On hearing the formation of another new party in a political scene filled with many dysfunctional and defunct little hopeless parties, the same thought came to mind, why another party to split the already scattered opposition ground? Would this new party be just another hare brain little party that is going nowhere but to please the ego of a few conceited ambitious individuals thinking that they can be the next PM of this island?
Can the Progress Singapore Party make a difference to the already hopeless situation, would it make a difference? When I read Cheng Bock saying that it is another alternative voice in Parliament, I give up all hopes. Singapore does not need another alternative voice in Parliament. This is a meaningless option and a futile effort that would not do anything to help the people and country. Singapore needs a serious political party to challenge the PAP and to be able to wrestle political power to change the deteriorating state of affairs.
Perhaps I am asking too much too early. A journey starts with a single step, and this is another single step, hopefully leading to somewhere and not nowhere. I am not enthusiastic about another political party that is thinking and planning to be a force to be reckon with in another 10 or 20 years. By then the damage would be irreparable. Singapore would have gone to the third world, maybe even taken over by foreigners. This is my reservation, Singapore needs change urgently, now, not in another 20 years.
Not all is lost. Change may happen tomorrow and this new party may be that catalyst that sparks the flame for change. For this to happen, several conditions must be met. I will deal with a few here and they are not exclusive and not the only conditions that would make change happen.
The first point is the size of this new party. How big is it? Can it field enough good candidates to pose a real alternative govt? To be meaningful, effective and serious, it must field enough candidates to win and form a new govt. A coalition with the other smaller parties may be possible but unreliable with so many PMs to be putting their self interests ahead of national interests.
The second point is the quality, calibre and stature of the candidates contesting the election. Are they substantial individuals that can command the respect and confidence of the people? Would Progress Singapore's candidates be third liners of ex PAP cadres and members, or would they be eminent professionals, highly regarded individuals like Hsien Yang, George Yeo, Kwan Ping, Yeoh Lam Keong, just to name a few? Would be nice if a few ministers or ex ministers be brave enough to join the Party to show how serious and real is this challenge to replace the PAP in govt. This is very serious business and having more mediocre candidates, not in the sense of earning less than $500k, would not mean anything. The Progress Singapore Party must bring out a slate of big names to convince the people that this is the real thing, not another hopeless little party just for fun.
A third point to make, is this the time for political change, is Singapore ripe for political change? Had PAP work itself into a corner, a sinking ship or a ship that is being driven over the cliff? The perception of the people of the PAP, whether PAP has outlived its usefulness and no longer a party for the people's good is vital in making change to happen. Are the people still with the PAP or already lost all hopes on the PAP, a party of the past that no longer serves their interest and well being? This is a crucial question. The PAP may still be looking good superficially, but no one knows how bad it is within and how the majority of the people really feel about this Party. UMNO is a good example. Prior to the GE it was looking invincible until the chips were down.
No, do not expect another Mahathir in Singapore. No one in Singapore today can hold a candle to Mahathir. He is untouchable and the Malay ground holds him in high regards. He commands their respect and unquestionable support. There is no such character worthy of that kind of respect in Singapore today to do a Mahathir.
There is still time for the Progress Singapore Party to get its act together to be not just another hopeless party jumping into the fray. If they want to come in, make it real, make it happen, make it now.
28 comments:
No political party can make any difference in Singapore if the DAFT 69 (or Sinkies 70%) do not give their votes to them.
PAP has been able to stay as the ruling party for such a long time primarily because of the DAFT 69' s support, votes and no hue attitude.
Not that I want to pour cold water.
No use! No use! Waste time! Waste time!
Just look around you.
Everyone smiling and many people bo-chup cheng-hu lah!
Many people will just tcss tcss and tcss and kpkb kpkb and kpkb.
But when to voting...........PAP!
This is SG! SG is like that liao!
It is not the problems of the oppositoon parties.
Basically........Bo-chup! Bo-chup!
As said, many people will just tcss and kpkb about PAP but come to voting......PAP!
This is SG liao! This is SG liao!
Hahaha.................
Mr RB, do not be surprised if all the Opposition Political Parties with the exception of the PAP Second Party that is WP are in negotiations to have a NATIONAL FRONT as what happened in Matland Harapan. WP might want to be like the Matland PAS.
The Singapore Harapan might have their own secret negotiations and do not want to alarm the PAP.
See TCB having breakfasts with the Opp Political Parties Stewards. So with some heavyweights ex Stewards of old PAP and also the heavyweights of promising Opp Parties, they might reach a consensus of sharing powers and ministries if they were to win the Coming GE.
