5/09/2006
lets be fair to opposition parties
Aloysius Low Pei Chuan wrote to Voices in Today complaining that the opposition should come up with better plans, and justify them, and that he still had no idea of what the WP proposed. He demanded that the opposition should develop workable plans to solve the problems they have raised such as unemployment, retrenchment etc, rather than just raising them, criticising the govt and stirring up the crowd to win votes.
I think this is not a fair statement to throw at the opposition parties. Who really did all the complicated tasks of understanding a problem and coming up with proposals for the govt to approve? It is not just the politicians. The bulk of the work is done by the unseen and unappreciated civil servants. They did all the donkey work and the politicians take all the credits. If the opposition also have the same access to these highly paid and highly qualified civil servants to do the work for them, which they will have if they come into power, then it is fair to expect them to come out with a detail plan.
The role of politicians is to set broad politicies, guidelines and objectives. An example is the cost of living. The politicians shall decide whether to bring it down or not. And the details shall be done by the civil servants. Bring down transport fares, bring down medical fares. That is what we expect the politicians to decide and tell the civil servants to come up with solutions.
So it is only sufficient for the opposition parties to sell their dreams like the PAP has done. What details should the people demand from the politicians from either side? Even if the details are worked out, how many people will have the time to read them?
We should be fair in our expectation and criticism of both parties, ruling and opposition.
PS: Can we expect Chiam and Low Thia Khiang to deliver upgrading projects that cost hundreds of millions? We must understand that there are apples and oranges.
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4 comments:
This just shows that voters know nuts about politics. They are unlikely to know even how a democracy work or what it stand for and their rights. As usual, S'poreans are only interested in what they can profit from the respective parties.
people make decision based on many reasons. but the law of averages will iron out the ridiculous and the abnormal.
wait for the older generations to pass by then things will be more different than they are now. but the ignorant and irrational voters will always be there.
It is obvious that the person critix=cizing the brave opposition who take on the might of PAP power the people of Singapore have surrendered, is a supporter that has been bought - something that was a slip of the mind!
forgive the older generation. they belong to a past of deprivation and ignorance.
give it another few years and not many will be around.
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