Caught some reporting on the PAP Convention and Hsien Loong’s speech over the news last night. The party has done quite a bit of work in assessing the last GE and what needs to be done to win the next GE. And they are confident that they are on the right track with all the mistakes figured out and the appropriate remedial actions will be put in place. And though the party acknowledged that the next GE will see fiercer competition, and clean sweep is not that easy anymore, they are quietly confident of taking back Aljunied.
My personal view is that they are in for a rude awakening in the next GE. The ground has shifted. More and better candidates will be moving to the alternative party camps as wearing white and being invited for tea is no longer a guarantee for a safe passage to Parliament.
What about govt policies and the bread and butter issues, unemployment, housing, foreign talent, transportation etc that the people felt aggrieved about? Would there be any real changes that will win back the support of the people?
The party still believes that their policies are good for the people and supported by the people. And very likely there will be more cooked policies for discussion in Parliament, though Inderjit was advocating for more half cooked policies to be better discussed before they are cooked.
I think this is the main area that the party is going to lose more grounds as it marches towards 2016. The attitude and mentality and the logic of past policies do not seem to change. Everything is still as per normal. The rapid ramming up of public housing is only treating a superficial wound when the cancer is still growing untreated. So are the high property prices, the high population and congestion issues, and the presence of great numbers of foreigners that the govt sees as the cure all for economic growth but irks the people in general.
As long as the govt thinks it knows best and what is good for the people, it will continue to push through its bestest policies and distance itself from the people who do not agree with them. They believe that the only problem is communication with the people. That is their only fault. If they can communicate well, there is no policy problems.
How could the party with the bestest talents accept that their bestest policies have to change to appease the not so talented views of the people? This is a tough one.
Unless the party is willing to compromise its bestest policies, undermine its bestest talents effort and say, ok, the daft Singaporeans need to be listened to and their less talented views and wishes be accommodated, there will always be a conflict and constant tension between what the party wants and what the people want. Explaining to the daft Singaporeans is easy, especially with clever arguments and statistics. Would the people buy? How many ministers would be able to do the explaining and be able to win the hearts and minds of the people?
Caving in to the daft Singaporeans is never a thing that the party will give way. It is the core value of the party, they will continue to push their cooked policies through, like deaf frogs.
This is the strongest virtue of the party, to do what it thinks is best, to implement tough policies for the good of the people. The question is whether the people think so and whether the policies are really good for the people. The servants will judge the masters or the masters judge the servants? Who will have the final say?
The govt deserves to lose the support of all Singaporeans who are deprived from buying public housing after serving their NS for any crap reasons when new citizens were given the chance to do so.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Yeo (Transformer Man), 20 Feb 1994:
ReplyDelete“Remember your place in society before you engage in political debate…
Debate cannot (de)generate into a free-for-all, where no distinction is made between the senior and junior party…
You must make distinctions -
What is high, what is low, what is above, what is below,
and then within this, we can have a debate, we can have a discussion…
people should not take on those in authority as ‘equals”
Party Against People.
The political party of choice.
For People who don't like People.
Similarly, when discussing religion, know your place in the universe. God is big and you are small. Who are you, the creation, should argue against the creator. Listen, obey and submit and you shall be the enviable subject of His eternal Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, burn in Hell
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan:
ReplyDeleteHow much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?
In response to Dr Lily Neo.
Dr Lily Neo:
Sir, I want to check with the Minister again when he said on the strict criteria on the entitlement for PA recipients. May I ask him what is his definition of “subsistence living”? Am I correct to say that, out of $260 per month for PA recipients, $100 goes to rental, power supply and S&C and leaving them with only $5 a day to live on? Am I correct to say that any basic meal in any hawker centre is already $2.50 to $3.00 per meal? Therefore, is it too much to ask for just three meals a day as an entitlement for the PA recipients?
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/04/parliamentary-exchange-between-lily-neo-and-mcys-minister/
Party Against People.
The political party of choice.
For People who don't like People.
Birth place of anti-people policies.
anon 1047.
ReplyDeleteSimply put it in 5 words.
Dun Boh Tua Boh Suay.
anon 1053.
ReplyDeleteCertain religion are less prone to riots.
Not I say one.
My view is that god or nature or creator, has no time to meddle with the individual acts of beans. He has created a system that will account for itself, self governing, no need intervention. Everyone is accountable for his own action.
ReplyDeleteCan't imagine a god having to watch over everyone and trying to fix their problems. It is auto pilot man.
anon 1059
ReplyDeleteLily is perfect to me if only she doesn't have big cars at home.
What this world needs is a new religion with a new scripture that ensures all man are equal, no favouritism, no violence, no killings, no absymal misconduct, a high moral code of behaviour, no incest, no sex against children, no sex in heaven....
ReplyDeleteand it must be written by a group of wise men from all the major ethnic and religious group. Remove all the abominable passages in present scriptures.
This is a system whereby when things go on fine the leadership claims that things won't be that good if not for them. If things go wrong, the poor, daft, stupid followers are to blame.
ReplyDeleteI like PM when he urge Singaporean to go beyond voting for them if convince that they are going in the right direction."Stand up with us,speak up for us,tweet for us,and be part of the broad group and say,"lets move together,let's move ahead."He pledge to Singapore a new PAP.
ReplyDeleteI am willing to forget all the injustice done to me that nearby ruin and bankrupt me because he sound sincere.
But just dun know whether he appreciate if I speak up for them.
Sex is like handshake, normal. But in the religious mind, you can't anyhow shake hands without them first molesting your hands.
ReplyDeleteSingapore grew a 2nd wing in our economy for a more stable aeroplane.
ReplyDeleteIt's time Singapore also grew a second wing in our politics for more people-friendly policies.
A strong Opposition for the protection of all Singaporeans against anti-people policies.
The PM said some parties are out to get PAP out. It is all about power.
ReplyDeleteRead deep into this statement and it reveals the deeply entrenched mindset. Nothing is going to change.
Does the convention resemble Kim Jong Il presiding over his stooges.
ReplyDeleteLong on theory, short on ideas for change. Decades old mentality still prevalent and still being instilled into the minds of the princelings.
How is change going to be possible?
Of course, MIWs will say so. What do you expect? Do you expect they say they are lost and do not know how to win back the lost ground? All these are just talking only.
ReplyDeleteSo long as the government is not accountable and transparent to the people, the government should be ousted as soon as possible to give a new life to the nation if this is indeed a nation. How much do these MIWs know how rotten is the system? If this is not rotten, why would they lose more ground?
LKY himself already knows and has said he is confident that MIWs still can win GE2011 and GE2016 and perhaps another GE. What happens after that? In fact, to his surprise the real change may just come sooner. MIWs need to be ousted in order for them to reinvent themselves very much just like the Taiwan scene. Without accountability and transparency, MIWs have no place in the 21st century politics.