this GE 2011 and would like to talk about the average day of an opposition candidate during campaigning.
I am quoting this from another netizen Dell Tan :
‘Ms Sylvia Lim has said that the life of an opposition candidate is not a glamorous one. There will be little or no media coverage, and the job of covering the ground is a quiet, laborious and thankless one.’
Yes, it can be so tiring during campaigning that it is equivalent to a 40km road march everyday with a *censored*. During campaigning, most of the candidates will have an average of 4-5 hours of sleep per day (some are not able to sleep immediately because of a the adrenalin rush due to the hectic day shedule).
You will find that it is impossible to comb all the blocks in the contituency while carrying loads of flyers for the residents. The candidates not only have to walk the HDB blocks, coffee shops, markets and food centres, they also have to prepare speeches for rallies (speeches may have to change according to the lastest development from the attacks from the ruling party and responses from residents and reporters) and stay fresh or at least look fresh for rallies.
The oppositions have very little resources and manpower unlike the ruling party who can easily muster thousands to help them ease their workloads.
As for Nicole Seah, it could be even worst because of her sudden popularity, she keeps receiving calls from reporters and well wishers. I estimated that she can easily receive 40 – 60 calls per day during campaigning! If every call takes about 5-8 mins, about 3.6 – 8 hours per day is needed to handle these up calls. I don’t think with her tigh schedule, she can pick up all calls. This is not to mention that she had to read messages and reply to the numerous fans on her Facebook. If she don’t reply, I think many will complain again!
I think everybody were well aware that Nicole was sick during the campaigning, due to stress and exhaustion.
As for Goh Meng Seng, he had to take over more roles. He had to run as a candidate and coordinate the varies GRC and SMC candidates that were contesting. Due to the sudden demise of his brother David, who is also his principal election agent, Meng Seng was thrown into sadness and confusion. His job was even made tougher because of the fact that many of his candidates were first timers.
I believed most Singaporeans were well aware that our system needs to fill up many forms to get things done. It is more so for participating in an election! Forms and rules keep changing every election and many oppositions had to learn the procedures all over again! I believed everybody will understand how easy it is for an opposition candidates to be disqualified when they had fill up a form wrongly! This had also added more work to Meng Seng’s load.
Some citizens blamed him for being ‘greedy’. But they do not know that candidates needs to be groomed and tested in actual elections? How many oppositions candidates were elected as MPs on their first election? The answer is NONE except Sylvia, who had only become an NCMP on her first election. Opposition candidates were never as lucky as those of the ruling party where green horns and even unpopular ones can become MPs riding on the tail coats of ministers in GRCs. Opposition candidates had to fight bloody uphill battles into parliament. Even WP had only managed to retain 1 MP and gain a NCMP in GE 2006. But now, WP is much stronger because of the many veterans in the party.
If Meng Seng were to be blamed, his only fault will be that of hoping to bring NSP to the next level by GE 2016. He does not want to waste another 5 precious years to prepare another majority green horn team again!
Unlike the ruling party, most of the opposition volunteers or even party members like those of NSP were average citizens. They had their own job during the day. Their help is very limited to only in the evening or weekends or at most a full day or two by applying for leave.
So, it is always left to the candidates themselves, a few of their family members and some very supportive friends to work very hard and getting things done! When volunteers feel tired, they can don’t turn up, because they are not obliged to. But for the candidates, can they just leave the battlefield half way?
Please remember this, in the next election, look at the number of posters that was hung by the oppositions on lamp posts around your contituency. You will be amazed by number of posters hung by a very small number of volunteers and the candidates themselves.
The opposition candidates will try very hard to comb their contituencies, but I can tell you that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMB ALL THE BLOCKS, ESPECIALLY IN A GRC! If you don’t believe me, walk 5 blocks and on every floor around your house and see how much time you need to do that. Multiple the average time with the number of blocks in your ward and you will realise why I had claim that it is impossible to do so. Furthermore, the candidates had to spend time to talk or listen to the residents when they do house visits!
Unfortunately, many residents had complained that the candidates did not visit their block/house. I would also like to ask this question to those who complained about the opposition candidates not visiting you block. Did your MP visit your block for the last 5 years? Or how many of you have met your MPs during the last 5 years, unless you go and see them in the meet-the-people session? How many of you actually met your MP, instead of the assistant during the meet the meet-the-people session?
I think the answer is obvious!
Please ask youself this. What is the main reason for you to vote for a certain candidate to be your MP? To met them regularly and shake their hand every now and then?
The most import responsibility of an MP is to represent us in the parliament. To fight for our rights. But how many of you felt that your MPs had represented you and fight for your rights in parliament for the last 5 years?
Next, the MPs should manage their wards properly that they were assigned to. I stayed in Telok Blangah Cresent. When I shifted in 10 years ago, it was quite clean. But now, I find my neighbourhood filled with litters everywhere!
