4/29/2009
New technology the decisive factor in next GE
Look at how the two Aware excos went about garnering their supporters! The methodology used is so efficient and effective, without the need for direct campaigning on open lorry tops. The age of the new technology has arrived. And this will be the decisive factor in the next generation.
SMS and emails will play a much bigger role than can be expected. A personal email or sms from a candidate can be passed from 10 to 100, to 1000 and keep going in an exponential chain reaction. It will cover a large portion of the electorate or at least reach out to every family through one of its members.
The next GE will be fought differently. And sms and emails are not expensive and not the exclusive tools of any party. It will be fair game for all.
Then of course the 7/24 blogs and forums will be there all the time, for those who want to read them at their convenience.
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34 comments:
All these new fangled gizmos and whiz-bang technologies will have no effect on the outcome of the Singapore GE. Firstly, the ruling party will make sure that all their candidates are men and women of impeccable character and integrity. So, there will hardly be anything 'interesting' about these people to blog or sms about. Anyone who dares as cast a speck of aspersion on their integrity will have the full weight of the law brought down on them. Secondly, the ruling party will have already been returned to government on nomination day, hence making the election campaign look like a circus. Finally, does anyone seriously believe the rag tag bunch of social and political misfits that pass off for an Opposition in Singapore really has a chance against the full force of the PAP machinery, even if for arguments sake the entire online community is rooting for them? Somehow that is just too hard to fathom.
that i must agree. the rag tag team stand no chance against a cast of angels and demigods.
but what if real people step forward for once and give the people a chance to choose, between the rag tag, angels and real people?
I totally agree with anon 8.37. GE in Singapore is just a show to the world that this island state has a democratic system, although we all know it is just a facade. Even before the first vote is cast, the result is a foregone conclusion. With 7 GRC @ S$200,000 a go, which rag tag opposition can affort to come up with a challange. 9 days of canvassing during which every word used must be strictly vetted to avoid being sued to bankruptcy, makes the whole show a total pointless exercise. Why go through the motion when the result of any election in Singapore is just a wayang show?? Lift upgrading, red packets, a few NTUC voucher handouts will certainly swing tmany votes. The numbering of the ballot papers will do the rest.
How many Tan Kin Lians and Kenneth Jeyeratnams do you reckon will stand up, redbean? And even if the Opposition can field a slate of credible candidates, how many Singaporeans will even give them a chance? You are hoping that a bunch of mindless drones can actually break out of their their programming. Ain't gonna happen, dude.
hi anonymous, i can understand your state of mind. don't be despair. life is unpredictable. at the darkest hour you may see light.
without such certainties and unpredictabilities, the despots and dictators will rule the world forever and ever. the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.
remember the yin yang symbol? all goodness will become bad and bad becomes good.
haha, we live in the REAL world, redbean where mystical and philosophical mumbo jumbo do not apply. JBJ dies a bitter and broken man. CSJ will share the same fate if he's not careful. Let's see how long the idealism flame in your so-called 'real people' will burn.
historically the kings and emperors would fix up everything to entrench their power. historically, they all ended with their own downfalls.
in recent history, we have seen despots fell despite all the fixing and controlling in our neighbouring countries. even a superpower like america is weakening.
the next two dramatic events that will see the end of established power will be Thailand and Malaysia. The monarchy will see its end in Thailand and UMNO will become irrelevant.
but, yes, we are different. we have the best minds and systems to favour the continuation of the ruling party. mind you, man proposed, god disposed. the mandate of heaven does not last forever.
have faith that the system will last forever. it may last another hundred years.
Redbean,
I must say that yr mistake is that you think Spore is a normal country.
It is not,for example,where else can you find a commercial entity whose profit is guaranteed by government but paid for by customers and their profitis also subject to growth adjustment,for example,inflation index.such as SMRT?
Name me one and perhaps I am wrong!
you are right. we are not any normal country. we are very unique and exceptional.
but all the extraordinary countries in the past were more superior to us. They all came to past. The British, Japanese, Germans, the Romans etc.
but I must say that no country or empire has a bigger collection of first class minds like ours. maybe i should concede and accept that my fear of the 'wan yi' the one in a million chance that things will go wrong is unfounded.
Change in Singaporean mindset? Never in a million years!!!