All respective Indian Chiefs might agreed to the Power Sharing. From there they will have
ONE SINGLE RULING PARTY AND GOVERNMENT.Even that Shame has purposely go near and see the happenings.
Matland Harapan after winning the Elections even had DAP to be the Ministers.
So, do not laid all your cards on the tables and closed to the chests as Plans to win the enemies.
Cheers
I too am giving up hope on Singapore. Everyone of some capability thinks he is a potential PM material, so die die must form a political party. Now I begin to doubt if these people really and sincerely want to serve Singapore and not their self interest. It is the money, stupid. Nowhere on earth are politicians paid such a high sinful astronomical salary where at the same time the people are sucked dry. Here ministers and MPs can also serve as directors or CEOs of various commercial concerns especially listed companies or GLCs. So in addition to million dollar salaries they reap further millions in director fees. So they seem to treat being MPs in parliament as part time jobs. The law must be amended on two fronts. Ministers million dollar salaries and MPs humongous allowance must be brought down significantly in face of reality. Next once candidates are elected into parliament they must by laws relinquish all other private posts or jobs, otherwise there will be conflict of interest.
No single opposition party can replace PAP if it intends to go alone except through sublimating their self-interest and personal ego to form one solid opposition party.
Disgruntled and flabbergasted
CSJ had promised to be a Full-time MP enough with the MP's allowance and yet as what Frog Outside Glass said the Dafts of Bukit Batok still elected that Murali who till today had not even mentioned a speech or table any concrete plan to better the lives or even to oppose any policy matter that affect all Singaporeans.
As full time MPs they could be around in your constituency and between Parliamentary sessions devised plans and questions for the Ministers for the betterment of the Nation. Laws must be put in that all MPs hold full time duties less they are in the Ministries
So, bro Frog is right to mention that even with twenty LKY in the Opps Camps, the dafts endowed by Gods stll behave worse than Ostrichs with the heads in the sand.
Not willingly and too complacent to think.
Sigh
Workers Party (WP) has been in parliament opposing the PAP for a long time. All the oppo parties should just dissolve and join WP making WP the only and largest oppo party. We then have a 2-party democracy! No need to get any ex-PAP has-been to lead opposition to PAP! TCB cannot effectively oppose the PAP becos the PAP makes him rich when he used his MP position for business connections! Comparing TCB to Mattiah is totally wrong - TCB is not a racist, or corrupt or anti-Chinese and anti-Sinapore! Anyway, Jee Say, Soon Juan, Ah Kiang or Sylvia are smarter, more intelligent than TCB and best qualify to become Grand Oppo Chief. And dun forget smart lawyer Pritam the current oppo chief in Parliament ... who can also be the next Sinapore President(?) Like someone said, PSP is an old copy of vintage out-of-date PAP which no more exist! TCB belongs to the days before yesterday ... he can bring his 8-parties alliance to the past, but not the future. Remember this prediction.
Hi
You all seriously think there will be Sg Harapn at next GE?
Haha, maybe in your dreams!
@Virgo,
Dream on if you think TCB can unite the opposition. Even many of the hopeless oppo party leaders don't even want to change or step down in their own party. Let alone thinking of allowing their party to be led by other parties.
TCB said as much last year after the talk cock sing song meeting --- he said it loudly to the newspaper & TV.
In fact the only oppo person he specifically praised was not even present in the talk cock sing song meeting. And this oppo person is not even a party leader, just a party member.
TCB definitely pissed off quite a lot of the oppo party leaders.
Full-time MPs:
Unfortunately people already see that PAP can be better full-time MPs than oppo. Compare Tin Pei Ling from 2011-2015 and the WP MPs.
Of course you can say TPL got the resources of the PAPies, but many of the senior ministers & even some top civil servants see her no up (especially in the earlier years), and just gave her minimum help. And yet she managed to provide or kick start some significant help to the poor elderly in MacPherson, single mothers, young kids in low income families etc.
