Saying the obvious, politely

Telling the PAP that it is going to be history is a bit harsh and difficult to accept. Perhaps there is a polite way to tell the PAP that things are not the same anymore. What has happened in Hougang was an exact replica of the heydays of the PAP. The people rallied behind the party with their hearts, not watching their pockets. It was genuine support for a political party, and PAP had its fair share or giant share of it before. The PAP was the party that the people chose to support and to cheer for.

Would the PAP want to know why the support is fleeing to the opposition camp? It is definitely not because the opposition were better, with more talented leaders. The opposition at this point is time is still a small motley crowd that would be hard pressed to form the govt to run the country. The fault lies squarely on the PAP. It is a confluence of many things, poor or bad policies, self serving policies, poor talents being pushed to the podium as the best talents, a neglect for the people and the people’s interests, alienating the people and taking the people for granted. And more.

Would the PAP be able to see through the problems it is facing them? They have very talented and smart people with them. It is not difficult to know the hard truth if they wanted to. But they could choose to deceive themselves and persist to think that everything is fine. And the old guards will say no problem, we will win back everything. They would even say that Hougang was a piece of cake if they were to do what were necessary. It was the fault of a young turk that refused to listen to the experience old guards. They could do this and that. Put a few men here and there to do what they used to do and easily win back Hougang. Such dated perception of the reality, that things could still be done the old way, will still dominate party thinking. The old school of thoughts and old methodology still rule the inner thinking of the party. And it could turn aggressive and abrasive. You could see the signs during the hustling. The image of gangsterism was there and no one could miss it.

It is not the end of the PAP. It has 4 good years to do the right stuff. It is now the will to serve the people, not rhetoric. Put the money where the mouth is. Slaughter all the fake sacred cows. Look after the people and their interests. The exact and specifics that need to be done are common knowledge. The work is all cut out and waiting. Is there a political will to do the right thing, to, for once, be less self serving and be people centric?

Can Hsien Loong turn it around? Can he stop the slide and revive a party that is turning into a dodo, a deaf frog that is too much of itself? More of the same is not going to work anymore. The old ways, the old guards, must be turned into monuments in the museum and a fresh start is needed, with leaders that are there not for the money. Money is the cause that is seeing the decline of the PAP. Would the PAP wait to turn into ashes befall it rises as a phoenix, or would it pick itself up quickly and fly again.