As long as money and self interest is predominently the force behind all Singaporean ideology, Singapore will remain the way it is for generations to come. Singaporeans are sooooo selfish and arrogant and if they feel that the devil will make them rich, they will voye for the devil himself. Pathetic lot!!!
Agree with the PP. Redbean, if you have ever bought any unit trusts you will notice a little statement in fine print on the glossy brochures. Past returns is not a guarantee for future performance. Just because something has happened in the past does not mean it will happen again. Your naivety with respect to Thailand and Malaysia is also telling. A swallow does not a summer make. Even if your predictions turn out right, it is a fallacy to assume the same thign will naturally happen here. There is no single family in Thailand and Malaysia that has so much economic and political power as the Lee family has in Singapore. On the strength of that fact alone, your attempts at extrapolating events in our neighbours fall flat on the ground.
That is why I now sincerely believe that KJ was a little dumb or very patriotic,in either case,I have nothing to say.
Bit I must caution him not to take up politics in memory of his dear father who I respect and do not think he was dumb as he was the pioneer,he did not really know how dirty it could be in Singapore.
I believe that all those who are sensible should treat Singapore exactly like waht PAP want us to-as a 6 star hotel,stay and do yr things,but do not ever put yr heart and soils in it,as it is futile,unless you are willing to be a fool.
Many elites are already doing so,in case you have no idea.
Anon 10.43am, what you have said is the most sensible thing to date. That's exactly what the Foreign Talents are doing. Come here, make money, enjoy the comforts and then pack up and leave. Do they know something Singaporeans don't?
well, i must admit that your arguments are very convincing. the elite are really doing as what you said. make as much money as they can and don't rock the boat. it is paradise after all.
Of course I do cry for the sad fellow citizens who do not really get their dues,but the consolidation for me is that they appear to be happy-so far so good.
It reminds me about the ants on a burning wok,they know not till they are burn.
WE FT are here for the good time. And why not? Things are good for us and we do not have to do NS. We are protected by the locals and they are doing a fine job, thank you. When it is time for me to go, I will go and you can do whatever you like with your little island. In the meantime I will enjoy and have not worries.
welcome FTs. we are having a new campaign for integration, citizens, PRs, Employment Pass holders and Work Permit holders. we are one and family.
we are taking this so seriously that a minister is now put in charge of this movement of love and fellowship.
someone please tell the girls to set a good example and stop fighting.
How can you say that Redbean uncle? The AWARE aunties are showing the uncles how to fight a battle you know.
New techno or old techno or no techno, the PAP will still win hands down, even before the next GE started.
Basically, Singapore voters have got no choice but to vote for a better and well-organised political party with the elites supporting them from the back.
Which other political party is able to replace the PAP now or in the near future?
Which opposition party leader is able to govern Singapore as effectively and efficiently as the PAP leaders?
So, Mr Redbean, please stop dreaming of the new techno as a decisive factor in the next GE.
PAP can be toppled like the Republicans of the US only when the majority of the people think, say and strongly believe that "Enough is Enough!" Have we reached that situation now?
the contenders to replace an established regime are always less equipped, have less resources, look less presentable, and even less able. many come in the form of a rag tag team. many have triumphed against all odds in the past. the pap came to power in the same manner.
no one should seriously think that a rag tag team can replace the pap tomorrow. such a thing can only happen in a revolution or a coup or a people uprising. we are far from such a crisis situation.
what can be expected is for a small number of the rag tag team to creep in, in drips and draps over time. they need to breech the dam and allow more able people to follow through, and more able people will then come forward to join them.
it is naive, yes very naive, to think that any rag tag team can replace the pap tomorrow. don't even think along that line.
a journey of a thousand miles start with one small step.
Even if for argument's sake, the PAP gets booted out by a freak election result, don't forget that any incoming government will require the whole hearted support of the civil service and the other important institutions like the army and police. Now, when you have a ruling party that has been entrenched for half a century, you can naturally expect such institutions to be staffed by supporters of the governing party and having a culture which mirrors the party's culture. The new government will be hard pressed to govern properly without the support of the civil servants, as these are the guys who implement policies. Moreover a governing party that suddenly finds itself booted out can get back in by unconsitutional means. We have seen this happen in the state of Perak in Malaysia. See how the Assembly secretary has blatantly ignored the PR Speaker even though he reports to the Speaker. In fact, the Secretary acts as though he is a servant of UMNO to thwart the PR's moves at every turn. Notice also how the
State Secretary being the top civil servant in the State service acting on the orders of the UMNO, instead of the PR government.
