This is in response to the first several days of campaigning by both the incumbent party and the opposition and how the news is portrayed by mainstream media.
My advice to WP is to focus on "national" issues and not "local" or municipal issues. The PAP is a master of doing the segway and digressing to local municipal issues. We don't need ministers who are remunerated at such an exhorbitant level to talk about covered walkways, elevators on every floor and other banal issues. We want the ministers to discuss and debate how national policies on employment, housing, transport, immigration and education impact and improve the lives of Singaporeeans in the future. This, in my opinion, is what the General Election is about.
If there are citizens that are interested in municipal or prefecture based elections, they should relocate to a larger country where such polls are held. This is a national election and we should take this as seriously as how a citizen in the US or the UK votes.
I don't agree with MM Lee's comments on the WP team in Aljunied and the potential pitfalls that residents will have. This is the classic FUD - fear, uncertainty and doubt that incumbents try to use to gain maximum advantage. Singapore is a small city state and property prices, as we know, is based on "location, location, location" and not on GRCs.
I've attended 2 political rallies on Thursday and Friday and been reading mainstream media as well as content from alternative media platforms. My take is that the opposition parties have put up an incredible slate of candidates and contesting in 82 of the 87 seats. This is a great accomplishment and no easy task in Singapore with the GRC system and the strength of the incumbent party. In addition, they have done this with candidates of very high quality.
However, the electorate or the perception portrayed by the mainstream media is that the voters are asking irrelevant questions of the opposition. Track record - how can the opposition have track record when they are not MPs?; local municipal issues like covered walkways - is this really a priority in the General Elections?
I like to end my note with a quote from Chen Show Mao of the WP that voters need to use their head to vote, do this with heart and courage.
I cannot imagine how the incumbent party will rule this country if they are given a complete mandate with 87/87 seats with 2.2 million voters voting. Remember that in 2006 GE, there was only 1.2m voters with the incumbent gathering some 66% of the valid votes with significant constituencies being uncontested. This is the first time post independence that 82 seats are contested and I urge everyone to think carefully before you cast your ballot. Singaporeans have no reason nor excuse to lament about Government policies, over crowding, unemployment, immigration, costs should they give the incumbent party a 100% mandate in GE 2011.
While the electorate love to hear the political rhetoric in the opposition rallies reminiscing that it is like the good old days of a Malaysia Cup football match, this is serious business and we really need to do some introspection on what kind of socio-political culture we want to develop in Singapore.
God Bless Singapore and its people!
Shalom.
My advice to WP is to focus on "national" issues and not "local" or municipal issues. The PAP is a master of doing the segway and digressing to local municipal issues. We don't need ministers who are remunerated at such an exhorbitant level to talk about covered walkways, elevators on every floor and other banal issues. We want the ministers to discuss and debate how national policies on employment, housing, transport, immigration and education impact and improve the lives of Singaporeeans in the future. This, in my opinion, is what the General Election is about.
If there are citizens that are interested in municipal or prefecture based elections, they should relocate to a larger country where such polls are held. This is a national election and we should take this as seriously as how a citizen in the US or the UK votes.
I don't agree with MM Lee's comments on the WP team in Aljunied and the potential pitfalls that residents will have. This is the classic FUD - fear, uncertainty and doubt that incumbents try to use to gain maximum advantage. Singapore is a small city state and property prices, as we know, is based on "location, location, location" and not on GRCs.
I've attended 2 political rallies on Thursday and Friday and been reading mainstream media as well as content from alternative media platforms. My take is that the opposition parties have put up an incredible slate of candidates and contesting in 82 of the 87 seats. This is a great accomplishment and no easy task in Singapore with the GRC system and the strength of the incumbent party. In addition, they have done this with candidates of very high quality.
However, the electorate or the perception portrayed by the mainstream media is that the voters are asking irrelevant questions of the opposition. Track record - how can the opposition have track record when they are not MPs?; local municipal issues like covered walkways - is this really a priority in the General Elections?
I like to end my note with a quote from Chen Show Mao of the WP that voters need to use their head to vote, do this with heart and courage.
I cannot imagine how the incumbent party will rule this country if they are given a complete mandate with 87/87 seats with 2.2 million voters voting. Remember that in 2006 GE, there was only 1.2m voters with the incumbent gathering some 66% of the valid votes with significant constituencies being uncontested. This is the first time post independence that 82 seats are contested and I urge everyone to think carefully before you cast your ballot. Singaporeans have no reason nor excuse to lament about Government policies, over crowding, unemployment, immigration, costs should they give the incumbent party a 100% mandate in GE 2011.
While the electorate love to hear the political rhetoric in the opposition rallies reminiscing that it is like the good old days of a Malaysia Cup football match, this is serious business and we really need to do some introspection on what kind of socio-political culture we want to develop in Singapore.
God Bless Singapore and its people!
Shalom.