Redbean wrong when he said: "No one in Singapore today can hold a candle to Mahathir. He is untouchable and the Malay ground holds him in high regards. He commands their respect and unquestionable support. There is no such character worthy of that kind of respect in Singapore today to do a Mahathir". Less than 30% Malays voted for Pakatan Harapan (PH), Mahathir's coalition who won the 2018 Malaysian Elections. M did not have the support of a vast number of Malays. PH won bcos of 95% Chinese and 70% Indians who voted for PH. True, no Singapore politician is like M - corrupt, Malay-hating and anti-Chinese. Singapore politicians - PAP and non-PAP alike - are better respected. Yes, no one in Singapore can hold a candle to M - NO ONE will want to actually! M's first act is to provoke a war with Singapore by sending Malaysian warships into Singapore waters. Why? M's political experience is that whenever he picks a quarrel with Chinese-majority Singapore, his Malay supporters will be with him. Well, no more. Today, M's supporters are mainly Chinese and his Malay supporters are no more stupid to be conned by him anymore.
The trouble is there are a quite a number of prominent citizens who have made a name of themselves (high calibre) not coming out to put up a real challenge to the pap. These ppl are in their comfort zones, and they are not ready to commit themselves to the cause of our country. The majority of citizens who need these groups to pose a challenge to the present rulers. Hope they will answer the calls of our land. Now is the time.........
@ hopefully hopeless myth believers:
There are many things wrong with democracy as a political system, and also lots of shit which goes awry to corrupt or disrupt democratic processes.
However there's one characteristic of every culture from which that cuntry's political system spontaneously arises:
The People Get The Government and The Cuntry They DESERVE. Fucked up cultures get fucked up politics which result in fucked up governments and eventually a thrashed, dysfunctional shithole cuntry.
Take Malaysia: the anti-Chinese, anti-semetic bias is not new. Singapore got tossed out of the Federation because of an anti-Chinese bias. And so, voila: Mahathir...probably Malaysia's longest serving PM, and he has proven he can do it with or without UMNO because he has the people's support.
Politicians in every political system are the MINORITY. To get into the seats of power they have to CON-vince the MAJORITY (the voting Sheeple) that they are worthy of office and "buy" their vote from the Sheeple by selling the Sheeple the bullshit which comes out of their mouths.
Politicians who tell the Sheeple what they want to hear have better chances than politicians who don't. Sincerity and truthfulness are OPTIONAL, but telling people what they want to hear is non-negotiable if politicians want to win elections.
Savvy political operators will play on people's fears and hopes. You have to fan the flames of both. If you analyse every successful politician from Hitler, to JFK, to Clinton, Obama, Mahathir, Suharto, Marcos, Putin, Trump...and our very own Lee Kuan Yew, they are all skilled artists when it comes to weaving a tapestry of fear and hope TOGETHER as an integrated whole. In other words, politicians have to CREATE VALUE in the minds of potential voters. No "value", no vote, no exceptions.
The success or failure of a cuntry; or more correctly: a nation and its Sheeple, is solely rooted in THE CULTURE of the Sheeple. Who gets into the seats of power are the people who (are thought to be) best "represent" that culture, expressed in the authority of The State, and how the whole cuntry functions. "Politics" is just a collective reflection of that culture.
That said, I don't really care who runs Singapore. My faith is in the "calculating" people --- they know what they value, they know they can spot value and if it works, they know it doesn't have to work 100% perfectly. 60-75% can jalan already.
Anon 10.57
No one really think that Matland Harapan with so many different camps and or differences can united as One just to face UMNO.
So, likewise Singapore.
As for TPL what's helping McPherson poor and elders are the result of her PAP's wrong policies
Of making all beholden to them by making them in poverty.
Just wayang helping those in need of offering help when they had suck them in the first place by taxes and rising prices.
Giving back ten dollars and taking a hundred and making them beholden to them.
Hi
Whether is Sg Harapan or Harapan Sg, is a waste of time.
The masses have not suffered enough to do a Harapan.
Maybe three GEs from now.
Anyway.....is definitely a very very good start.
The first step!
Cheers.
Now matland under harapan will go thru major recession.
Don't even know if harapan can survive its full 5-yr term.
Nice. WP's role is to be a co-driver, slapping the driver only if he falls asleep. PSP's role is to be an alternative voice, nothing more, nothing less. Both parties are unable, or unwilling to do more. Very cosy for PAP.
How to define quality and calibre if they have never been tested.
Sure, we can talk about the stellar quality of some opposition candidates, but have we given them the chance to prove themselves? It is only through trial and error that many top PAP leaders of old came into prominence, likewise some were discarded after a short stint. The PAP also came into power because the older generation of voters took the bold step of giving them the opportunity to lead through the ballot box.
So, unless Sinkies are serious about having an alternative voice in Parliament and take the first step at the ballot box, where will good leaders of quality and calibre be discovered?
