Roy Ngerng – Son of Chai Tau Kuay versus natural aristocracy

Can you believe it, it is happening. Earlier I made a post about this election turning into a contest between the ordinary average Singaporeans against the nobles and aristocrats, now we have a Chai Tau Kuay hawker’s son taking on the son of the aristocracy.

Roy Ngerng has announced that he is joining Kenneth’s Reform Party and he is going to contest in Ang Mo Kio GRC. He is bringing his fight to Hsien Loong’s home base, the unshakable fortress of PAP, the seed and source of PAP’s power as my gemancer friend told me. To shaken, loosen or to remove Hsien Loong from Ang Mo Kio will be a deafening blow to the story of the PAP. 

The issue now is what kind of team would Roy be able to garner to fight along his side to take on Hsien Loong’s team that are likely to be the best Hsien Loong could get. Oops, Ang Mo Kio is for once going to face a serious challenge and it is no longer a safe ward anymore. Light weights would not be allowed as they would weigh down on the sampan. Everyone in the team must now be able to carry his own weight. No more home run free.

And how would the battle be fought between one that has nothing to lose and one that has everything to lose? For sure, Hsien Loong would have his hands full and would not have the privilege to grace the rallies of weaker PAP teams. He is going to fight for his life, to be elected and to remain the PM. Losing Ang Mo Kio is unthinkable. It would likely be the turn for many ministers to take time off to speak in Ang Mo Kio’s rally to give him a helping hand.

And the issue will be Roy’s favourite topic, your CPF money. This will be the most uncomfortable and difficult topic for Hsien Loong to defend, if it is defendable. It hurts the people’s pocket, really painful. And the power logic used to lock up people’s life savings, to be spent on the miraculous Medisave Life, would be put to the severest test. Can power logic holds against the simple logic of my money, my pocket hurts? Power logic loses its power during an election campaign. It is a time of ‘boh cheng hu’ or no govt, no power. The logic of persuasion will be the logic that the voters will be listening to and to believe. No more, I think it is right so I just do it. It is time for the people to think if it is right and to vote accordingly.

The voters will also exercise this same logic, I think it is right so I vote for it. I vote what I think is right, not what you think is right. And many will vote with their pockets.

Just this issue itself will make many voters think very carefully, even emotionally, and illogically. Who doesn’t want to have his own money back, in his own pocket to do as he likes, to go to Batam, to find mei meis or good company, or to start a new biz? Seriously, many would know what they want to do with their life savings.

The GE will be the time for Roy to persuade them to vote for the return of their money and Hsien Loong would have to convince the people who badly need their money not to vote for their money, to vote to let the govt keep their money.

Which argument will be more persuasive? The Chai Tau Kuay son may not be of noble birth, but he has a simple argument, a simple logic that is hard to beat. The ordinary people will understand his simple logic and be on his side. Who does not want to have his own money back in his pocket? The nobility and noble logic of leaving the money in the CPF for the future, forever, will not have the kind of appeal to the people hard on cash.

This will be an uneven contest and will have an unusual ending.

PS. SingFirst and Reform Party are negotiating to contest this GRC. My guess, a combined team is very likely.