Maybe my ward which is under the Tanjong Pagar GRC before GE 2011 had too many walk overs in the past. We have been forgotten and neglected. However, the most amusing part is the Town Council of Tanjong Pagar GRC was election the best Town Council in 2010.
After many years of walk overs, most of us suddenly have a chance to vote again in GE 2011. May I ask all my fellow citizens, who gave us this chance? The ruling party or the oppositions?
Without the oppositions contesting for 82 out of the 87 seats, what is the odds that the ruling party will announce a ‘hold’ to the increase of GST for next 5 years? To refresh your memory, our GST was raised from 5 to 7 percent shortly after GE 2006!
For the past 5 years, we had been called daft, lower mortals, told to be faster, cheaper and better, told to repent and the many other lectures by those in power. When our Prime Minister apologised to us for the first time in our history, do you not feel that you have regained some of your dignity? Do you think that this is possible without the oppositions?
As a volunteer, I was worried initially, because of the rumours that had been circulating for years. I too fear of reprisal from those in power. But, when I saw the dedication in the opposition, my fear disappears.
During my time with the oppositions, we received many complaints. But quite a few of these ‘complaints’ were directed at the OPPOSITIONS!
Some of the complaints were: The oppositions did not fight for their rights in the parliament. The oppositions did not visit their block/house earlier, the opposition cannot help them with their financial problems, the oppositions cannot promise them upgrading in their wards, ………
To me, most of these complaints sound stupid. But for the opposition candidates, they still have to explain their position and situation to these whiners patiently.
Oppositions like Sylvia can only ‘expressed’ that life of an opposition candidate is a tough and a thankless one, which is true to my observation. But I would like to tell everybody this: IT IS MORE THAN THAT. There were lots of sacrifices that they had to make which many of us don’t see.
Many of us had not being able to vote for many years due to walk overs. We know that we were obliged to vote by the law, but did we realised it is not the obligation of the oppositions to give us that chance?
I sincerely hoped that in the next election, before we complain about any opposition candidates, please ask yourself this; Is our complaint valid and constructive? Who gives us this chance to vote again?
Note: I am not a party member of any opposition party at the moment, so my views may not represent those of the opposition party.
.
Marvin</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Joined: 26 Aug 2009
Posts: 3023
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 10:05 pm Post subject: A volunteer of an opposition party</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap>
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>A volunteer of an opposition party May 13th, 2011 | Author: Contributions
I am a volunteer of an opposition party during this GE 2011 and would like to talk about the average day of an opposition candidate during campaigning.
I am quoting this from another netizen Dell Tan :
‘Ms Sylvia Lim has said that the life of an opposition candidate is not a glamorous one. There will be little or no media coverage, and the job of covering the ground is a quiet, laborious and thankless one.’
Yes, it can be so tiring during campaigning that it is equivalent to a 40km road march everyday with a *censored*. During campaigning, most of the candidates will have an average of 4-5 hours of sleep per day (some are not able to sleep immediately because of a the adrenalin rush due to the hectic day shedule).
You will find that it is impossible to comb all the blocks in the contituency while carrying loads of flyers for the residents. The candidates not only have to walk the HDB blocks, coffee shops, markets and food centres, they also have to prepare speeches for rallies (speeches may have to change according to the lastest development from the attacks from the ruling party and responses from residents and reporters) and stay fresh or at least look fresh for rallies.
The oppositions have very little resources and manpower unlike the ruling party who can easily muster thousands to help them ease their workloads.
As for Nicole Seah, it could be even worst because of her sudden popularity, she keeps receiving calls from reporters and well wishers. I estimated that she can easily receive 40 – 60 calls per day during campaigning! If every call takes about 5-8 mins, about 3.6 – 8 hours per day is needed to handle these up calls. I don’t think with her tigh schedule, she can pick up all calls. This is not to mention that she had to read messages and reply to the numerous fans on her Facebook. If she don’t reply, I think many will complain again!
I think everybody were well aware that Nicole was sick during the campaigning, due to stress and exhaustion.
As for Goh Meng Seng, he had to take over more roles. He had to run as a candidate and coordinate the varies GRC and SMC candidates that were contesting. Due to the sudden demise of his brother David, who is also his principal election agent, Meng Seng was thrown into sadness and confusion. His job was even made tougher because of the fact that many of his candidates were first timers.
I believed most Singaporeans were well aware that our system needs to fill up many forms to get things done. It is more so for participating in an election! Forms and rules keep changing every election and many oppositions had to learn the procedures all over again! I believed everybody will understand how easy it is for an opposition candidates to be disqualified when they had fill up a form wrongly! This had also added more work to Meng Seng’s load.