Under the present mentality state of Singapore voters, that day of the opposition forming an alternative Government is just a pipe dream. Without the numbers, even an alternative voice will be drowned out by the sheer noise of the PAP orchestra in full play. The best we can hope for is to have more opposition MPs in Parliament to keep the PAP on its toes.
Talking about the anticipated changes in Malaysia brought about by Harapan, by the looks of things, the hope of the Chinese and Indians for racial equality have sank to the bottom of the Straits of Johor, now that Dr Mat and his Harapan gang are bowing or forced to play the Bumiputera game all over again or call it UMNO version 2.
The wily old fox knows not what to do next, so playing the enemy card is his favourite diversion tactic. That is why so much bad blood has risen to the surface once again over relations between Malaysia and Singapore. The bogeyman trick works best with Dr Mat conducting and directing the show.
Rb, it's not that tcb does not want to have a large party with good candidates. It's whether good candidates wanted to join him or not as most likely all good candidates are successful people having a good life here. So why turn their lives and their families upside down Kena tekan here and there and what do they gain? Unless for higher goal of for the betterment of others. If not then no motivation to join. The fact the other 11 members tian tian likely are people with background of so so or the have been type. Not that I wanted to pour cold water cause if they are people of substance why so quiet, Tio bo?π
Of course I am hoping I am wrong and tcb will surprise all of us so I will hold my judgement till then as eventually the 11 have to show themselves can not be shy shy type.
@ take a cold shower,
There is a phenomenon amongst guys ---- especially sex-starved guys called blue balls aka epididymal hypertension. This occurs when they meet an attractive possible sexual partner and the anticipation causes the male genitalia to be stimulated for a prolonged period without the relief of male orgasm. It is very painful. It is also emotionally taxing due to the anticipation of wild and furious fucking...which may not even occur.
The announcement of the PSP (PAP change the middle letter to “S” PAP ⇒ PSP) has stricken many voters with blue balls...until so many tak boleh tahan. ππ€£
As I have no “skin in the game” --- because I consider all politics to be mass insanity and delusion --- I don’t care who ends up governing The Hotel. But if I were to make a prediction it will be that the PAP will score a major victory despite the apparent drop in support many think (wrongly) is happening.
TCB is ex PAP. You can take the man out of the PAP, but I doubt you can take the PAP out of the man. Rich, successful professionals tend to vote for “stability”.
Here’s another prediction: if the WP or others gain seats, as well as the PSP, the PAP and PSP will form a coalition...which means, BACK TO SQUARE ONE LAH! π»π€‘
Anyway, on with the show. As a regular guest in The Hotel, I consider this “in-house entertainment”!
Blue Balls, throbbing! π€£
Clap clap clap. I am still sitting at home.
Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek, which owns about 16% of Standard Chartered, the emerging markets lender, has grown frustrated with the slow pace of chief executive Bill Winters’ turnround and is stepping up pressure on the UK-listed bank ahead of his pivotal strategy update in February.
Standard Chartered’s share price has fallen almost 40% since Winters took over in June 2015 — deeply underperforming most banking rivals — and trades at about £6 today compared with a price of £15.24 when Temasek first bought in during 2006. That leaves Singapore's Temasek sitting on billions of pounds in paper losses.
Read more at The Financial Times
Must compile and keep a detail of ALL Temasick and Gee I See loses and performances. Must also keep digging on more information regarding the secret salary and secretive bonuses of CEOs and Board of Directors of Tamasick Ho's Ding and those of the Gee I See. Such detailed information and accounts may come in handy and serve important functions in the future. For the sake of posterity. Justice must be done ...... and seen to have been done ...... in time to come.
Is the GBP billions of paper losses enuf to buy 65 US F-35Bs ??
11.08pm, why provide the link where u can only read the article if u pay subscription. Your backside itchy is it wasting people time. Like other anons have said u need to be sodomized larπ
Temasek should replace this non performing Winters with Piyush Gupta from DBS. Stanchart would guarantee to turn around quickly like DBS and become the number one bank in the world.
How come this biggest shareholder got no power to replace a non performing CEO? This case not punching above out weight but punching below our weight.
Sodomizers surely have AIDS.
Will die miserably and agonizing death.
@ Blue Ballers, lumpah damn pain aiyoh!
One more time in case you didn't "get it" the first time:
You can take the man out of the PAP, but you can't take the PAP out of the man
As to the question: "Progress Singapore Party - Can it make a difference": Anything can make a difference. So yes. It is possible, though unlikely.
If I rephrase the question: "Progress Singapore Party - WILL it make a difference". My answer is a flat and outright NO
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