Is opposition capable of taking over government?

[metalslug]

http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/4692-is-opposition-capable-of-taking-over-government-

Is opposition capable of taking over government?
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Singapore Democrats

The Today newspaper contacted the SDP and wanted our reaction to the Workers' Party's statement that it was not ready to govern at this point in time. The newspaper asked the Singapore Democrats the following questions:

"Ms Sylvia Lim of Workers’ Party mentioned that WP was not ready to govern at this point in time. Do you think the Opposition collectively is able to form a coalition government? Why or why not? Going by past elections, the ruling party could use the Opposition’s comments (about not being ready to govern) to warn voters against voting for the Opposition.

"For instance, should there be a 'freak' result and the Opposition would have to form a government even if it is not ready. How could the Opposition counter such an argument by the ruling party?"

Neo Chai Chin
MediaCorp Newshub
[email protected]

Dear Neo Chai Chin,

The question of whether the opposition is ready to govern is a red herring. Didn't Mr Lee Kuan Yew say that if there was a 'freak' election, he would call in the army?

For any opposition to become government the election system would have to be free and fair. We don't have an independent elections commission. Our Elections Department works from under the Prime Minister's Office.

If that is not enough the entire Singapore Press Holdings, which publishes all our newspapers, is chaired by former deputy prime minister and PAP card-carrying member, Dr Tony Tan. All these publications do one thing very well - sing the praises of the PAP. Everyday. Every year. For the past half-a-century.

And didn't Mr Lee Hsien Loong admit himself at the last general elections that he would have to buy his support and fix the opposition?

Under such a system, is it even sane to talk about the opposition taking over as government?

The entire system has been designed to prevent the opposition from getting a foothold in Parliament, let alone taking over as government.

Singaporeans, including those in the opposition camp, must not fall into the mindset that the opposition has trouble matching the PAP in terms of our candidates and our ideas. It has been hard propaganda pushed by the ruling party through the mass media that the PAP is such a good party and only it has the wherewithal to govern Singapore.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The PAP has, through the decades, systematically crushed the opposition by detaining its leaders without trial, prosecuting us and suing us in court.

We had medical doctors, top lawyers, a former judge, academics, a solicitor-general, trade union leaders, newspaper editors, and writers in our ranks.

We had Lim Chin Siong.

Pound for pound, the opposition matched - and even surpassed - the PAP in talent and competence.

It was only after the ruthless and sustained crackdown that the opposition is in the state that it is today.

It is, therefore, not right for leaders of today's opposition parties to talk as if the PAP is of such high quality and that the opposition is unable to match this standard that we are unable to take over the governance of Singapore.

As for the SDP, despite everything thrown at us, we continue to come up with constructive ways to take our country forward. In this regard, we take no back seat to the PAP. Indeed, our alternative ideas are superior.

We are confident that if our proposed programmes, now blacked out by the mass media, are given fair and adequate coverage Singaporeans will support us over the PAP.

Evidence of this can be found on the Internet where the SDP's news and views are not censored. In cyberspace information flows freely and there is fair competition of ideas. In such an environment the SDP consistently gets more support than the PAP.

Chee Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party

 

[seebaysong]

Opposition get more eyeballs (or kapos) but govt get more votes...

 

[Char_Azn]

Chiam and Low doesn't think so. Both are more capable a politician then this joker.

 

[Forvendet]

A freak election result is when SDP scores above 30% in any ward. There's no possibility of SDP winning any ward. Any possibility of co-alition government is none of SDP business.

 

[Sideswipe]

A freak election result is when SDP scores above 30% in any ward.

SDP score above 30% in any seats, you chop off your lanjiao. on?

 

[youtalkcock]

SDP score above 30% in any seats, you chop off your lanjiao. on?

You better not ask Maximillian again because he lost twice and chickened out without chopping.

 

[Sideswipe]

You better not ask Maximillian again because he lost twice and chickened out without chopping.

if SDP got less than 20% in any seats, I will chop mine off immediately after the GE results are announced.

anyway read that SDP are sending a team to contest Tanjong Pagar. if SDP really contest TP, I might need to reconsider my bet.

 

[myfoot123]

PAP is not a government. The true governments are combination of SPH, Mediacorp and Kangaroos. If you take these 3 aways, PAP is just a useless name operated under old mind and nothing more.

 

[IR123]

Chiam and Low doesn't think so. Both are more capable a politician then this joker.

Chiam and Low are unlikely to manage the government well.

For Low, many people of calibre joined him. Even Chee Soon Juan is quite persistent in his efforts, voicing what he thinks are the people's concerns. Low and CSJ are active and involved politicians, each in their own way. They should be respected.

It is a matter of opinion not fact as to whether Chiam is more capable than Chee Soon Juan.

 

[Char_Azn]

Chiam and Low are unlikely to manage the government well.

For Low, many people of calibre joined him. Even Chee Soon Juan is quite persistent in his efforts, voicing what he thinks are the people's concerns. Low and CSJ are active and involved politicians, each in their own way. They should be respected.

It is a matter of opinion not fact as to whether Chiam is more capable than Chee Soon Juan.

Chiam in charge of SDP = SDP number 1 political Party in SG

Chee in charge of SDP = SDP becomes a joke

Low = After Chee took charge of SDP and made it a joke, Low push WP to become number 1 opposition in SG

I think it's obvious which 1 among the 3 is the least suited for politics.