Some citizens blamed him for being ‘greedy’. But they do not know that candidates needs to be groomed and tested in actual elections? How many oppositions candidates were elected as MPs on their first election? The answer is NONE except Sylvia, who had only become an NCMP on her first election. Opposition candidates were never as lucky as those of the ruling party where green horns and even unpopular ones can become MPs riding on the tail coats of ministers in GRCs. Opposition candidates had to fight bloody uphill battles into parliament. Even WP had only managed to retain 1 MP and gain a NCMP in GE 2006. But now, WP is much stronger because of the many veterans in the party.
If Meng Seng were to be blamed, his only fault will be that of hoping to bring NSP to the next level by GE 2016. He does not want to waste another 5 precious years to prepare another majority green horn team again!
Unlike the ruling party, most of the opposition volunteers or even party members like those of NSP were average citizens. They had their own job during the day. Their help is very limited to only in the evening or weekends or at most a full day or two by applying for leave.
So, it is always left to the candidates themselves, a few of their family members and some very supportive friends to work very hard and getting things done! When volunteers feel tired, they can don’t turn up, because they are not obliged to. But for the candidates, can they just leave the battlefield half way?
Please remember this, in the next election, look at the number of posters that was hung by the oppositions on lamp posts around your contituency. You will be amazed by number of posters hung by a very small number of volunteers and the candidates themselves.
The opposition candidates will try very hard to comb their contituencies, but I can tell you that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMB ALL THE BLOCKS, ESPECIALLY IN A GRC! If you don’t believe me, walk 5 blocks and on every floor around your house and see how much time you need to do that. Multiple the average time with the number of blocks in your ward and you will realise why I had claim that it is impossible to do so. Furthermore, the candidates had to spend time to talk or listen to the residents when they do house visits!
Unfortunately, many residents had complained that the candidates did not visit their block/house. I would also like to ask this question to those who complained about the opposition candidates not visiting you block. Did your MP visit your block for the last 5 years? Or how many of you have met your MPs during the last 5 years, unless you go and see them in the meet-the-people session? How many of you actually met your MP, instead of the assistant during the meet the meet-the-people session?
I think the answer is obvious!
Please ask youself this. What is the main reason for you to vote for a certain candidate to be your MP? To met them regularly and shake their hand every now and then?
The most import responsibility of an MP is to represent us in the parliament. To fight for our rights. But how many of you felt that your MPs had represented you and fight for your rights in parliament for the last 5 years?
Next, the MPs should manage their wards properly that they were assigned to. I stayed in Telok Blangah Cresent. When I shifted in 10 years ago, it was quite clean. But now, I find my neighbourhood filled with litters everywhere!
Maybe my ward which is under the Tanjong Pagar GRC before GE 2011 had too many walk overs in the past. We have been forgotten and neglected. However, the most amusing part is the Town Council of Tanjong Pagar GRC was election the best Town Council in 2010.
After many years of walk overs, most of us suddenly have a chance to vote again in GE 2011. May I ask all my fellow citizens, who gave us this chance? The ruling party or the oppositions?
Without the oppositions contesting for 82 out of the 87 seats, what is the odds that the ruling party will announce a ‘hold’ to the increase of GST for next 5 years? To refresh your memory, our GST was raised from 5 to 7 percent shortly after GE 2006!
For the past 5 years, we had been called daft, lower mortals, told to be faster, cheaper and better, told to repent and the many other lectures by those in power. When our Prime Minister apologised to us for the first time in our history, do you not feel that you have regained some of your dignity? Do you think that this is possible without the oppositions?
As a volunteer, I was worried initially, because of the rumours that had been circulating for years. I too fear of reprisal from those in power. But, when I saw the dedication in the opposition, my fear disappears.
During my time with the oppositions, we received many complaints. But quite a few of these ‘complaints’ were directed at the OPPOSITIONS!
Some of the complaints were: The oppositions did not fight for their rights in the parliament. The oppositions did not visit their block/house earlier, the opposition cannot help them with their financial problems, the oppositions cannot promise them upgrading in their wards, ………
To me, most of these complaints sound stupid. But for the opposition candidates, they still have to explain their position and situation to these whiners patiently.
Oppositions like Sylvia can only ‘expressed’ that life of an opposition candidate is a tough and a thankless one, which is true to my observation. But I would like to tell everybody this: IT IS MORE THAN THAT. There were lots of sacrifices that they had to make which many of us don’t see.
Many of us had not being able to vote for many years due to walk overs. We know that we were obliged to vote by the law, but did we realised it is not the obligation of the oppositions to give us that chance?
I sincerely hoped that in the next election, before we complain about any opposition candidates, please ask yourself this; Is our complaint valid and constructive? Who gives us this chance to vote again?
Note: I am not a party member of any opposition party at the moment, so my views may not represent those of the opposition party.
.
Marvin</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
