Wednesday, 27 August 2008
The Ever Redundant Opposition
Posted by Nicholas Lazarus at 9:32 AM
Whenever possible, the opposition will harp on the need for opposition voices to represent Singaporeans.
Their argument is that Singaporeans cannot voice out matters to the PAP and they need an opposition to do the voicing for them.
The opposition claims that Singaporeans are secretly unhappy with the PAP and that Singaporeans have repressed their unhappiness out of purported fear of the PAP. Whenever the opposition lose in the Elections, this is too is their excuse- that Singaporeans are afraid of PAP and so voted against the opposition.
Recently, events have shown the untruths and propaganda of the opposition.
When Singaporeans are unhappy with the Government, they waste no time in making their unhappiness known. They do not need the opposition.
When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a bonanza of tax benefits, leaves, a bigger "baby bonus" and other goodies to encourage more babies to take effect on 1 January 2009, there were protests and unhappiness expressed by mothers whose delivery was before such date.
The mothers to be and their families protested. They voiced their unhappiness.
There were emails sent and complaints on the blogs. There was an online petition ready to take effect. The mothers to be planned on going to their MP’s Meet the People sessions to express their unhappiness and demand the benefits.
The Government took note of the unhappiness and swiftly responded by backdating the benefits to 17 August 2008, the date when the Prime Minister first announced the benefits.
When the people are unhappy, they make their unhappiness known. There was certainly no fear here.
Likewise, when people were unhappy by the decision by the Singapore Table Tennis Association to sack table-tennis team manager Antony Lee, they made their unhappiness known too and the Government is listening.
The opposition seems to have no part in this interaction between the people and their Government. And there is no need too.
Singapore is fast becoming a modern Athean democracy where the citizens are partaking in the democratic process by engaging the Government and pointing out the deficiencies so that the Government may address them. They are doing this in a very rational in calm manner- by emails, discussions, forums, feedback sessions, blogs, letters and face to face interaction.
The Government too is responding swiftly to the people and acting upon it. In fact, the Government has to do so and this is the best "check" on the Government – the people themselves who will not wait till election time to address issues that concern them.
If the opposition cannot even get involved in the issues of the day that concern the people, are they not redundant?
http://youngpapblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/ever-redundant-opposition.html
The Ever Redundant Opposition
Posted by Nicholas Lazarus at 9:32 AM
Whenever possible, the opposition will harp on the need for opposition voices to represent Singaporeans.
Their argument is that Singaporeans cannot voice out matters to the PAP and they need an opposition to do the voicing for them.
The opposition claims that Singaporeans are secretly unhappy with the PAP and that Singaporeans have repressed their unhappiness out of purported fear of the PAP. Whenever the opposition lose in the Elections, this is too is their excuse- that Singaporeans are afraid of PAP and so voted against the opposition.
Recently, events have shown the untruths and propaganda of the opposition.
When Singaporeans are unhappy with the Government, they waste no time in making their unhappiness known. They do not need the opposition.
When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a bonanza of tax benefits, leaves, a bigger "baby bonus" and other goodies to encourage more babies to take effect on 1 January 2009, there were protests and unhappiness expressed by mothers whose delivery was before such date.
The mothers to be and their families protested. They voiced their unhappiness.
There were emails sent and complaints on the blogs. There was an online petition ready to take effect. The mothers to be planned on going to their MP’s Meet the People sessions to express their unhappiness and demand the benefits.
The Government took note of the unhappiness and swiftly responded by backdating the benefits to 17 August 2008, the date when the Prime Minister first announced the benefits.
When the people are unhappy, they make their unhappiness known. There was certainly no fear here.
Likewise, when people were unhappy by the decision by the Singapore Table Tennis Association to sack table-tennis team manager Antony Lee, they made their unhappiness known too and the Government is listening.
The opposition seems to have no part in this interaction between the people and their Government. And there is no need too.
Singapore is fast becoming a modern Athean democracy where the citizens are partaking in the democratic process by engaging the Government and pointing out the deficiencies so that the Government may address them. They are doing this in a very rational in calm manner- by emails, discussions, forums, feedback sessions, blogs, letters and face to face interaction.
The Government too is responding swiftly to the people and acting upon it. In fact, the Government has to do so and this is the best "check" on the Government – the people themselves who will not wait till election time to address issues that concern them.
If the opposition cannot even get involved in the issues of the day that concern the people, are they not redundant?
http://youngpapblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/ever-redundant-opposition.html