Chee is more an activist then politician. He is not suitable to lead a party. The 2 noobs, KJ and GMS are far superior as political party leaders then Chee

 

[IR123]

Chiam in charge of SDP = SDP number 1 political Party in SG

Chee in charge of SDP = SDP becomes a joke

Low = After Chee took charge of SDP and made it a joke, Low push WP to become number 1 opposition in SG

I think it's obvious which 1 among the 3 is the least suited for politics.

Chee is more an activist then politician. He is not suitable to lead a party. The 2 noobs, KJ and GMS are far superior as political party leaders then Chee

Well, Chiam is in charge of SDA and what happens to it?

The distinction between activist and politician is artificial in respect to CSJ. Both the PAP and the oppositions do not like him. Yet he voices the political issues of the day far more than Chiam ever could.

IF CSJ can tone down, he will be more effective than Low ever can. That if, IF he can tone down.

I have no conclusive opinions on KJ other than he is a poor leader and GMS that sometimes he talks nonsense.

 

[Forvendet]

In WP and LTK case, I'm no insider but this is what it appears to me. After GE 2006, the entire CEC voted against GMS and CTL and they left. These are people who must be Indian chiefs, can't understand and don't accept democracy. It's quite clear also that such people were brought as brats, worse that that, brats blind and deaf to facts and what's around.

After leaving WP, GMS joined NSP, the real PAP subsidiary that's more than happy to make him secretary general and their front clown around. CTL tried SDP but no such luck, CSJ is far more intelligent and tyrannical than him. So he formed his own new party with whatever leftover srapbits he could gather, however small or ridiculous it looks to commonsense.

 

[Forvendet]

Back to topic, it's a resounding no from me. No, the opposition even if all combined can't form the next government. As they're now, they'll start a civil war if they win more seats than PAP. Just a case scenario, not possible of course.

 

[IR123]

Back to topic, it's a resounding no from me. No, the opposition even if all combined can't form the next government. As they're now, they'll start a civil war if they win more seats than PAP.

I don't think any of them, except possibly CSJ, thinks they can form an alternative government.

Right now, it seems to me that they are positioning to be the next big presence in Parliament. There are only two ways to do this:

(1) Win over the PAP or
(2) Make sure they have the highest percentage by sabotaging the other oppositions

Again, I doubt any of them are thinking of taking over government. Only about getting in Parliament ahead of their fellow competitors.

Thus instead of using this GE to review the achievements and disachievements of the PAP over the last 5 years, now they are positioning themselves for strategic constituencies to maximise their votes and creating 3-corner fights in others to minimise their opponents' votes.

So going back to your topic, it does not appear to be their intention to try for airy-fairy concepts but rather to achieve a concrete result - entry into Parliament, increased mind-share and goodwill from the public for the next 5 years and establish their positions for the next election when competition from the new Singaporeans will be more intense. If any party has more than 3 in Parliament, theirs will become the de-facto alternative for the next election, especially if they do not talk nonsense in Parliament.

 

[IR123]

.... NSP, the real PAP subsidiary

Why is NSP the real PAP subsidiary?

If it is indeed a PAP subsidiary, they would have clamp down hard on GMS when he took on MBT.

No, I believe NSP is the National Sleeping Party. It is not an active party,

 

[Forvendet]

I don't think any of them, except possibly CSJ, thinks they can form an alternative government.

And pray tell, how does he intend to do that? First and foremost, he and half his CEC are disqualified. If you look that those left in SDP who're eligible to stand, the most is 1 GRC and 1 SMC. Even if they win, the only way for them to form a government is to rebel and declare independence. Then LKY prophecy may come true, we'll see some tanks rolling.

 

[Forvendet]

Why is NSP the real PAP subsidiary?

If it is indeed a PAP subsidiary, they would have clamp down hard on GMS when he took on MBT.

No, I believe NSP is the National Sleeping Party. It is not an active party,

NSP was founded by TCK to three-corner contest Marine Parade BE 1992 against JBJ to split the votes and rearguard to a respectable winning margin for GCT. Eventually, JBJ didn't contest as situation got messy, in came CSJ for multi-corner. You trust these people who tried to rob JBJ of his return from disqualification, then claim to be JBJ supporter and admirer, and even sob sob at his funeral? GMS is obviously not let into the plot, NSP just happily use him as a puppet front. The more moronic he gets in public, the happier are the powers-that-be that pulling the strings.

 

[GoldenDragon]

If it is indeed a PAP subsidiary, they would have clamp down hard on GMS when he took on MBT.

Sometimes, you clamp down hard on your 'dog' to show the public that that you are not that 'dog's' master. But that is not the only strategy in handling these 'dogs'. Other times, you praise your 'dog' openly. The third option is 'do nothing' to your dog when he starts to wayang engage his masters. To remain in power, to gather timely and accurate intelligence to have the upper hand on opponents, dirty tactics are used. Tactics that cannot see sunlight.

 

[Char_Azn]

Sometimes, you clamp down hard on your 'dog' to show the public that that you are not that 'dog's' master.

That's one of the reasons why I kept saying Chee is PAP's mole.

 

[Sideswipe]

That's one of the reasons why I kept saying Chee is PAP's mole.

you have no proof, what you say are just theories, guesses and assumptions.

use facts and evidences to theorize, not theorize to prove facts.