Don't put too much faith in the ability of democracy to fix and right all the wrongs. As happened in Perak, democracy can be subverted by entrenched and powerful forces. The people's will does not necessarily get translated into reality at the polls. Democracy, just like any other man-made system is not bullet-proof.
"what can be expected is for a small number of the rag tag team to creep in, in drips and draps over time. they need to breech the dam and allow more able people to follow through, and more able people will then come forward to join them."
Redbean, do you think the PAP will just allow their dam to be broken and breached without doing anything? Have you forgotten what happpened to Vincent Cheng and his rag tag team in 1987 when it looked like they were going to breach the impenetrable PAP fortress? Anyone who believes the PAP will just sit back and just watch their power being chipped away needs to have their heads examined. As PP has mentioned, do not underestimate the ability and resolve of entrenched interests to remain in power. You only do so at your own peril, as Vincent Cheng and his merry band has found out.
i am not religious. but it is damn frightening to know that there are human beans who are infallible and can devise or scheme their ways to everlasting glory.
our civil servants are civil servants and will serve whoever won the right to be the govt. our uniformed men are not the same as you see in Thai or Indonesia. unleashing their power unconstitutionally will lead to the destruction of everything that has been built over the years.
some may believe that they have absolute control over all the organisations and people. i admire their confidence. even within the ruling party you do not know who is your friend or your enemy.
"our civil servants are civil servants and will serve whoever won the right to be the govt."
How can they do that if they owed their positions to the outgoing government. Don't forget these civil servants will be looking to preserve their rice bowls as well.
"our uniformed men are not the same as you see in Thai or Indonesia."
MM has said that he will be forced to call in the army if a freak election result happens. What's that again about our army not being the same as Thailand's?
"unleashing their power unconstitutionally will lead to the destruction of everything that has been built over the years."
Again your mistake is in assuming those in power will react rationally in the face of what they perceive to be an irrational event ie. a sudden loss of power. You are thinking as a peasant whilst they are thinking as people who have been Masters and Lords for half a century. You have no idea what they are capable of doing to stay in power, Redbean.
you are just being too pessimistic. have hope. why do you think so many people queue up at 4D booths? sometimes, someone will strike it rich.
if only life is so predictable and so certain....
The Swine could do a better job than the average Singaporeans to effect political change in SIN.
bystander
All these talk about change in govt, new party rule, opposition controling the country are all seditious, subversive, treasonable and above all disloyal. STOP IT !!!
Your badge please!
"why do you think so many people queue up at 4D booths?"
Now let me ask you. Why do you see the same old faces queueing up at the 4D outlets? Cos they never win anything, in spite of all their 'hopes'. You see Redbean, one cannot live on hope alone. It is fine to have some hope but to have hope in the face of insurmountable odds like those 4D punters is just plain foolish.
Like what someone has said above, we should all treat Singapore as a hotel. Check in, make use of the facilities, enjoy all the comforts. However, do not attempt to make the place your own and decorate it in your own taste. At the end, there are only two ways you can check out of Hotel Singapore: On your own terms and at a time of your choosing (migrate) or when you have to (die).
you are speaking like a typical hopeless singaporeans. ask the foregners and new citizens, they will tell you this is the place to be in, full of hope and opportunities to make it good.
But of course they will Redbean. Singapore has been built from the ground up to attract MNCs. In order to do that, the PAP has had to depress the wages of local workers, and to sustain that they cowered all the trade unions into submission. So, yes of course Singapore is the land of milk and honey to foreigners cos it was built that way (Duh!) but the locals are the ones left to pick up the tab.
Yeh!! WE enjoy and you pay for it. When we have enough we leave and you again pick up the pieces. What a good life it is for us. Thank you Sinkies.
You are very welcome, dear foreigners. We Sinkies live to serve and please our foreign guests. Please make yourselves comfortable in our wonderful oasis. We Sinkies always aim to please, even if it is at our own expense.
i have spoken and heard many views expressed in private by the elite and the successful here. funny thing is that they are all very bitter about how things are evolving. but officially, they either keep their mouth shut or put up a brave smile that all is well.
this bitter truth will never be heard in public. what we see and hear will only be the tooth.
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